In my quest for the ideal boat, I had discovered many very nice and some not so great boats. I had belonged to a yacht club a number of years ago and sailed enough years to know that there was just a bit more salt in my blood than most people living along the coast. Although most of my experience was on 27` to 52` vessels, I had a desire to “small boat” sail. There is something special about sailing a dingy, and the saying is true that, even if you are a good sailor in a large keel boat, sailing a dingy will make you a better sailor.

I had some specific criteria in mind.  I wanted an open boat.  I had decided that I wanted the true feel of sailing that an open boat can give.  I know from experience that while day sailing, nobody wants to go below deck.  They all want to be topside, out in the breeze.  The Hunter 170 is not only an open boat, it has a larger cockpit area for seating than most large yachts.  This brings me to my next criteria......., passengers.

I wanted a boat that was large enough to occasionally take five of my friends. The Hunter 170 will take a total of six crew members in her very uncluttered and open cockpit. There is ample room to stretch out your legs in the 7` wide beam vessel. And, one of the first things you will notice is that you don't have to duck under the boom. The boom is high enough for the tallest of crew. In addition, there is a storage area forward that is covered by a removable, heavy, canvas cover. This is a very appealing feature for my needs....., or should I say Sir Winston’s needs. Sir Winston is my 200 lbs., and growing, English Mastiff puppy. This cubby area is scooped out with no sharp edges or corners. Even though my puppy stands taller than me, (I am 6’3”, 230 lbs), He seems to fit nicely in this area. He is even able to lay down for a nap, however, he is usually sitting up and enjoying the view. This sea dog can bark out orders with the best of them.

I wanted a boat that was a good performance boat and yet stable enough for the water fearing landlubbers. The Hunter fulfilled both of these criteria well. Because of the high freeboard coupled with a very wide beam the hunter feels more like a boat of larger size. Don't misunderstand this to mean that it is clunky and slow to maneuver. On the contrary, the hunter is also fast. I find that in light air it sails easily. And if you are into performance, I highly suggest that you get the spinnaker package. Your adrenaline will be pumping when you and one crew member find yourself planning on a broad reach, with the asymmetrical spinnaker option, under a force 5, fresh breeze. There has been some talk of the H-170 flipping easily under a strong gust, however, I believe that may be more the case of a crew that is only used to keel vessels. Remember, the H-170 is a weighted centerboard, vessel. It is designed to use crew weight for ballast. I have tried to flip this boat on a breezy day, with one brave crew member, while the two of us were hiked out to see if it could be done. Every time that I thought we would go over, we stuck to our post, leaned out, and the boat would eventually spill the wind out of the sails due to excessively, over heeled, conditions. I hope to try this again under full spinnaker. Hunter is now also offering a reefing package which I would recommend for all sailors.

I wanted a boat that was easily trailerable. That may not be as easy as it sounds. Many boats are said to be trailerable but have a wider beam than what is allowed by most states. Keep in mind that the Legal width limit is 8` unless you get a special “trip permit”. Those permits can be very costly and you must go down and get a new permit each time you wish to move your vessel. Easily trailerable also means easy to rig. I do have a special dislike to the split rings that seem to come on all boats. After changing these out for some trick quick pins and snap shackles, I find that it takes me about 30 minutes to raise the mast and set the standing and running rigging. I am neurotic about checking and double checking my rigging. I believe that I could rig it in about 15 minutes, however, I always recommend double checking everything.

I wanted good customer service. As with all things made by man, thing will go bump in the night. I have an understanding of this. So, not only did I choose a hull made of ACP material, that would stand up to the occasional bump in night, I was fortunate enough to run into a dealer that would also stand up to the occasional bumps that life might bring. I had previously done business with Dennis, who is the owner of Sailing Obsession, Visalia, CA in the past and have the utmost respect for his integrity. Dennis has always gone far out of his way to see that any of my concerns were looked after. His prices were the most reasonable that I had found under my extensive search. I don't remember being as satisfied with any purchase that I had ever made as I was in dealing with Dennis. Dennis has also assured me that the Hunter Corporation is one of the best customer satisfaction companies that he has dealt with.