Dear Steve and Linda, At the end of summer 2004 I plan to leave on an extended cruise/possible circumnavigation on a 25-foot Hunter. It’s an older version, around 1984 or so, with the solid keel at four feet draft and not the plastic trailerable type hunters of today. God willing, I will sail from Lake Erie to the Atlantic, through the Erie Canal and Hudson River, through the Intra-coastal down to the Keys, and eventually through the Panama Canal into the South Pacific. My question is one of concern for the seaworthiness of the boat. She handles lake conditions well but I fear her light displacement might cause some due risk if ever caught in severe open ocean weather. I am 28 and hold a Captain’s License for unlimited tonnage and have long since looked at righting moments and different load plans for the trip. I was hoping you could provide some experienced insight and opinion on whether or not this particular boat may be considered a safe passage maker. Thank you very much for your time. – Gunar
Hi Gunar: I am not familiar with the Hunter 25. However, security is much more an issue of seamanship than the boat, as I am sure you know. For a boat in this size range I would look to something with a proven track record offshore, like a Virtue, or even a Cal 25–heavily beefed up–as the SetSail correspondents Dave and JaJa Martin circumnavigated with. Good Luck – Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
