Hunter 49
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The Hunter 49 shorthanded cruiser/passagemaker promises true value-for-money and an unbeatable warranty, writes ALLAN WHITING merican sailing marque Hunter has always combined ease-of-sail handling with build quality. But now this ideal cruising combination is available at bargain prices thanks to a strong exchange rate. Jumping aboard the boat, we had a short play in the flagship 49-footer to see how much bang you get for your Aussie dollar. The 49 replaced the 46 in 2007, but somehow we missed out evaluating it back then. But the recent climb of the Aussie dollar has seen some refocussing on American craft and the Hunter 49 was an obvious boat to evaluate as our dollar soars towards parity with the greenback. If the Hunter flagship had been designed by a European boat manufacturer you’d imagine it would have been called a 50. But in the USA, the number 49 probably has more appeal than plain old 50. Historically, those who joined the 1849 California Gold Rush were known as 49ers and since 1946, the name has been carried by San Francisco’s gridiron football team. Also, the famous single-spinner Ford cars were introduced in 1949. With this 49 yacht, Hunter has managed to cram an awful lot of kit into a boat that sells for less than the Australian median house price — with homelike features as part of the attraction. Our evaluation boat is the proud possession of Tania and Alan Pascoe, who were in the throes of preparing it for an around-theworld cruise. They took time off their busy schedules to show us around their home-onthe-water and let us crew during the recent 19-boat-strong Hunter Regatta held on Sydney Harbour. Despite being fitted with pure cruising sails and loaded for passagemaking, plus the weight of six regatta drop-ins, Screensaver managed a creditable fourth over the line in the Harbour race. Not bad for an aroundthe-world home. HUNTER DIFFERENCE Thanks to a trademark rubbing rail that covers the flanged deck-hull join, Hunter yachts are easy to pick. Closer inspection shows another difference: a rig that has a slender mast section and no backstay. The B&R rig was developed in the 1960s by Lars Bergstrom and Sven Ridder for use on shorthanded, around-the-world yachts. This rig design has swept-back spreaders, with the shrouds and forestay disposed at 120-degree intervals, triangulating the mast support. Hunter adopted the B&R rig in 1993. The sturdy B&R rig requires a wide Left: Hunter 49 test boat was set-up by the owners for an impending around-the-world cruise. But even on ho-hum Sydney harbour, our yachting man, Allan Whiting (pictured), was impressed by her space and ease of handling.

shroud base, so Hunter yachts have traditional, hull-exterior chainplates and long spreaders. The wide sheeting base is a plus at all points of sail other than close-hauled with an overlapping headsail, but that’s no real issue in the case of boats that are designed primarily for cruising. The 49 comes with a modest-overlap jib and can be ordered with an optional self-tacking headsail. Construction is state-of-the-art, with Hunter hulls and decks built in a production-line process, using a combination of solid FRP and Baltek that is used in surface materials in hospitals and food-processing...

"Hunter must be confident of its build quality and the reliability of its inclusions, because the warranty is an is said to be as strong as the original laminates and up to six times stronger than traditional FRP taped joins. Final assembly of the interior includes engine installation. The deck moulding is kitted out separately and arrives in almost finished condition for bonding and screwing to the hull. Hunter must be confident of its build quality and the reliability of its inclusions, because the warranty is an unbeatable five years — stem to stern. A HOME AT SEA Most 49s are fitted out...

Hunter 49 Local agents US Yachts held its annual Hunter owners' regatta on Sydney Harbour on a Saturday afternoon with a 15-knot nor'easterly breeze that drew out what seemed to be every seaworthy craft available. With packed ferries and motorboats dialled into the mix, the Hunter crews had to be on their toes. Fortunately, the regatta was held without incident. Just because people buy Hunter boats for their renowned cruising abilities doesn't mean that these buyers have lost their competitive streak. The Farm Cove start-line saw pre-gun jockeying that would not have looked out of place in...