39 Hunter

Source: Kevin Green, Boatpoint Magazine

LIKES
– Level of comfort
– Spacious
– Overall quality

DISLIKES
– Dimly lit stern cabin
– Exposed electrics at windlass

OVERVIEW
— Aimed at families and couples
The new Hunter 39 comes with several major changes from its predecessor, the Hunter 38, which include twin steering wheels and a more rounded cabin profile which, combined with a favourable US dollar exchange rate, should make the new cruiser a good contender in a competitive market sector.

Standout features are a user-friendly rig that includes a roller-reefed mainsail as well as obligatory roller headsail and practical overall design which would suit families and couples.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
— Competitively-priced cruiser
American-built cruisers benefit from the supply and demands of a huge market, so by the time they reach foreign shores these boats are usually well appointed and thought-out, and the Hunter 39 is no exception to this rule.

Pricewise, a strengthening Aussie dollar means the base boat is available from US Yachts in Sydney for $305,000, making it a competitively-priced cruiser.
Despite the high topsides, boarding is easy via the guard-rail gates or new and enlarged swim platform with saloon-style stern doors. These lead into a cavernous cockpit which is uncluttered with rounded fibreglass coamings.

The twin helms neatly sit behind a separate bulkhead with Lewmar primary winches and double-ended mainsheet controls all to hand. This arrangement leaves the cockpit and its sizable table for crew or entertaining, while overhead, Hunter’s trademark bimini shades them. The heavily-built steel twin legs of the bimini also house the mainsheet traveller, ensuring that the long boom (a feature of the Bergstrom & Ridder designed rig) is controlled well back from the mast.

Steering controls all come to hand, with the new pivoting chart plotter giving information to both helms, and the optional Mariner package fitted to the stock boat showing an array of the latest Raymarine ST70 instruments on the cabin top – but a long way from the helm for this short sighted writer to see easily. Alongside them the Sony Marine entertainment system and bimini overhead speakers should keep any party lively.

Forward visibility is good thanks to the uncluttered cabin top and stylish flush-mounted hatches. Walking forward is easily done, with the wide beam (another feature required to support the B&R rig) and spacious decks. All lines lead aft through gutters which again gives a clean feel to the forward part of the boat, and a handy platform for lounging on in quiet anchorages; very spacious for a 39 foot cruiser.

Twin dorade vents ensure that the main saloon is naturally vented and enough hatch space is available to keep the boat well aired, unless you prefer to fit the optional air conditioner which could be switched on with shore power.

Up forward the bow area is functional, with the moulded toe rail an aide to footing should things get lively and the electric Maxwell windlass conveniently having two bow rollers to work through, though I’d have preferred the windlass foot controls to be sheltered below the bow locker cover, rather than exposed on deck. The deck join to the hull has a sturdy steel rubrail right around the boat, a good protective feature.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
— Big on space, big on features
Serious cruising sailors won’t be disappointed when they go below after a voyage, with comfortable ultra leather settees to lounge on and a dinette area that can easily sit a family of six. Again, not bad for a 39 footer.

A warm feel, thanks to the abundant cherrywood interior, pervades the saloon. On the starboard side, the L-shaped galley is finished off in hard-wearing Corian that also covers the deep twin sinks adjoining the two-burner gimballed oven. Overhead locker space is excellent and all fixtures and fittings are quality metal components. Nice features included the pull-out wine rack and the optional freezer, ensuring no need to leave that secluded anchorage for a week or two.

Under the laminated floor boards an unusually deep bilge also added greatly to overall storage, as well as stability in the event of a flood.
Dual access to the stern cabin with its generous athwartships sprung bed is another handy feature in this layout (though a three-cabin version is also available). My only gripe here was the lack of natural light, but at anchor the cockpit locker cover does expose the stern cabin’s hatch to give additional natural light.

The portside shower/head and separate utility room is, in effect, an ensuite, giving the owner a totally private area. Also outside the portside cabin door is the navigation area with its sizeable chart table. Nice touches here include a handy night vision light, beautifully smooth coamings and a user-friendly control panel on the bulkhead. The navigator can comfortably sit here and run his electronic charts on the large flat screen in the forward bulkhead, when the kids aren’t watching TV or using one of the two entertainment systems that can be optionally fitted. The Sony Marine system on the review boat looked stylish and multifunctional, with obligatory MP3 capabilities, and the Bose DVD system finished off the multimedia entertainment.

Powering all this gear is an 80-amp alternator attached to the 29hp Yanmar, however a 120-amp model is available, as well as the optional 40hp motor. Another feature I liked was the simplicity of a shaft drive, rather than the more complex sail drive, and engine access was excellent with gas struts easily lifting the engine box for all round views of the donk.

Moving forward, past the stainless mast compression post, to the V-berth, the tall topsides clearly pay dividends here with good headroom and locker space.
Another plus point, sorely lacking in some competitors’ boats is the multitude of handrails and stanchions that ensures the main cabin is secure for crew moving about at sea; so the Hunter 39 is not just all about being at anchor or lounging in that tropical marina.

MECHANICAL, HULL AND RIG
— Purists may question the rig
The wide hull carries its beam right back to the squarish stern, with a small amount of forward rake both fore and aft, but enough to ensure the overall hull has pleasing lines. Hunter builds with balsa-cored sandwich glass above the waterline and below uses solid glass with Kevlar reinforcements at the bow.

Keeping things upright is a shallow-draft bulbed cast iron keel; ideal for gunkholing as they say in Florida. However our review boat came with the optional deep keel, intended to give better windward performance. Steering via the Edson rack-and-pinion system, connected to a deep spade rudder, gave a positive feel to the boat, I found.

The rig is perhaps the most unusual aspect of Hunter boats with some purists questioning the robustness of not having a backstay but this racing-orientated setup has proven itself worldwide and more recently I spent some time with Hunter owner Mike Harker on his successful round-the-world trip, and despite getting into some serious scrapes the rig stood up well, he told me. No doubt helped by the large chain plates, wide aspect set of the raked shrouds and quality Selden spars fitted to the fractional rig.

The review boat had the in-mast Selden furling system which controlled the Doyle mainsail easily. The wide-footed mainsail keeps the centre of effort low, and with no backstay to impede its travel, it has a long boom. With a powerful mainsail, headsail size is modest giving a manageable 110 per cent jib. This means that with much of the power in the main, keeping it correctly trimmed is important – playing the traveller, tweaking the solid boom vang and roller-reefing when required – ensures that that the wetted area of the wide hull is not overdone. With slightly less sail area (833sq ft compared to 892sq ft) the new Hunter 39 is intended to be more manageable for couples but the optional cruising chute would add plenty of horsepower to get you quickly to that favourite anchorage in light airs.

ONE THE WATER
— Broad reaching the pick of the angles
Leaving our marina for a trip down the Harbour, the 40hp Yanmar and shaft drive with a three-blade prop pushed us along easily. I noted 7.2 knots as revs maxed out at 3200rpm before slowing us down to pull out the roller furling mainsail. This was done effortlessly, after we released the mechanism at the mast.
Unlike the standard rig, the roller main has less roach and, like most similar systems, requires a bit of tweaking – adjusting the vang and tightening the leach line gave us a full bellied main with plenty of power in the 17kt breeze. Paying out the headsail from the Furlex roller went without dramas, powering us up the harbour quickly.

With the mainsail able to be controlled from the cabin top winch or the primaries at the helm, the crew or single-hander could manage the sail plan easily. Adjusting the traveller proved a bit of mystery of course, as it’s hidden on top of the bimini, but any owner should become accustomed to this arrangement.
Steering with the dual helm gives the purist sailor plenty of options – to sit out watching the headsail tell tales during twilight races or hunker down below the bimini on longer passages. The 39 proved well mannered on all points of sail, with broad reaching perhaps the most comfortable. Windward performance was impressive, given the wide jib sheeting angles of the rig, with a wind angle of 32 degrees noted while doing 7.4kts in the 17kts breeze.

While running you had to watch the mainsail on the raked-back shrouds and spreaders, so ideally gibing your way downwind was the best plan of action.
Despite a busy market segment the new Hunter 39 certainly stands out I’d say, mainly for its overall quality and user friendliness; with enough options to satisfy the most demanding owner and with a style that doesn’t look shabby even among the current flotilla of European opposition.

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Mechanicals/Equipment/Rig, etc: 4.2/5.0
Packaging and Practicality: 4.2/5.0
On the water performance: 4.0/5.0
Value for money: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.9/5.0

COMPARABLE BOATS
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 – replaces the SO 39i. This new cruiser has some key innovations from its predecessor including a redesigned deck and sail plan intended to make this yacht not only faster but easier to handle.
Beneteau Oceanis 40 – This popular model benefits from the stylish look penned from Nauta Design and is available in two- or three-cabin layouts with the capacity to cater for up to 10 crew.
Bavaria 38 Cruiser – a cost-effective boat from the German yard that features plenty of volume with a nice swim platform and a user-friendly sailplan.

Boat Specifications: 39 Hunter

Hunter 39
Length Overall:12.01 m
Hull Length: 11.18m
Waterline Length: 10.57m
Beam: 3.38m
Draft – Shoal: 1.52m
Draft – Deep: 1.98m
Displacement – Shoal: 8391kg
Ballast – Shoal: 2734kg
Ballast – Deep: 2541kg
Sail Area – Std: 92.07m2
Sail Area – Furling: 83.98sqm
Inboard Engine: 29hp
Fuel Capacity: 136L
Water Capacity: 284L
Holding Tank Capacity:.94 L