e36 Hunter

Source: Kevin Green, Boatpoint Magazine

Likes
User friendly overall design
Spacious accommodation
Comfortable cockpit layout

Dislikes
Cramped engine access and hidden filters
Sticking winch handles

OVERVIEW
– Lots of room and well specified
American built Hunter Yachts has remodelled its established 36 footer and the result is the new Hunter e36, a sleeker-looking boat with increased volume in the key areas of the cockpit and accommodation. Typical of American-built yachts the e36 is well specified both inside and on deck making this a comfortable cruising boat with Hunter’s trademark backstay-less rig. The deck and topsides have been reshaped into a more angular profile with large side windows ensuring more interior light while the cockpit has been lengthened with an enlarged fold-down swim platform. Retaining the bimini-mounted mainsheet track keeps the cockpit clear while genoa sheets run back to near the helm station, an ideal cruiser layout.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
– Quality deck gear and simple operation
Our review boat came with an extensive list of fitted options including Raymarine electronics, Selden in-mast furling mainsail, entertainment systems, mooring kit and safety gear which added $30k to the base price of $229k.

The new deck and cabin top features a sleeker profile with elongated side windows and flush hatches, giving more interior light. The cockpit retains its sturdy table with small drink locker and at the stern, the enlarged swim platform means the telescopic stainless steel ladder has moved to the starboard transom side.  The sturdy binnacle holds the optional Lewmar folding steering wheel and Raymarine C90 plotter and autopilot, with the waist-high throttle lever close to hand as well.

Other Lewmar gear includes all winches with smallish Lewmar 40s by the helm for genoa sheeting and a pair of 30s on the cabin for halyards and running rigging. Apart from unlocking the furling mainsail on the mast, all lines run aft under gutters and stored neatly in recesses. Hunter’s distinctive stainless bimini houses the mainsheet track, keeping it clear of the cockpit but the double-ended mainsheet design allows control from the cabin top as well.

Confirming her cruising credentials the optional dodger and bimini coverings give good weather protection which is further enhanced by high coamings, ensuring the e36 should be a pretty dry boat.

Moving up front is easily done thanks to wide decks and a strong stainless grab rail. Reflecting the low maintenance design, no teak is apparent. Other functional features included moulded toerails with mid-ships cleats, the latter always handy for short-handed mooring. Again showing good cruising credentials, a vertical Quick capstan and windlass is fitted, slightly protruding from the shallow anchor well, with nearby foot controls.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
– Big galley and room to sleep six
The two-cabin layout combined with the saloon double berth allows the e36 to sleep six comfortably, impressive even for a modern 36 footer. Our review boat came with the standard dinette two-bench layout but wrap-around lounge style seating is also available. The warm cherry-coloured wood throughout, Brazilian Eucalyptus, lends a traditional feel to the saloon with the L-shaped galley to starboard which houses a double burner stove/oven and above, a small microwave. Cupboard space is perhaps limited but the crockery cabinet contained a hidden function — a self-draining floor and extractor fan for drying stacked dishes. Other good features here included a 80-litre (optional) front-opening fridge, double sinks and all finished off with real Corian work surfaces.

Across the hull, adjoining the toilet/shower cubicle, a navigation table faces aft and houses the electrical control panel (with pop-out circuit breakers) alongside the bulkhead-mounted electronics. It’s a functional looking setup for the navigator who sits on the end of the lounge bench.  A Raymarine instrument package was fitted throughout with wide screen C90 plotter, 6002 autopilot and ST60 wind and speed readouts on the cabin top bulkhead. Powering all the gear is via a 60amp hour alternator on the three-cylinder shaft drive Yanmar, with both house and starting batteries sealed in a plastic box in the main cockpit locker. Engine access is easy via gas-strutted companionway steps with the only unknown being the diesel filter which I couldn’t find but side access is limited.

Moving to the bow, across the hardwood laminated flooring, the tall topsides of the e36 and shallow anchor well allow for a roomy V-berth. Cabinetry throughout is adequate for a modern 36 footer. Moving back aft, a similar story applies to the master cabin. The longer cockpit has given some more volume to the aft cabin with greater headroom (to compliment the 1.96m in the saloon) and the bed fills the full width of the hull. Ventilation is also good thanks to plenty of hatches including a large cockpit opening one. The only downside might be privacy and noise from the cockpit.

MECHANICAL, HULL AND RIG
– Proven rig with swept-back spreaders
The overall hull profile retains a classic, rather than contemporary shape, with enough bow rake and rounded coamings to give the Hunter e36 a reasonable elegance. It belies a voluminous hull which carries its beam right back to the tall transom. Construction is solid glassfibre below the water and Balsa sandwich above with Kevlar reinforcement at the forefoot.

The inside shrouds on the two-spreader Selden rig strongly attaches to an internal grid moulded into the hull, with Hunter’s signature B&R rig of swept-back spreaders and no backstay completing a well-proven design. As standard, the keel is a winged cast-iron item but the Performance Version comes with a lead option and big-topped mainsail for club racing. Steering is via cable which controls the balanced spade rudder that sits on a stainless shaft, and for emergency use the quadrant is accessed through a cockpit sole hatch.

ON THE WATER
– Comfortable cruising
Having sailed several Hunters in the past the steering setup felt familiar with the emphasis strongly on leisurely cruising, so the helmsman is well protected. But leaning out towards the gunwales does allow sighting of the headsail telltales, while a glance above, through the clear bimini window, shows the masthead Windex. Setting the Doyle sails had also been a leisurely pursuit on an empty Sydney Harbour with a few pulls on the outhaul line withdrawing the dacron mainsail from the mast while the 110 per cent headsail unwound from the Hood roller without drama as well.

The low-cut mainsail and elongated boom helps to lower the centre of effort which is just as well as the e36 heeled over quickly in the 15-knot breeze until adjustments to the track and mainsheet were made. But with a conservative sail area to displacement ratio of 16.4 the Hunter should be reasonably stable yacht. It’s the kind of boat that benefits from being kept reasonably upright and with a bit of time on the helm I settled into a groove, managing a respectable 6.2 knots SOG hard on the wind at 40 degrees.

Tacking was slightly marred by the new Lewmar handles sticking in the sheet winches but handling felt nimble and the deck-mounted genoa track gave a good angle of attack for windward work. When gybing I was keener than crewman Matt Hayes to centre the long boom but several gybes went off without incident; aided by the double-ended mainsheet allowing cabin top control by crew while the steerer focussed on the turn. Off the wind (the type of sailing most cruising sailors aim for!) the e36 excelled with good tracking and speeds of up to 7.4knots.

Under power, the fixed triple-bladed propeller and 29hp Yanmar combination worked well enough to push the boat to 7.4kts while retraining a neutral feel on the rudder.

The overall feel from the Hunter e36 is that of a user-friendly boat, ideally suited to the wide variety of sailors who might be found in a group ownership scheme, which was the destiny of our review boat.

Comparable boats
Bavaria 36 — a recent model benefitting from major redesign in the entire range from this major German builder.
Beneteau Oceanis 37 — the established design is big on value with fine lines and popular appeal.
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36i — a proven performance cruiser with injection moulded hull and plenty of aftermarket options available.

Ratings
Overall rating:4.0 /5.0
Mechanicals/Equipment/Rig, etc: 4.0/5.0
Packaging and Practicality: 4.5/5.0
On the water performance: 4.0/5.0
Value for money: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

Specifications – Hunter e36
Price: $229,500 (base boat)
Price review boat : $249,000
Length Overall: 10.64m
Hull Length: 10.51m
Waterline Length: 9.47m
Beam: 3.76m
Draft — Shoal and Bilge: 1.50m
Draft — Deep: 1.96m
Draft — Deep (Performance Package): 1.98m
Displacement — Shoal: 6,953kg 
Displacement — Deep: 6,964kg 
Displacement — Deep (Performance Package): 6,964kg 
Ballast — Shoal: 2,046kg 
Ballast — Deep: 2,057kg 
Ballast — Deep (Performance Package): 2,288kg 
Sail Area — Standard: 71.3sqm
Sail Area — Performance Package: 79.5sqm 
Sail Area — Furling main: 645sqm
Sail area: displacement ratio(furling): 16.4
Headroom: 1.96m 
Fuel Capacity: 144 litres 
Water Capacity:  284 litres 
Holding Tank Capacity: 114 litres 
Water Heater: 19 litres 
Engine: Yanmar 29hp, three-cylinder shaft drive
CE Classification: A/10