Phone 01326-212234

Yachts for sale on brokerage - every boat inspected by Yachtsnet Ltd.

Year

2003

LOA

30' 9"

Beam

10' 4"

Draught

4' 1"

Keel type

Twin fin

Engine

Yanmar diesel

HP

18

The Hunter Channel 31 is a modern fast cruiser, this twin keel example being the 2003 Boat Show exhibit, that has been in the same ownership from new. She is in extremely good condition, and though quite extensively cruised by the family, has clearly been very well maintained. The hull is coppercoated and she has a Gori feathering prop. She has a good cruising inventory and Eberspacher heating, along with recent standing rigging. She will be recommissioned for 2023 shortly, after which she will go onto a mooring near Falmouth.

Hunter Boats Ltd. built yacht and keelboats in Rochford, Essex from 1968 onwards, initially building the Oliver Lee designed Squib keelboat. By 1975 David Thomas became the main designer and they built the popular Hunter Sonata and Impala 28 cruiser/racers, then the various Hunter Horizon models in sizes from 21 to 32 ft. The final larger cruiser model was the Hunter Channel 31.

In 2003 Hunter Boats was bought out by the Select Yachts Group who already owned Cornish Crabbers and Red Fox Yachts amongst other smaller boatbuilders In 2008 Select Yachts went into voluntary liquidation in the middle of the then current financial crisis. In 2009 Lauren Marine of Southampton purchased the rights and moulds for most of the Hunter range of boats and built them under the brand of British Hunter.

The British Hunters have never had any connection with the Florida-based Hunter Marine, even when that company briefly also operated a factory in the UK. American Hunters and Hunter Legends which were the UK built Hunter Marine versions, are American designs generally more lightly built than British Hunters.

The Hunter Channel 31 is a David Thomas design that offers a remarkable combination of easy handling with good performance and the ability to dry out on her twin keels. Hunter always referred to these boats as "twin fin" rather than "bilge keel" to emphasise their performance. She is one of the few boats of this size to achieve a RCD Category 'A' rating even for the twin keeled version, achieved by a higher ballast ratio than most comparably sized production yachts, combined with quite deep bulbed twin keels. This allows her to carry a good sail area, in a mainsail-biased 7/8th rig. This yacht has a 120% genoa as shown on the sailplan at left, although she has the track for the optional smaller self-tacking jib. The hull is solid laminate, with foam filled frames, stringers and floors for stiffness. The deck is solid laminate with Coremat stiffening. Unlike most earlier British Hunter models, the Channel 31 had an interior designed by Ken Freivokh - much more attractive than the rather utilitarian fit-out of many earlier Hunters.

When introduced she was thought of as very much a cruiser-racer, but now is simply a good fast cruiser. In the words of' 'Yachting Monthly' ".... She'll make a tough and capable coastal or offshore cruiser, easy to handle for a a couple or small family, and with a pedigree that guarantees she'll be fun to sail when it blows".

VIEW MORE PHOTOS