Scout wrote:
I had the Precision (Starwind, but same designer).
It was a lovely little boat and it performed very well, including coastal
sailing.

We have friends with the Starwind 19, plus the college
sailing club owns one. Nice boat, it's just enough bigger
than the 18 to give a useable interior.


... But it was a real bear to rig, especially by myself. Eventually I
just bit the bullet and got a slip on Long Beach Island. That was sweet in
some ways but expensive and had it's own compromises.

Rigging/launching is the downfall of most "trailerable"
boats and very few buyers give it much serious thought. We
looked long & hard at this because we both had years of
experience trailering small boats. The Hunter 19 is a
breeze- well thought out, simple, not too big or heavy. One
of the best features about it's trailerability is the open
transom & ladder... two steps and you're up. This makes
*everything* that you do on the boat while on wheels much
easier & quicker.

The Hunter's 2 down sides are it's looks, which can best be
described as sort of cute in a pudgy way; and the fact that
it's a Hunter. I made a 2 page typed (well, word-processed)
list of deficiencies from the factory, including a place on
the hull that needed fiberglass repair because some bone
head left a big bolt lying on the trailer bunk, and they set
the boat on top of it. The dealer mader good on much of it.


I like the idea of being able to trailer but I'd like bigger than 19 and
easier rigging than Precision (like Mac's masting idea only not a Mac).

"Bigger" and "easier" are two words that don't go well
together. However there are some boats that tackle the
problem in innovative ways. My two favorites are Phil
Bolger's Shearwater, a 28' raised-deck leeboard cat-yawl;
and the Sea Pearl 28 which is cat-ketch with carbon fiber
masts in tabernacles.


Do you think $3,000 is pushing it a little high? I sold my Precision for
$2,500 with some nice options.

Well, it all depends. We sold ours for quite a bit more than
that (once again, nice options). I'm surprised the Precision
didn't fetch more, they are pretty well respected boats.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King