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48° North Test Sail: Hunter 356 by Richard Hazelton |
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With roller furling main and jib, matched grained teak and Corian counters, a couple can cruise with ease, comfort and confidence in this latest boat from Hunter.  t was a perfect spring day—sunshine, wind—except it was February and 20 degrees colder as we pointed the new Hunter 356 out into the friendly confines of Lake Union. This is the first Hunter 356 in the area and we were looking forward to taking it for a sail.
The Yanmar 27 moved us quietly along at 2800 rpm. The boat was fitted with a three bladed prop so when we cranked up the rpms it was quite a pull on the wheel. The boat pivoted nicely around its keel, proving very manuerverable as we did donuts in the middle of the lake to the entertainment of diners in the many lakeside restaurants. The control is single lever for shifting and throttle, much more convenient than the two lever systems. The instruments were mounted attractively on the pedestal and very readable. From motoring to sailing took two minutes as the jib and main are both on Pro Furler with the main going into the mast. We ran down the lake at about 5.8 knots in about 10 knots of wind and about the same upwind. Performance would be enhanced with a fully battened main, but it's a tradeoff for the remarkable convenience of rolling the main into the mast. The boat is basically set up for a husband and wife team. The boat uses a standard working jib so it didn't take much to get it in with the Lewmar self-tailing winches mounted on the cabin top. One of the first things you notice is the stainless steel traveler arch above the helmsman's head. This took a little getting used to but worked very well. It allows end boom sheeting for the main, giving greater leverage so again the lines and blocks don't have to be as big as those using mid-boom sheeting. The arch is also a good place to mount audio speakers, cockpit lights and attach bimini and dodger tops. I'm sure it will also see its fair share of wet clothes and towels. The mainsheet was run to the cabintop. While I liked the fact that the equipment could be smaller, I rather like a fatter line just because they're easier on the hands. Keeping weight low is definately a theme on the Hunter 356. Two struts come off the mast, making a triangle with the Selden mast. This supports the mast down low while the lighter mast section reduces weight aloft. The resulting rigging with the two spreaders, however, creates quite a cobweb look. Even the headliner in the cabin helps keep weight lower and increase righting moment. Hunter has replaced the fiberglass headliner with their "whisper soft" headliner, taking 350 pounds out of the cabintop. There's a spacious self-draining anchor locker with flush mounted windlass in the bow, with bowroller for two anchors. In the cockpit, a cavernous locker is to port. It's so deep it has one stair which gets you down to the bottom step, actually the cover for the batteries. It is huge, but is the only stowage in the cockpit, other than a locker on the back step. On the starboard side, a section of seat lifts up to reveal a Lemar hatch. This hatch lets light into the aft stateroom with the extremely practical bonus of being an emergency exit for the aft cabin. The boat sailed very nicely. It was nimble (even with the three bladed bucket) yet had the stability of a larger boat. I was surprised at how well we pointed with the roll-up, loose-footed main. Even with a cockpit full of people, the boat would still be easy to sail, with jib lines accessable and the traveler up out of the way on the arch. Reluctantly, we headed in, taking only about two minutes to roll-up the jib and main. I really think this set up results in much more time spent under sail, as you can quickly and easily pop out the sails and check out the sailing wind without any strain or drama. Ray Rutledge of Signature Yachts was my host for this sail and his handling of the boat when docking speaks well of both skipper and vessel. He had to back down a narrow opening between finger piers and slide into the slip with little room front, back or sideways. This he did masterfully with no help from admiring hands on the dock. The large companionway hatch slides back to make going below contorsion free. Spray lacquered teak bulkheads and furniture give the spacious interior a warm and luxurious feeling. The many hatches keep it bright with lots of natural light. The boat we were on had the leather cushions option which looked very nice. The wide beam makes the saloon as roomy as many larger boats. There's stowage underneath the seats but not much behind. The rich feel continues in the galley with its Corian countertops. The large refrigerator has shelves and partitions built in so you don't have to sort through piles of groceries to find what you want. Across from the galley, the nav station houses electronics, charts, and guages. I especially liked the gauges that gave the state of the water tanks, and holding tanks—very good information to have while cruising. To port, behind the nav station, is the head. I really like the fact that, instead of a combination head and shower, there is a separate shower stall. A true decidence appreciated by most cruisers. Again we see Corian countertops. It wasn't until until going forward that I remembered I wasn't aboard a much larger boat.  There is a standard vee-berth with enough room to change and stowage for clothes. The aft stateroom is cozy, with the double berth oriented athwart ships rather than fore and aft. Again there's good use of space, with lights in all the right places. A swim stem running the width of the boat and the walk through transom make for easy access to water, dock or dinghy. The locker to port provides convenient stowage for all those wet, sandy things. Locker to starboad houses propane tanks.
Some construction notes: deck and hull joints are shaped, spread with 3M, clamped together then through-bolted around the entire deck. Extra epoxy is laid down at the chainplates. A Kevlar laminate runs from the bow to the keel sump to give added protection against collisions. A high density vinyl rubrail wraps all the way around the boat for those normal, everyday bumps. A shoal winged keel or fin keel is available, the fin keel seeming the choice for the northwest. Both keels are lead and attached with stainless steel keelboats. ... on to page two specifications and more photographs |