Sydney International Boat Show 2005

Hunter Marine continues its aggressive introduction of new boats with the release of the all new 31 - a comfortable, speedy, mid-size cruiser that takes advantage of all the latest advances in sailing components and technologies.

The 31, on show at the Sydney International Boat Show, replaces the popular 306 in the Hunter product line. The Hunter design team, led by Glenn Henderson, developed a totally new boat from the hull up, and took advantage of all the newest "marinised" components such as water heaters, AC units, inverters and refrigeration systems. These smaller, stronger and lighter parts helped engineers build a "comfort cruiser that goes fast."

"We found the ideal position for weight balance and access for all the 31's new advanced components to create a better centre of buoyancy," said Henderson. "The result is a boat that is forgiving, well-rounded and has exceptional performance."

Hunter also tapped comments and suggestions from its customers, with feedback from the new on-line Customer Service Survey system that registers customer reviews and comments about specific models, as well as Hunter's overall service.

"Many of the things our customers requested have been built into the new 31," said John Peterson, director of sales and marketing for Hunter Marine. "We are very customer-focused at Hunter and feel its one of the key reasons our boats have such great appeal and do so well in the market."

Ergonomics and function were also carefully considered during the 31's design phase. Design engineers constructed a full-size mock-up of the interior and deck for analysing functionality and user comfort during extensive operational and livability testing. Adjustments, sometimes only fractions of inches, were made to hardware, doors and bulkheads to achieve maximum usability and comfort.

"The 31 has been optimised for efficiency at every level," said Henderson.

Maximum efficiency and comfort has been built into the interior of the 31. The forward cabin is larger than most boats in its class, which was achieved by adjusting the forward hull shape, without affecting performance. A private aft cabin is also provided, along with a fully enclosed head with vanity and shower. The standard galley has icebox, two-burner propane stove and stainless steel sink. Available options include a refrigerator and microwave. Water storage is a 50-gallon freshwater tank and five-gallon water heater. New designer fabrics are used throughout, and interior lines are clean and streamlined.

An Everware® laminate teak and holly cabin sole is back by popular request -- Hunter customers like the look of wood but enjoy the surface's durability and easy maintenance.

Air conditioning; 13" flat panel TV with DVD player; and CD stereo are some of the comfort options available. Shore power connections are handy at port, and make the 31 a great weekend or vacation cruiser.

Hunter's proven easy-to-sail B & R fractional rig system consists of a Selden® anodized mast, large roach mainsail with flaking system, dual single-line reefing, and jib furling. The furling sail has been designed to retain the sail area typically lost over a standard mainsail, and in fact has two more square feet than the 31's standard sail. Hunter's famous arch-mounted mainsheet traveller is an available option, along with a helm sheeting package that allows control of jib sheets from the back of the boat.

The computer-designed, solid fibreglass hull is the result of extensive testing and special engineering. Hunter designed the 31 considering both the weights of a small 1-2 person crew and larger 8-10 person crew with gear to insure low drag efficiencies under a variety of load and wind conditions. Henderson says the balanced spade rudder they designed for the 31 has good clean flow over foil sections, and helps make the boat fast and fun to sail.

"The 31 likes a good breeze," he said, "but this boat is also going to be used as a weekend sailor or on a week's vacation, so it has good light air response as well. With the 31, we built performance attributes into a cruiser."

Hunter continues its concept of low maintenance exteriors with its all fibreglass deck. The cockpit is roomy and features a Lewmar® Direct Drive™ steering system, optional folding wheel, hot/cold transom shower and a stern rail with Flexiteek® seats.

Heavy duty stainless steel handrails surround the deck. The integrated swim platform includes a telescoping stainless steel swim ladder. Auxiliary power is delivered by a Yanmar® 21 HP diesel with 20 gallon tank.

"The whole is definitely a sum of the parts," said Peterson. "So many little things go together to make the 31 a really exceptional and distinguishable boat."

The Hunter 31 is on show at the Sydney International Boat Show and is available for sale through U.S. Yachts.