Hunter Yachts 260

As part of the Luhrs Marine Group - one of the USA's better known boat manufacturing combines (including names like Mainship, Silverton and, of course, Luhrs) - Hunter Marine has a significant pedigree on which to draw.

With 70-odd dealers in the US, its dinghies, trailerables and keelboats have a solid following among cruising-inclined yachtsmen. Dinghies aside, there's the Hunter 240, 26, 260, 280, 310, 340, 376, 40.5, 42, 430 or 450 to choose from.

And the marque's rapidly building a reputation Down Under. Represented by Airlie Beach (Qld)-based Hunter Yacht Sales (Aust), the brand has quickly found favour in the Whitsunday bareboat fleet, as well as with a host of private owners up and down the east coast.

In recent times Hunter Yacht Sales (Aust) has spread its wings, appointing agents in New South Wales (Sailing Scene), South Australia (Quins Marine), Western Australia (Ben Lexcen) and Victoria (Parsons Marina).

It was Parsons' Frank Brown and Phillip Grundy who unleashed the Hunter 260 onto the Australian boating market at this year's Melbourne Boat Show.

Here the Trade-A-Boat crew had a quick look over the big water-ballasted trailerable and we were impressed by its hull form, quality fitout and good looks.

Thus, when the opportunity arose to put the 260 through its paces recently, we eagerly dusted off the wet-weather gear and headed for Williamstown - the home of Parsons Marina.

It's a measure of the popularity of the new craft that the test boat was already sold. Indeed, according to Brown, everyone at Parsons is excited by the level of interest shown in the Hunter 260.

"It's user-friendly and bulletproof," Brown says. "This one's going to Paynesville which would be just sensational for it. The Gippsland Lakes area would be the best place to have this boat in Victoria."

TRAILER SAILER
Our first task was to step the 260's mast - all 12.2m (40 feet) of it! But as Brown demonstrated, you can easily lift the mast up with one hand using a simple but powerful four-purchase block and tackle system. The block and tackle combines with a stainless-steel rod fulcrum, which the headsail halyard attaches to.

"There's no real effort," Brown says. "You can even do it from the cockpit - one crew member can run the tackle-line back to a deck winch and simply wind the mast into an upright position."

Indeed, stepping the anodised aluminium and stainless steel rig proved to be a sweat-free, one-man, 10-minute job.

To unrig, you simply pull a pin from the mast crutch (the mast 'arms' are a permanent fixture). Then you can gently ease the rig down with the block and tackle system.

For storage and towing, the top of the mast rests in a stainless steel yoke with a teflon skid at the stern, while the foot of the rig slots into the U-shaped pulpit.

The test boat sat on a Mackay 2001 Series tandem trailer. The 260 hull weighs in at around 1300kg (without water ballast), so it's a big rig for family cars to tow.

"With all the gear and an outboard motor, you are looking at towing about 2000kg," Grundy says. "That's probably a bit over the limit for most cars but most of the interest in the 260 has come from older buyers with four-wheel drives. They want the versatility of driving to their boating and camping destination in a boat of their own."

BALANCE AND BUOYANCY
Williamstown wasn't such a bad place to be on the afternoon of the test - the sun was shining, the sea flat and a gentle sea breeze coughed up warm mid-afternoon 8-10kt zephyrs.

Launching the centreboarder was hassle-free and with the trusty Yamaha outboard cranked up, we were soon motoring towards the breeze and preparing to sail.

The 260's water ballast tank is in the lowest level of its hull. By pulling a plug and unwinding an air inlet under the companionway's bottom step, the tank is gravity-filled with 900kg of seawater in less than eight minutes. The valve is then closed, trapping the water.

"You can't pump it out while you're sailing the 260 which is one of the safety features of it... You'd find yourself flat on your ear," Brown says. The boat is self-righting and has positive buoyancy, meaning it will float even if it is swamped.

Water ballast makes a yacht like the 260 light enough for motoring and trailering and stable enough for safe sailing - with the weight of the water low down to counteract the heeling force. MacGregor Yacht Corporation, a rival US boat manufacturer, is widely acknowledged as having first developed this water ballast concept for trailerables, with the MacGregor 26 making it to Australian shores in recent times.

You get very little 'death-rolling' when running before the wind in a seaway because the centred internal ballast 'centres' the boat.

Neither the ballast tank nor the swing centreboard intrudes on the 260's interior space as they are tucked away under its lacquered teak and holly sole.

The centreboard is controlled by a line leading to the cockpit, and can be raised fully for downwind sailing or motoring. The board will also kick up if it hits an obstruction, so the yacht can be beached without risk of damage to the blade or its attachments.

It's interesting to note that since its US release in November 1997, Hunter has also developed a fixed-keel and winged-keel 260 - both drawing about 1.1m.

SETTING SAIL
The test boat's all-American Doyle sails, Charleston Spars and Shaeffer Marine blocks, were an assault on the senses at first, but the more-familiar Harken, Lewmar and Spinlock deck hardware and fair dinkum Ronstan tiller extension balanced the equation.

Under sail, the 260 appeared to be fast in light winds, although as the breeze freshened to 10kt it exhibited some weather helm.

The 260's is a basic rig, but effective. Insufficient forestay tension and a little too much mast rake goes a long way to explaining this rounding-up habit.

By the way, there's no backstay to worry about and the kicking strap and mainsheet are the only sail controls.

The 260's standard inventory is a hanked jib and mainsail, both in Dacron. A spinnaker is an optional item.

I was surprised at how responsive the 260 is in light-moderate airs. It tacked and gybbed smoothly and quickly, with the wide sheeting angle on the high-footed headsail offering plenty of power.

The flat, roachless mainsail is easy to control - the mainsheet attaches to a four-to-one system with a cleat. The main has a set of reef points that can greatly reduce its area for sailing in high winds. The reefing system looks quick and simple to use. However, Brown suggested two smaller reefing points would be more appropriate.

"The one big reef takes too much out of the mainsail area. We found that in 20kt-plus - once we put a smaller (Noelex 25) headsail on and put a tuck in the main - the boat was underpowered. The first thing I would buy for the boat is probably a working jib and a smaller reef in the main."

FANTASTIC PLASTIC
The 260's hull and deck construction is 100% hand-laid fibreglass, with the underside of the cabin a beige-coloured 'plastic' fibreglass derivative.

Brown says Hunter hulls are fully imported because of this fantastic plastic innovation.

"The underside of the cabin 'plastic' is a derivative of fibreglass and it's a construction method that we have to import at this stage. The deck and headlining and core in between are made as one unit."

The 'plastic' headlining is said to add strength to the boat's overall structure.

The hull has a limited five-year bottom blister and structural warranty.

The 260's hull is beamy with flat mid and aft sections. There is adequate bow flare to slice through a lumpy seaway, with the high cabin top likely to stop most of the spray from reaching the cockpit. It has hatches that can be secured to keep water out of the boat.

The craft's cockpit is around 2m long and gives the 260 the feel of a larger craft.

Most controls lead back to the cabin top and it's encouraging to see top-quality Spinlock jammers and Lewmar winches (one either side of the companionway hatch) as standard.

The cockpit is self-draining through the open transom, with its floor well above water level. The moulded-in non-skid deck worked a treat but without waves crashing over the deck to clean it, the white surface will take some scrubbing down after a family outing.

EASY ACCESS
Kids big and small will love the 260's walk-through transom and pushpit rail seats.

Boarding is easy at cockpit level by using a stern-mounted telescopic ladder.

The yacht's kick-up rudder is simple to lower and raise, with its beefy stainless steel stock looking and feeling storm-proof.

Access to the stern-mounted outboard and portable 12.5lt fuel tank was also made easy by the open transom.

The tiller can hinge back when you're not under sail to make more room in the cockpit.

Foot braces come in handy when you're heeled over and there are floor mouldings for a pedestal-mounted wheel-steering system if tiller control is not your thing.

Cockpit storage is adequate with coaming storage compartments and underseat stowing areas. Butcher's-knife winch handle pockets would be a welcome addition.

At the pointy end, the forward hatch provides access to the bow, where there's a recessed anchor locker, a bow roller and the drinking/general water filler plug.

Rough weather safety features include stainless steel bow pulpit, stanchions and lifelines.

Hunter's 260 'Cruise Pac' standard package includes anchor and line, lifejackets, throwable life cushions, fire extinguisher, flares and a basic maintenance repair kit.

A long and wide companionway makes getting in and out of the cabin easy.

Companionway canvas and a bimini top are options, while a pop-up acrylic windshield is also standard fare.

INSIDE OUT
The main cabin has a generous 1.7m of headroom and there are berths aplenty for a 26-footer - a laminated dinette table can be lifted and swivelled to convert to an island double bed (with curtains), a king-size bed with sitting headroom is located under the cockpit, and the U-shaped settee offers two single berths to port and starboard.

For a boat of this size there is also an enormous amount of storage space with compartments under every seat. The battery is boxed under the starboard settee and the 76lt drinking water tank is housed under the V-shaped island berth in the bow.

The interior is adequately lit and ventilated, with well-appointed lights, six acrylic cabin windows, three opening ports, forward hatch and sliding companionway hatch. Cabin walls are carpeted and there are high-quality fabrics throughout.

The galley features a moulded sink with hand pump and cold water tap, dish and cutlery compartments, and ample cupboard space. There's also a removable 45lt esky under the workspace counter.

An electronics board is just behind the galley area and there's plenty of room for a VHF radio below this control panel. Running lights, cabin lights, masthead anchor lights and a steaming light are standard.

To port is a fully enclosed head, unusual in a vessel of this size. While there is no shower facility, it does have a small sink with cold water handpump fitted. And there's a hanging wet locker where lifejackets are also stowed.

All these features add up to excellent liveability for a 26-foot cruising yacht. A family of four with a couple of friends would be comfortable sailing and overnighting on the 260.

Indeed, it's roomy, stylish and has a lot of big-boat features for a trailerboat.

The 260 is selling well in the States and has the potential to grab a sizeable market share in Australia with its quality finish, good range of performance and well-appointed accommodation.

If you're looking for a quality trailerable family cruising yacht for around $65,000, put the Hunter 260 on your short list.