Hunter 30

About the Hunter 30

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Built

1973–1983

Builder

Hunter Marine

Designer

John Cherubini

Length

30.4 ft

Waterline

25.75 ft

Beam

10.17 ft

Draft

5.25 ft

Displacement

9,700 lb

Ballast

4,100 lb

Hull

fiberglass

Hull / keel

fin keel

Rig

sloop

Propulsion

inboard

Fuel

13 gal

Water

40 gal

Water heater

AC · standard

Stern thruster

not fitted

Steering

pedestal cable

Sources disagree on notes only value, standard engine c.1979 — left blank rather than guessed.

Fin keel with skeg-hung rudder, 5.25 ft deep; shoal keel optional (depth disputed, see disputed[]) and a keel/centerboard version existed. Tall-rig option. Kit version sold as the Quest 30. Engines: Yanmar 12 hp for the first years, 15 hp after 1978, later 18 hp. T-cockpit from after the 1980 models. Hulls built: sailboatdata gives 1000, PS says more than 1,000 (some sold as Quest 30 kits).

Engines fitted

• Yanmar YSM12 — 12 hp, diesel, single standard
  A model review says a 12 hp Yanmar was standard for the first four years (1973-76); an owner reports his 1979 Hunter 30 still has its original YSM-12.
  Sources: listingsport.com · forums.sailboatowners.com
• Yanmar — 15 hp, diesel, single standard
  Review: a 15 hp Yanmar became standard after 1976. Owners mention Hunter's earlier use of QM-series Yanmars (15 hp matches the 2QM15), but the model is not confirmed for the 30.
  Sources: listingsport.com · forums.sailboatowners.com
• Yanmar — 18 hp, diesel, single standard
  Review: an 18 hp Yanmar came later in the run; model not stated.
  Sources: listingsport.com
• Yanmar 2GM20F — 18 hp, diesel, single common repower
  Owners describe a 2GM20F in a 1979 Hunter 30 as a previous owner's repower; one poster thinks the 2GM20F was not available until about 1983.
  Sources: forums.sailboatowners.com

Boats of the same model can differ — check which engines yours actually has before ordering parts.

Generator

No generator in the brochure, the 1982 standard-equipment table or the plumbing/wiring diagrams.

Manuals and brochures online

• Owner's manual Hunter 30 document set: spec sheet, 'Thirty' brochure pages, 1982 standard-equipment table, plumbing and wiring diagrams, Hunter/Legend owner's manual (1980-1983) — sbo.sailboatowners.com
• Brochure 1982 Hunter sales brochure '27 30 33 36 37 - The Affordable Fantasy' (1982) — sbo.sailboatowners.com

Hosted by the builder or an owners' association; they own the copyright.

Known problems for this model

• Balsa-cored deck delamination deck
  Solid glass hull but balsa-cored deck; PS advises checking for delamination, and one test boat had a delaminated cockpit sole and seats.
  practical-sailor.com · sailboatdata.com
• Painted-on nonskid worn away deck
  Early Hunters used a painted aggregate nonskid rather than molded texture, so most boats now need the nonskid redone.
  practical-sailor.com
• Compression post / cabin top sag at mast hull
  PS says many of these Hunters have had compression post problems; look for the cabinhouse sagging around the mast step.
  practical-sailor.com
• Poor engine access, noisy early Yanmar engine
  The engine sits behind the companionway steps and owners call access very poor; the stuffing box is reached through a quarter-berth panel. The original 12 hp was noisy and prone to vibration, so check alignment, mounts and the strut.
  practical-sailor.com
• Shaft removal blocked by skeg running gear
  The full skeg ahead of the rudder means the engine or skeg has to come out to pull the prop shaft. On shoal-keel boats the skeg is also exposed in a grounding.
  practical-sailor.com

Engines & parts

Other Hunter models

• Hunter 27 1975–1984
• Hunter 33 1977–?
• Hunter 336 1995–?
• Hunter 34 1983–1987
• Hunter 356 2000–?