Do Want: Hunter 216 Daysailor

Photo courtesy of Sailaction

I know, I know, this sailboat has been around since 2003. It was a cutting edge Henderson design back then and in my opinion still is.  In my old racing days I was fortunate enough to crew on an Andrews 30 and got used to it's enormous cockpit.  The 216 uses the same design language with a cockpit that can hold 6 adults but can be sailed by 2 (or tenderly by one).  Since the launch of the 216, I have been fortunate enough to had 3 wonderful children, which is making me take a hard look at this boat again.  It's easily trailered, beached, with room to spare for my 'crew'.

 Here is an excerpt from a review by the Practical-Sailor: "A lively little daysailer packing some impressive innovations, Hunter's 216 comes at an affordable price. So what's the downside? It's a little tender with too few crew....The 216 is a welcome addition to the entry-level market, and we suspect that it will be embraced as well by experienced sailors who just want to get out for a lively, easy sail, with no rigging hassles, few control lines, and no extra crew requirements." Full Article.

 Here is a more negative opinion from one of my favorite sites Sailing Anarchy.  This review must be taken with a grain of salt because the anarchists tend to be hardcore racers and comment from that point of view.  This review was also written early in the production of the 216.  Much has been tweeked and improved upon since then.

I plan to take a good look at this boat at the Boat Show and start a used boat search this winter.  Watch for updates to this post.

Update on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 11:38AM by Docktime

Life seems to get in the way of my ultimate daysailer mission, we infact upgraded motor boats this past season so the sailboat will have to wait.  There is a considerable amount of traffic to this post so I will follow up on my note to cover the updated version of the 216, the 22 at the boat show and in the meantime want to give all of you a heads-up on the drool worthy Viper 640...I'm in love with this boat! Super fast but also in high demand.  Will do a full post soon.  In the meantime you can find out more here.

Update on Friday, January 13, 2012 at 10:08PM by Docktime

Just returned from the Preview Night at the 2012 Toronto Boat Show and discovered a great deal! A 2008 Mint 216 for sale at Quiet Waters.  Stop by their booth or get more info here.  If the link dies either I snapped up this bargain or some other lucky sailor nabbed it before I had the 'talk' with my wife....Cheers!