Hunter 356
Seven of the 29 boats we sailed are series-built sloops of traditional cruising design marked by moderate displacement-to-length and sail-area-to-displacement ratios, as well as simple rigs and sailplans. Of those, three are priced below the $200K mark.
The Etap 34s is a sprightly sloop from Belgium thats built with enough foam between its hull skins to keep floating–and sailing–even after its fully flooded (though, sadly, we didnt get the chance to test it that way). The Beneteau 393 is a spacious two- or three-cabin sloop modeled on last years successful 473.
The prize for Best Production Cruiser Under $220,000 goes to the aft-cockpit Hunter 356, a boat Ralph called “a paradigm shift for Hunter.” Its a boat with a clean cockpit layout, good quality interior features, and owner-friendly systems; a boat whose production facility has been overhauled in the last year; and a boat that at $114,000 represents a remarkable value.Congratulations to all the folks at Hunter.
