Hunter Marine
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Hunter Marine Corporation is a U.S.-based sailboat builder and a subsidiary of Luhrs Marine Group, which also produces Silverton, Mainship, and Luhrs brands of powerboats.
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[edit] History
In the 1800's Henry Luhrs, a German immigrant, outfitted trading ships and owned a chandlery. His grandson, Henry, continued the family heritage on the New Jersey coast, building and repairing recreational and fishing boats. By the early 1960’s Henry and his sons, John and Warren, were building over a thousand powerboats a year.
The Hunter sailboat line began in 1973 when Warren Luhrs decided to combine his building skills with his passion for sailing. Among his goals was producing an affordable boat. The early Hunter boats targeted the lower priced market, but developed a reputation for low quality. However, over time Hunter has evolved into a respected producer of mid-priced sailing yachts, in direct competition with Catalina Yachts and Beneteau.
[edit] Hunter Marine today
Since 1998, Glenn Henderson, who company literature describes as a performance-oriented design leader, has introduced new designs and model numbers in the last few years.
On average, Hunter builds about 2,000 boats per year between its two factories in Alachua, Florida and East Lyme, Connecticut; the former focuses producing about 800 larger keel boats, and the latter on producing roughly 1,200 smaller trailerable models. Several midsized models are produced in the United Kingdom, for the European market. Hunter focuses on spacious interiors and substantial storage.
[edit] Hunter models
Hunter offers a selection of four trailerable “day-sailors,” in lengths from 9 to 21 feet (2.7–6.4m), and a wide variety of keel boats:
- 25 Aft cockpit
- 27 Aft cockpit
- 31 Aft cockpit
- 33 Aft cockpit
- 36 Aft cockpit
- 38 Aft cockpit
- 41 Aft cockpit
- 41 Deck Salon
- 44 Aft cockpit
- 44 Deck Salon
- 45 Center cockpit
- 49 Aft cockpit
In contrast with its major US competitor, Catalina Yachts, Hunter changes its designs and model designations frequently. This allows Hunter to more closely follow market trends for aesthetics and amenities, but limits the development of owner fleets built around "one design" models which promote sailboat racing and other camaraderie.
