Hunter Sonata

The Hunter Sonata 7 is a 7 m (23 ft) small racer-cruiser yacht built in Britain from 1976 to 1990 by Hunter Boats Limited (now British Hunter). The twin-keeled version is known as the Hunter Duette.

The Sonata was designed by David Thomas, and is a One-Design, Cruiser-Racer Class. It has a glass-fibre hull, with a low-profile glass-fibre deck, a Bermuda rigged aluminium mast, and an iron keel (or keels). It has a relatively large sail area and the rig is a fractional one. When fitted for cruising it has four berths, with two further occasional bunks. Mechanical power is provided by a demountable outboard motor mounted on a sliding bracket on the port side of the transom.

The Sonata was built in several forms, with a fin keel, a lifting keel, and as a bilge keeler (with twin keels), when it was called the Hunter Duette. The same hull was used later with different deck mouldings for other models, including the Hunter Horizon 23. The 6 m (20 ft) Hunter Medina is a scaled-down trailer sailer version of the Sonata design.

Key dimensions

Racing

The Sonata is a National class in the United Kingdom and is raced across the country. The class is governed by the National Sonata Association in conjunction with the Royal Yachting Association.

Fleets

There are at least 17 fleets in the world, 15 of which are in the United Kingdom[1]

UK National Champions

Year Championship Location Owner Boat
2003 Royal Southern Yacht Club, Solent Tom White Pizzicato
2004 Strangford Lough Y.C., Killinchy Steve Goacher Eric the Boat
2005 Abersoch, Wales Steve Goacher Eric the Boat
2006 Dabchicks S.C., West Mersea Steve Goacher Eric the Boat
2007 Sunderland Y.C. Steve Goacher Eric the Boat
2008 Strangford Lough Y.C., Killinchy Dave Boatman Blue Tack
2009 Poole Y.C., Poole Dave Boatman Blue Tack
2010 Helensburgh, Clyde Steve Goacher Eric the Boat
2011 Dabchicks S.C., West Mersea Simon Farren & Marc Purdie Camel Toe
2012 Medway Y.C., Rochester Joe Cross Presto
2013 Strangford Lough Y.C., Killinchy Andy Tunnicliffe Eric the Boat

References

External links