Hunter Edge 27 discontinued?

[FishyFabs]

I was just looking at the competition to the Mac just out of interest. I noticed that the Hunter Edge 27 no longer appears available and I cannot find any reference on it on the Hunter website. I was also told that it was discontinued last year. Does anybody know why? Was it just another competitor that closed the doors as they could not compete with the Macgregor 26 in terms of value?

[Catigale]

That price point sure did not look survivable IMHO. Hunter has a great dealer network but the market segment for a >50k boat is a tough nut to crack.

[Tomfoolery]

I also don't care for the looks of the H27. The Mac has it all over the Hunter in that department, IMO.

[Russ]

I also don't care for the looks of the H27. The Mac has it all over the Hunter in that department, IMO.

Hmm... I saw it the opposite way. The Hunter looked much more contemporary with sharper lines while the Mac's rounded corners look dated. The Racoon stripes also make the Mac look weird. Tattoo has cut these somewhat which is an improvement IMO.

The Mac has a much more proven track record and is vastly superior in trailer weight and ease of towing. Then there is the price point. The Hunter was a pricey boat. For that much money, would I buy a trailer sailor?
Weight and price put it out of reach for many IMO.

The Tattoo has the market as long as they don't overprice it.

--Russ

[Highlander]

they were really small inside compared to the not much u could do with it to improve livability like the mac

J

[Ixneigh]

I looked at the Edge and the cartalina. Neither offered full standing headroom. The Catalina had much nicer finish inside, teak veneer and all. But inside space was one of my main concerns. I did not like the unconventional layout on the hunter. Both boats were more solid feeling. Ergo the weight. I think the trailer sailor market is a very fine line. People who buy the edge looking for better construction and finish May as well buy a regular keelboat at that point. It was wide, heavy and looked more daunting to tow. The Mac is lighter, cheaper, and built just well enough to hold together for it's intended use. It's affordable also.
Ix

[dlandersson]

I looked at Hunter 27's in 2010 at the Chicago Strickly Sail boat show. A used one was $50,000 and had less room than a Mac 26X. 'Nuff said.

I was just looking at the competition to the Mac just out of interest. I noticed that the Hunter Edge 27 no longer appears available and I cannot find any reference on it on the Hunter website. I was also told that it was discontinued last year. Does anybody know why? Was it just another competitor that closed the doors as they could not compete with the Macgregor 26 in terms of value?

[seahouse]

I shopped the Edge as well. While my comparison was not exhaustive, I found that you don't have to check off all of the option boxes for a new Macgregor to get into a higher price than a new Edge. But the edge comes with a lot of standard equipment that would be an option on a Mac.

That's in Canada, of course, and I've noticed that the number of options available can vary considerably from dealer to dealer.

And with the Edge you still wouldn't have a boat that could do what a Mac could do. No boat on the market could, at any price. It stood alone and above the rest in many respects, and now the Tattoo.

-Brian.

[FishyFabs]

The problem with the idea of upgrading to a keel boat (for more luxury) is that it is not really an option if you still like to have a power sailor abilities that can be easily launched at public ramps like the Mac. What if somebody wanted something more luxurious than the Mac and willing to pay the extra $$$ for the Ferrari of trailer power sailors . The boat should still be easily trailered and must be easy to launch singlehanded like the Mac. Is the only other option the Odin 27 or 29 footer? I believe both models come in at about 5,000 pounds and easily take a 90 hp or even larger motor.

I guess the question is, if money was not a constraint and you had a decent tow vehicle...what is the best and most luxurious power-trailer-sailor money can buy?

[mastreb]

There's a review piece on the Internet from someone who owned both, and liked the Hunter better. I find his points, while true, are a bit over-stated and frankly he never learned the unique elements of sailing the Mac. It does take skill, and it's certainly frustrating at first.

http://www.doctorbeer.com/jay/sail/Hunt ... %2026M.pdf

[Hamin' X]

Doctor Beer lost all credibility a few years ago on this very forum. After a few of his nonsensical rants, he was banned.

~Rich

[yukonbob]

I have to agree with a lot of the things he talks (whines) about, but when it comes down to it he's doing just that…whining. Oh the cooler is too far from the galley, but then goes to complain about how narrow the boat is; how many times did it take anyone else to watch their hands when digging around in the laz? Once maybe twice? Don't know about the rest of you but when I touched the stove element as a kid I learned the first time. I agree the M isn't perfect by any means, but it does what I want it to and wouldn't go spending an extra 20-30 thousand (from what I remember the price diff…not to mention upgrading the tow vehicle + the gas milage that goes with that). Its like he bought station wagon thinking it was a luxury sports car plain and simple.

*Edit…just so people don't get the wrong idea…Station wagon = practical, reliable and affordable.

[dlandersson]

Seaward 32RK

The problem with the idea of upgrading to a keel boat (for more luxury) is that it is not really an option if you still like to have a power sailor abilities that can be easily launched at public ramps like the Mac. What if somebody wanted something more luxurious than the Mac and willing to pay the extra $$$ for the Ferrari of trailer power sailors . The boat should still be easily trailered and must be easy to launch singlehanded like the Mac. Is the only other option the Odin 27 or 29 footer? I believe both models come in at about 5,000 pounds and easily take a 90 hp or even larger motor.

I guess the question is, if money was not a constraint and you had a decent tow vehicle...what is the best and most luxurious power-trailer-sailor money can buy?

[RobertB]

There's a review piece on the Internet from someone who owned both, and liked the Hunter better. I find his points, while true, are a bit over-stated and frankly he never learned the unique elements of sailing the Mac. It does take skill, and it's certainly frustrating at first.

http://www.doctorbeer.com/jay/sail/Hunt ... %2026M.pdf

I just read thru the review, and while a bit strongly worded, it is no more biased than the comparison to the boats I found on the MacGregor website (just biased the other way). I found many/most of the same issues with my Mac, just found them more as a challenge.

[BOAT]

Dr. Beer is a perfect example to me of why I think the market is ripe for a SMALLER boat, not a larger one.

I know exactly what must have been going though that guy’s head when he shifted from a 19 foot Potter to a 26 foot ANYTHING! It’s a HUGE addition of hassle factor on a bigger boat.

Just going from the Aquarius 23 to the MAC26 was a major change for me so I can imagine what it must have been like for “Dr. Beer” trying to adjust from a 19 foot boat to a 26. That’s really at the heart of all his complaints. Both the Potter and the A23 were built better because they were SMALLER. If you built a 26 as thick as the A23 or the Potter it would weigh 3 tons!

In the 19-22-23 foot stuff everything rigs faster and the launch ramp is a breeze and maneuvering is a piece of cake. The trailer can be small and everything is light on your tow car. This guy goes from a Potter to a big 26 foot bus of a boat and was way-layed by all the extra hassle involved with trailering a much bigger boat.

He was going through the same hassle on his Hunter, but he just did not mention it because by the time he got a Hunter he was accustomed to all the hassles of a big trailer boat. If he started with the Hunter in the first place all the saame hassles would have still been there on day one.

It’s the same amount of hassle on EITHER boat, the Hunter or the MAC, and “Dr. Beer” even admitted so in his letter. His main complaint seemed to be his anger at MacGregor for “deceiving” him into thinking it would not be so much work, and in that I can’t fault him. I already knew better before I bought; I knew it was a lot of work. (That’s why many MAC owners resort to slipping their boats which to me defeats the whole purpose of buying a MAC in the first place, but that’s just me).

Even back in the 70’s when trailer sailboats first came out the number one reason first time buyers sold their new boats was because they were disappointed with the “hassle” of setting up the boats. It was an issue way back then too.

A ‘TRAILER’ boat is just not the same animal as a regular boat, and all comparisons aside mean nothing. No one would be even comparing with the MAC26M if it were not trailerable because if it were not trailerable NO ONE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT! There would not BE ten thousand MACs out there!

Every time I read another one of these diatribes from people that are mad because a helicopter is not an airplane it just makes me wonder.

The people calling the MAC a lousy keel boat may have a point but it’s still a better TRAILERABLE boat than the Hunter and that’s probably why the Hunter will fail. It’s a lousy trailerable boat AND a lousy keel boat!

Finally, the idea that the MAC goes 5.5 miles per hour is a testament to the lousy sailing ability of the guy who wrote such a silly statement. You guys have all seen videos of ‘boat’ going over 6.2 knots with me not even trying with the Bimini up and all boards down and no hands on the wheel!

(I notice that “Dr. Beer” never mentions the speed of his Hunter) I will race one anytime, anywhere.