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MARLOW-HUNTER 31
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- By Jim Swartwout
- Updated: November 16, 2010
Hunter 31 368 cp
Hunter Marine introduced the Hunter 31 in 1983, and it remained in production for four years. My 1986 Hunter 31, which I named Aquarius, was 3 years old when I acquired it, and it had only been lightly used. I found it fun to sail. It had a real big-boat feel, with tight, cable-linked wheel steering, and it cruised comfortably at 5 to 6 knots. The high bow and unusually high freeboard for a 31-footer made it a dry sailing boat in the normal range of cruising conditions.
This model, in Hunter fashion, was fitted with a B&R rig, which, with its double swept-back spreaders, has a very racy look. The mainsail carries a lot of roach, so even with a 135-percent masthead jib, the boat usually had a slight but pleasing amount of weather helm. Aquarius didn’t do well off the wind, partly due to the swept spreaders, which limited the extent to which the mainsail could be eased. The answer, which is the best one anyway, was to tack downwind. Aquarius wanted a reef early, in maybe 15 knots of wind; the large main has two reef points, both of which I frequently used. I found it fairly easy to balance the sails on a reach but almost impossible to heave to in the conventional way. The boat was too eager to sail and could make 2 or 3 knots with the jib backed and the mainsheet free.
At 9,000 pounds, the Hunter 31 is light enough not to need a windlass; the ground tackle can be paid out and retrieved manually, procedures facilitated by the easily accessed anchor well and bow roller.
The side decks and handholds are more than adequate for safely going forward while under way, and the very large cockpit has ergonomically comfortable seating and more than adequate stowage in the lockers.
Power is supplied by a 16-horsepower Yanmar diesel. The engine compartment has surprisingly good access for a boat of its size, and the acoustic insulation is outstanding.
Belowdecks, the Hunter 31 has a dinette that seats four to starboard, and there’s a settee to port. Because the table is supported by a single leg near the boat’s centerline and the full length of the table outboard, it’s more stable than a typical single-pedestal table. It made a good navigating station in a seaway and could accommodate a full-size chart.
The “real” chart table is small and at the head of the quarter berth on the port side. This berth is tight, with very low overhead clearance and several protrusions to bang into. The V-berth forward is of a decent size.
The simple galley has an Origo non-pressurized alcohol stove with two burners and an oven. The reefer is a well-insulated icebox-a block of ice would easily last three to five days.
The head, forward on the starboard side, is simple but functional. Unfortunately, both the shower sump and the icebox drain into the bilge, which is very shallow. Also, because of the boat’s grid-pattern pan construction, when I sailed Aquarius in a seaway, water would flow to numerous inaccessible areas and not drain directly back to the bilge.
The Hunter 31 is a very practical boat for coastal cruising, and with its simple systems, it’s easy to maintain. I liked the lines of my boat, and seeing Aquarius at anchor from ashore or a dinghy always made me smile.
Jim Swartwout learned to sail on Chesapeake Bay, but his primary cruising area today extends from Santa Barbara to San Diego and includes the ports and islands in between.
Hunter 31 LOA 31′ 4″ (9.55 m.) LWL 26′ 3″ (8.00 m.) Beam 10′ 11″ (3.33 m.) Draft (shoal/deep) 4′ 0″/5′ 3″ (1.22/1.60 m.) Sail Area (100%) 458 sq. ft. (42.55 sq. m.) Ballast 3,500 lb. (1,587 kg.) Displacement 9,000 lb. (4,082 kg.) Ballast/D .39 D/L 222 SA/D 16.9 Water 35 gal. (133 l.) Fuel 18 gal. (68 l.) Engine 16-hp. Yanmar diesel Designer Cortland Steck and Hunter Design Group
- More: 2001 - 2010 , 31 - 40 ft , Coastal Cruising , marlow-hunter , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , sailboats classic plastic
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Marlow Hunter 31 Deep draft
Sailboat specifications.
- Last update: 25th March 2020
Marlow Hunter 31's main features
Marlow hunter 31's main dimensions, marlow hunter 31's rig and sails, marlow hunter 31's performances, marlow hunter 31's auxiliary engine, marlow hunter 31's accommodations and layout.
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- Sailboat Guide
Marlow-Hunter 31
Marlow-Hunter 31 is a 32 ′ 4 ″ / 9.9 m monohull sailboat designed by Glenn Henderson and built by Hunter Marine starting in 2015.
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5.41 ft / 1.65 m. Construction: FG. First Built: 2015. Builder: Marlow Hunter (USA) Designer: Glenn Henderson.
More: 2011+, 31 - 40 ft, Coastal Cruising, marlow-hunter, monohull, sailboat review, Sailboats. With its stretched waterline , generous topsides and ample beam, the Marlow-Hunter 31 offers a lot of cruiser in a tidy package.
Blue Water Surf Value Rank (BWSVR) 3760. Capsize Comfort Value Rank (CCVR)
The Marlow hunter 31 is a 32.35ft b&r fractional designed by Glenn Henderson and built in fiberglass by Hunter Marine (USA) since 2015. The Marlow hunter 31 is a moderate weight sailboat which is a reasonably good performer.
The new Marlow-Hunter 31 is a cruising sailboat built to a high standard, offering an unusually large amount of space for its length—and with the benefit of a choice of shoal or deep-draft keel.
The Marlow-Hunter 31 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. The hull and deck and made from a vinyl ester resin with continuous reinforcement fibers, reinforced with Nida honeycomb cores and Kevlar in the forward hull for collision protection.
It had a real big-boat feel, with tight, cable-linked wheel steering, and it cruised comfortably at 5 to 6 knots. The high bow and unusually high freeboard for a 31-footer made it a dry sailing boat in the normal range of cruising conditions.
Marlow-Hunter 31. Adam Cort. Updated: Aug 2, 2017. Original: Jan 11, 2016. A spacious yet surprisingly speedy cruiser. Marlow-Hunter has long been a pioneer in the marine industry, creating such innovations as its trademark stainless steel cockpit arch and the easy-to-use backstay-free B&R rig.
The Marlow Hunter 31 is a 31’11” (9.73m) cruising sailboat designed by Glenn Henderson (United States). She is built since 2015 by Marlow Hunter (United States). The Deep draft version offers a deeper L-shaped keel bringing extra performance especially upwind.
Marlow-Hunter 31 is a 32 ′ 4 ″ / 9.9 m monohull sailboat designed by Glenn Henderson and built by Hunter Marine starting in 2015.