Hunter Marine

"For the British yacht builder see British Hunter (formerly "Hunter Boats")"

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.

History

In the 1800s 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 1960s Henry and his sons, John and Warren, were building over a thousand powerboats a year. Hunter Marine is now an ESOP company with partial ownership available to all employees.

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 builder and one of the largest if not the largest sales volume producer of mid-priced sailing yachts, in direct competition with Catalina Yachts and Beneteau.

Hunter Marine should not be confused with the different but similarly named British builder of sailboats and other boats, Hunter Boats (now British Hunter). Consequently, Hunter Marine's boats sold in Europe use the brand name "Legend".

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. Hunter builds and sells through 180 dealers/distributors about 2,000 boats per year. The Hunter main factory produces about 800 larger keel boats, and roughly 1,200 smaller trailerable models. Hunter focuses on spacious interiors, ease of sailing,comfort, and substantial storage.

Hunter models

Hunter offers a selection of four trailerable “day-sailors,” in lengths from 14 to 25 feet , and a wide variety of keel boats:

*25 Aft cockpit
*27 Aft cockpit
*27X Racing Version
*theEDGE Powersailer
*31 Aft cockpit
*33 Aft cockpit
*36 Aft cockpit
*38 Aft cockpit
*41 Aft cockpit
*41 Deck Salon
*45 Center cockpit
*45 Deck Salon
*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.

References

* [http://www.sailmag.com/features/HunterFactory.pdf Sail Magazine November 2005 Pgs56 - 59]
* [http://www.essermanyachtsales.com/new/hunter/history/index.asp Esserman Yacht Sales - Online History of Hunter Marine]

See also

* List of sailboat designers and manufacturers
* Hunter 140
* Hunter 23

External links

* [http://www.huntermarine.com/ Hunter Marine website]
* [http://www.hunterowners.com/ Hunter Owners' website]
* [http://www.hsa1.org/ Hunter Sailing Association website]