Hughes 31 Buyer's Guide
The Hughes 31 you find on the used market is the 1979 rebirth of the Northstar 1000, built by Hughes Boat Works with a Sparkman & Stephens design and offered both factory-complete and as a kit. Production ran to 1982 with upwards of 250 hulls, so examples vary from professional finishes to home-completed projects. The SE version, born from Ivan and Kathie Tait's innovation, is the one most often paired with a diesel rather than the original drive.
Layouts on the Used Market
The standard boat shows a long forward V-berth that flares quickly but stores little, then a hanging locker and drawers aft with a teak head opposite. The saloon's port settee folds to a double and the teak table drops against the bulkhead, giving six berths. The SE carries a chart table at the quarter berth's end. Regular-layout boats generally had an OMC Saildrive; most SE buyers chose the Yanmar 2GM diesel, which forced longer cabin steps.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most Hughes 31s came with hot and cold pressure water and a hand-held head shower, a built-in anchor locker for two anchors with a small bow roller, and all halyards led aft to coach-house winches. The Cinkel spar was an Isomat copy of lesser quality, and the boom's internal four-to-one outhaul is original. Buyers should note the original cast-aluminum gooseneck as a fragile item worth replacing.
What to Inspect
The mast-step area is the first place to look: the unsupported compression post let the mast compress the deck, and over time the boat oil-canned there, producing delamination and core breakdown around the step. Press the deck near the mast and check for softness or a visible dip. The through-bolted hull-deck joint with its surrounding toe rail is notorious for leaking, so trace the interior seam for staining or trickle marks and smell for trapped moisture. On boats with the original OMC Saildrive, confirm the neoprene gasket between engine and drive is intact and not gasoline-damaged, and that the magneto charging holds up. Inspect the cast-aluminum gooseneck that Canadian Boating warned breaks under strain for cracks or prior damage. Finally, follow the head shower drain — it goes straight to the bilge, so a musty bilge points to long-standing wet use.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
- Check the mast step for deck softness or dip
- Trace the hull-deck joint inside for leak stains
- Verify the gooseneck fitting is not cracked
- Confirm engine gasket and charging on the OMC Saildrive
- Smell the bilge for shower-drain leakage
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Hughes 31. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 1 | $22,000 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAL 31 | 31.5' | $ 10,500 | 16 | 4 |
| Rustler 31 | 31.42' | $ 17,665 | 14 | 0 |
| Tartan 31 | 31.33' | $ 34,000 | 14 | 5 |