Light, trailerable, and intended for daysailing, it was designed to be easy to own and fun to sail.
Design and Construction
The Hunter 15 is 14 feet 6 inches overall, with a listed beam of 6 feet 6 inches, a displacement of 340 pounds, and no ballast. Its monohull has a raked stem and an open reverse transom. Construction is predominantly ACP, a fiberglass-based composite. There’s no exterior wood to varnish, removing a common maintenance chore.
High freeboard is one of the boat’s defining features. Combined with the fiberglass construction, it allows the boat to absorb a great deal of misuse without capsizing, breaking, or ejecting the crew. The wide beam contributes directly to stability when the crew shifts weight or during jibes.
The cockpit is self-bailing, so shipped water can drain quickly rather than pooling underfoot. With the retractable centerboard down, the boat draws 3 feet; with it raised, draft is only 6 inches. That shallow draft permits beaching and simplifies trailer transport.
Rig and Handling
The boat carries a fractional sloop rig and steers through a transom-hung rudder with a tiller. Its wide beam will keep it steady no matter what crazy jibes or crew-weight shifts happen along the way. Together with the high freeboard and fiberglass-based construction, this makes the Hunter 15 forgiving for the novice sailors it was designed to serve.
The stated maximum crew is four, allowing up to four people to sail together.
Cockpit and Day-to-Day Use
This is a recreational dinghy, not a cabin boat, so accommodations consist of an open cockpit for no more than four people. Its appeal lies in simplicity. At the end of the day, owners can store it on a trailer in a garage, and the retractable centerboard makes transport straightforward.
The lack of ballast, light displacement, and self-bailing cockpit all point to a boat intended for day use and easy keeping rather than extended cruising.
Verdict
The Hunter 15 works well as an undemanding, stable trainer and daysailer. Its high freeboard, wide beam, and fiberglass-ACP construction make it unusually forgiving for its size, while the self-bailing cockpit and trailerability lower the barriers to ownership.
Its renaming as the Marlow-Hunter 15 and continued production signal a design with a long market life. It remains unapologetically minimal, however: there’s no ballast, no cabin, and no exterior wood to maintain.
Pros
- Easy to own and fun to sail, with no exterior wood to varnish
- High freeboard and a wide beam help resist capsizing and steady the boat during crew movement
- Self-bailing cockpit sheds shipped water quickly
- Retractable centerboard allows beaching and trailer storage in a garage
- Accommodates up to four people and suits novice sailors
Cons
- No ballast and a light 340-pound displacement limit the boat to protected day sailing
- Open dinghy layout provides no cabin or overnight accommodation
