This small cruiser was conceived for weekending families who want the option of towing their boat home without giving up sheltered comfort. It’s no stripped-down dinghy: the design favors interior volume and family cruising rather than bluewater austerity.
Design and Construction
The hull measures 26 feet 3 inches on the waterline and about 28 feet with the sugar-scoop transom included. Beam is a generous 8 feet 11 inches, while the documented trailering weight is 5,300 lbs—light enough to be pulled by most mid-size SUVs.
The defining feature is a 2,000-lb water-ballast system in place of fixed lead low in the hull. With the tanks empty, the boat draws just 1 foot 9 inches, allowing an owner to launch from a modest ramp. Once the tanks are filled, draft increases to 6 feet and the boat becomes stiff once the ballast tanks are filled. The arrangement trades ramp-friendly shallow draft for seated stability at sea.
The full walk-through transom incorporates an integrated swim platform and boarding ladder. A folding helm seat sits aft of the wheel steering. Hunter Marine built the boat in the United States, with its construction centered on the trailerable-cruiser premise.
Rig and Handling
The Hunter 270 carries Hunter’s signature backstay-less B&R fractional rig with swept spreaders. This configuration leaves the stern clear and shifts the mast-support geometry forward.
The working sail plan combines a large-roach, fully battened mainsail of about 170 sq ft with a roller-furling jib in the 110–135% range. Total upwind sail area is near 320 sq ft. For offwind sailing, the boat carries an asymmetrical spinnaker set from a retractable bowsprit.
Together, the B&R rig and water-ballast stiffness make the 270 a stable, family-friendly platform rather than a twitchy racer. The shallow empty draft is the compromise that provides trailering convenience; the deeper draft with the ballast filled restores sea-kindliness once the boat is commissioned at the ramp.
Cockpit and Accommodations
Compared with the Hunter 260 it replaced, the 270 gained a larger cockpit with wheel steering. Below, the interior is arranged for genuine cruising.
Sleeping space includes a huge athwartships double berth beneath the cockpit and a private forward V-berth. There’s also an enclosed head with a shower. The galley has a two-burner stove and an icebox.
The cabin provides standing headroom throughout, and the pop-top adds another 6 inches when raised. Reviewers describe the boat as genuinely comfortable for a family of four or five on week-long cruises. That’s a strong claim for a 27-foot hull, reflecting both its beamy interior and the walk-through transom’s usefulness at anchor.
Ownership and Community
Around 400 Hunter 270s left the mold, and the class remains organized, with active owner groups on both coasts and the Great Lakes. That network is particularly useful for a trailerable design, since ramp technique, ballast-pump upkeep, and pop-top seals are practical subjects best discussed with owners who regularly tow the boat.
Production ended in 2006, leaving the 270 as a contained generation in Hunter’s numbering scheme rather than a continually evolving nameplate.
The Verdict
The Hunter 270 is a thoughtfully packaged trailerable cruiser that changes from a 1-foot-9-inch shoal-draft towable into a 6-foot-draft ballasted weekender without leaving the ramp. It trades the permanence and ultimate security of fixed lead ballast for flexibility. The B&R rig and walk-through transom also give it a modern, sociable character that the 260 lacked.
For a family that wants to cruise comfortably with four or five people without keeping a permanent marina slip, the Hunter 270 is a pragmatic, well-supported choice.
Pros
- Water ballast provides a 1 ft 9 in empty draft for trailering and a 6 ft filled draft for stiffness
- Walk-through transom with an integrated swim platform and boarding ladder
- Standing headroom plus a pop-top; aft double berth and forward V-berth
- Backstay-less B&R rig with roller-furling jib and asymmetrical spinnaker
- Active owner groups on both coasts and the Great Lakes
Cons
- The trailering weight and ballast handling require active owner involvement
- Water ballast lacks the permanence of fixed lead for offshore use
- Production ended after only about 400 hulls, making this a short generation
