Design and Construction
Hunter Marine built the 30T as a solid fiberglass hull carrying 3,800 pounds of ballast within a fixed wing keel, and the boat draws just 4 feet 3 inches on that profile. At 30'1" overall with an 11-foot beam and a 26'4" waterline, she displaces 10,500 pounds. The wing-keel arrangement places much of the ballast low and outboard, which makes her likely to be considerably stiffer than her published ballast-to-displacement ratio of 36.2 might suggest. That ratio alone would ordinarily warn of a tendency to heel uncomfortably in a gust, but the concentrated wing-keel ballast changes the practical picture. Her Displacement/Length Ratio of 257 confirms a moderate displacement cruiser that will carry a full load of cruising gear without a dramatic effect on performance.
Rig and Handling
The 30T is a fractionally rigged Bermuda sloop carrying a 110% genoa on double line lines, with a total sail area of 434 square feet spread across a mainsail of roughly 254 square feet and a genoa of 180 square feet. Her Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 14.5 means she will need a stiff breeze to get her going. The internally mounted spade-type rudder is controlled by a wheel, and the fixed wing keel keeps draft shallow for a 30-footer. With a hull speed of 6.88 knots, she is a coastal cruiser whose motion in a seaway aligns with the comfort expected of a moderate-stability design, though her Capsize Screening Formula of 2.01 places her outside the realm of a sensible ocean passage-maker in strong winds and heavy seas.
Accommodations
Below, the Hunter 30T is a big thirty-footer inside, and one owner stated the boat has more interior space and liveability compared to a Catalina 30. She sleeps seven across the layout, with a teak and holly cabin sole, seven opening ports, and five opening hatches for light and air. The fully enclosed head includes a shower, vanity, and mirror. The galley is fitted with a two-burner stove, twin stainless sinks, and an icebox, while a dinette table serves the main saloon. The T-shaped cockpit that gives the model its name extends the social deck space aft to the walk-through transom.
Known Issues and Owner Observations
One owner who compared the 30T with the Catalina 30 described the Catalina as the better quality sailboat, stiffer and carrying less weather helm. That observation frames the 30T as a roomy coastal cruiser rather than a precision offshore tool, consistent with her capsize screening and moderate comfort ratio.
The Verdict
The Hunter 30T is a purpose-built coastal cruiser from Hunter Marine's 1991–1994 production, offering uncommon interior volume for a 30-footer and a shallow wing keel that broadens her cruising grounds. Her wing-keel ballast makes her stiffer than the raw numbers imply, but she needs wind to move and is not suited to ocean passage-making. For a couple or small family coastal sailor who values space over all-weather stiffness, she remains a sensible used-market candidate.
Pros
- T-shaped cockpit and walk-through transom with swim platform
- Sleeping for seven in a notably roomy 30-foot interior
- Wing-keel ballast gives real stiffness despite the 36.2 ballast ratio
- Shallow 4'3" draft extends gunkholing range
Cons
- Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 14.5 demands a stiff breeze
- Capsize Screening Formula of 2.01 rules out ocean passage-making
- Owners report less stiffness and more weather helm than a Catalina 30
