A recreational keelboat of moderate displacement, the 30T was built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a raked stem and a walk-through reverse transom with a swim platform.
Design and Construction
The Hunter 30T has a solid fiberglass hull and a fixed wing keel carrying 3,800 pounds of ballast. Draft is just 4 feet 3 inches. The boat measures 30'1" overall, with an 11-foot beam and a 26'4" waterline, and displaces 10,500 pounds.
The wing-keel arrangement places much of the ballast low and outboard, making the boat likely to be considerably stiffer than its 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.
A Displacement/Length Ratio of 257 identifies the 30T as a moderate-displacement cruiser that can 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 lines. Total sail area is 434 square feet, comprising a mainsail of roughly 254 square feet and a 180-square-foot genoa. Its Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 14.5 means the boat will need a stiff breeze to get going.
An internally mounted spade-type rudder is controlled by a wheel. The fixed wing keel keeps draft shallow for a 30-footer. Hull speed is 6.88 knots.
The 30T is a coastal cruiser whose motion in a seaway aligns with the comfort expected of a moderate-stability design. However, its Capsize Screening Formula of 2.01 places it outside the realm of a sensible ocean passage-maker in strong winds and heavy seas.
Accommodations and Cockpit
The Hunter 30T is a big thirty-footer below. One owner said it offered more interior space and liveability than a Catalina 30.
The layout sleeps seven and includes a teak-and-holly cabin sole. Seven opening ports and five opening hatches provide light and ventilation. The fully enclosed head has a shower, vanity, and mirror.
The galley includes a two-burner stove, twin stainless-steel sinks, and an icebox. A dinette table serves the main saloon. On deck, the T-shaped cockpit that gives the model its name extends the social space aft to the walk-through transom.
Owner Observations
The same owner who compared the 30T’s interior with that of the Catalina 30 described the Catalina as the better-quality sailboat—stiffer and carrying less weather helm. That comparison frames the 30T as a roomy coastal cruiser rather than a precision offshore tool, consistent with its capsize screening and moderate comfort ratio.
Verdict
Built from 1991 to 1994, the Hunter 30T is a purpose-built coastal cruiser with uncommon interior volume for a 30-footer. Its shallow wing keel broadens its cruising grounds, and the wing-keel ballast makes it stiffer than the raw numbers imply. Even so, the boat needs wind to move and isn’t suited to ocean passage-making.
For a couple or small family sailing along the coast and placing a high value on space rather than all-weather stiffness, the Hunter 30T remains a sensible used-market candidate.
Pros
- T-shaped cockpit and walk-through transom with swim platform
- Sleeping space for seven in a notably roomy 30-foot interior
- Wing-keel ballast provides 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
