Hunter 320 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Below the waterline the hull is solid fiberglass laid in alternating 24-ounce roving, 18-ounce unidirectional roving, and 1.5-ounce mat, with three-quarter-inch thickness at the keel and a vinylester outer ply for blister resistance anchor. The topsides are cored with end-grain balsa while the deck uses half-inch marine-grade plywood, and the hull-deck flange is bonded with 3M 5200 and through-bolted on 4-inch centers under a 2-inch rub rail. Hunter’s builders installed furniture as prefabricated modules before the deck went on, the headliner a molded pan, and all woodwork marine-grade plywood with teak or mahogany trim. One cost decision stands out: areas for winches, stanchions, and deck hardware were reinforced with extra laminate but no backing plates, an omission Practical Sailor flagged as serious.

Rig and Handling

The 320 uses a B&R rig on a Selden mast with two pairs of spreaders swept 30 degrees aft, a seven-eighths fractional layout with the 46-foot-9-inch mast clear of the side decks, which are a clean 13 inches wide with no lower shrouds to the rail anchor. A stainless steel arch aft in the cockpit carries the end-boom mainsheet, replacing a conventional traveler, and the Bimini is built into that arch. The jib is a modest 110-percent lapper roller-furled to cabin-top sheets, deliberately sized so large genoas are not needed; standard winches are a Lewmar 30 two-speed and a single-speed self-tailer on the cabintop, with extra coaming bases if larger primaries are wanted. On the water, testers recorded 3.4 knots to windward in 5 knots apparent, 5.8 knots at 7 knots, and easy 5.5-to-6-knot cruising under main alone in 14-to-16-knot breeze, though 14-knot waves cut her back to 4.4–4.6. Under the 18-horsepower Yanmar she made 2.6 knots at 1,500 rpm and 5.6 at 3,000, with lead-cored soundproofing keeping noise to a low rumble.

Accommodations

Carrying beam aft yields a transverse double berth under the cockpit and a separate aft stateroom with a 52-by-72-inch queen and 69 inches of headroom, lit by a 12-by-17-inch hatch beneath the port seat. Forward, a double-V berth sits behind a louvered bulkhead, one side full-size and one with a drop-in cushion; the main saloon centers on an 86-inch L-settee and a mast-mounted table with a single drop leaf that the brochure says lowers to a double, letting seven sleep aboard. Cabin headroom is a full 6 feet 3 inches, the sole teak-and-holly, and the galley pairs a Corian top, Force 10 two-burner with oven, twin sinks on 50 gallons water, a large icebox, and a small microwave, with 110-volt outlets throughout. The head is 44 by 43 inches with a handheld shower, and a nav station table mounts forward of it.

Equipment and Cockpit

The cockpit itself is big enough for six adults, with its own table, a folding helmsman’s seat that becomes a step to the transom, and a hidden freshwater shower to port of the helm. A 32-inch destroyer wheel steers her, coaming wells stow the mainsheet and stray lines, and the standard instruments are a tach, inclinometer, and Autohelm knot and depth sounder. Lazyjacks and a canvas pack let the main drop and zip away in about five minutes. The seat/step is heavy and should not be lowered by a child.

The Verdict

The Hunter 320 is a thoughtfully packaged coastal cruiser that trades offshore austerity for volume, easy handling, and a sociable cockpit. The B&R rig and arch simplify sail handling for short crews, and the aft-carried beam delivers a rare aft stateroom and transom berth in a 32-footer. The missing hardware backing plates and the modest 110-percent jib’s light-air limits are the trade-offs a buyer accepts for the price and simplicity.

Pros

Aft stateroom and transverse berth give seven-sleeper capacity
Arch-mounted mainsheet and lazyjacks make short-handed sailing simple
Solid glass bottom with vinylester blister resistance and 37-percent ballast ratio
Large, table-equipped cockpit with concealed shower and folding step

Cons