Design and Construction
The 340 is a solid fiberglass hull finished with a thick gelcoat, with a through-bolted hull-to-deck joint capped by a continuous rubrail. On deck there is no wood trim, which keeps seasonal upkeep down, and the walk-through reverse transom leads straight to an integrated swim platform with a freshwater shower and a stainless telescoping ladder. A hinged helmsman seat lets crew step through to that platform without clambering over furniture. The keel itself was set in bedding compound and then bolted, and the boat was engineered to carry less weight aloft through smaller mast sections. The most visible structural signature is the integrated arch just forward of the cockpit: on the 1998 and 1999 boats it was molded fiberglass, switching to stainless steel for the 2000 and 2001 model years. That arch is not cosmetic — it carries the mainsheet traveler and removes the need for cockpit crew to shift when tacking.
Rig and Handling
What sets the 340 apart in its era is the fractional B&R rig descending from the system invented by Lars Bergstrom and Sven Ridder, using swept spreaders, reverse diagonals, and mast support struts to eliminate the backstay entirely. That configuration permits a large-roached mainsail and a 110-percent working jib, and the mast and boom are aluminum with most deck fittings in stainless. The trade-off is real: swept spreaders prevent the main from being fully eased on a dead run. Upwind, skippers have reported that the small genoa paired with the big main produces weather helm, and in 15 knots or more it becomes necessary to reef to keep her balanced; that same weather helm can overpower the optional battery autopilot when the wind builds. The jib winches sit on the cabintop rather than the coaming and cannot be reached from the wheel, which makes singlehanding awkward, and some boats left the factory with only one starboard winch to share. Mast shrouds attach to both the cabin side and the toerail, partly blocking the path forward for foredeck work. Despite these quirks, owners note a typical upwind top speed just over 7 knots, and while she can show up for around-the-buoys racing in many fleets, she is better cast as a coastal cruiser with a PHRF average around 141.
Accommodations
Below, the 340 was laid out to entertain. The saloon carries 6 feet 4 inches of headroom, a sprawling dining table for eight, and a gourmet galley with a two-burner stove, oven, microwave, two-basin sink, refrigerator, freezer, and Corian counter. She sleeps seven — two forward in the V-berth, two aft, and three on the convertible dinette and settee — across two private staterooms served by three hanging lockers, and the head is built around a large shower. The cockpit seats eight and is explicitly set up for socializing, with a 28-inch destroyer-style wheel mounted to a console holding a folding table, small cooler, and storage, plus two stern-rail seats that make fine perches for breeze and view. The boat reads as a dockside summer gathering spot as much as a passage-maker.
Known Issues
Being a deck-stepped mast boat, the 340 is susceptible to excess compression at the step over time and to deck delamination from water intrusion, the familiar weak points of that construction choice. Some owners have noted thin line cracks on the hull bottom near the bolted-on keel. The gray nonskid deck paint tends to wear and peel with age. Most seriously for offshore ambitions, the swim platform opens directly to the bilge and is held only by rubber latches, a detail that could let water below in rough seas. The electrical system drew a blunt owner assessment as "bare bones," with few breakers and a single 30-amp shore power inlet.
Refits and Ownership
Practical refit paths center on the boat's soft spots. Sturdier latches on the swim platform lockers and an internal barrier inside those lockers address the flooding path, while adding a bowsprit and extra winches broadens her sail-handling envelope. Some owners have lined the engine access panel edges with thick felt to quiet rattles and fitted a sump pump so the shower drains overboard rather than into the bilge. The earliest hulls are now past twenty years old, and owners report the hulls are holding up without major defects or breakdowns. A Hunter 340 Facebook group spans roughly 60 members across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
The Verdict
The Hunter 340 is a thoughtfully packaged late-1990s coastal cruiser that trades traditional rig simplicity for volume, low maintenance, and a social cockpit. The B&R rig and arch traveler are genuine innovations, but the weather helm, cabintop winches, and swim-platform latch detail demand a buyer who sails within the boat's coastal brief.
Pros
- Integrated stainless arch carries the traveler and frees the cockpit when tacking
- Roomy eight-seat cockpit and saloon with 6'4" headroom and a large galley
- Solid fiberglass hull with through-bolted joint and bolted lead keel
- No wood deck trim reduces seasonal upkeep
Cons
- Swept-spreader B&R rig limits downwind main ease and creates upwind weather helm
- Swim platform secured only by rubber latches opens to the bilge
- Jib winches unreachable from helm and some boats short one starboard winch
- Deck-stepped mast invites compression and delamination if water enters
