Hunter 49 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass below the waterline and shifts to end-grain balsa coring above, while the bow carries Kevlar reinforcement for impact resistance. The deck is likewise balsa-cored, and hardware mounting points are backed with solid-aluminum plates so that loaded blocks and winches bear on metal rather than sandwich. All through-hulls are bronze, and the hull-to-deck joint is formed by two outward-turning flanges that are both bolted and bonded with 5200 adhesive. Below the floorboards sits an enormous deep sump with centrally mounted through-hulls; that depth also lets the generator and engine sit on centerline in the lowest part of the boat, which helps sailing performance. The shoal-draft version draws 5 feet 6 inches and carries 12,544 pounds of ballast against 32,813 pounds displacement, a 38 percent ballast ratio that gives her a steady, substantial feel.

Rig and Handling

The Hunter 49 carries a B&R rig with a full-roach main and flaking system, an arch-mounted traveler, and in-mast-furling main and jib that the test crew rolled up easily as conditions changed. Helm-station sheet leads put trim within reach of a single sailor, and shallow wells behind each wheel gave the standing helmsman brace points as the boat heeled. On a 180-mile passage from St. Augustine to Charleston the tester logged 7 knots upwind in 8 to 12 knots of wind on flat water and tacked through 80 degrees. As wind built into the high 20s on broad and beam reaches, speeds held in the 8-to-9-knot range and briefly passed 10. The helm was responsive but stiff, and the stiffness read less like a flaw than like a Lewmar Mamba steering unit needing fine-tuning. Under power the standard 75-horsepower Yanmar pushed her to 8 knots at 2,500 rpm, and a bow thruster made maneuvering in tight quarters excellent. Engine noise stayed low thanks to stout insulation and tight-fitting access points.

Accommodations

Inside, the 49 is unapologetically large. The saloon seats eight for dinner under 6-foot-9-inch headroom and has two excellent seaberths plus numerous handholds — two sturdy posts by the companionway and grabrails below the ports — that give uninterrupted brace points through the big cabin. A fan-and-drain cabinet plumbed to the bilge doubles as an out-of-the-way dish dryer, and the galley holds four separate refrigeration units with Corian counters and glass-paneled LED-lit cabinets. The nav station has a good-size table and a bucket seat, while the master cabin offers a walk-around double, two hanging lockers, opening hatches, an ensuite head with separate shower, and its own flat-screen TV. Two identical aft guest cabins sleep two couples but are considerably tighter than the master. A purely ornamental light strip runs through the vinyl headliner near the coachroof, a nod to the boat's condo-grade ambitions.

Known Issues

Two fit-and-finish points surfaced in the test. The saloon grabrails had a bit of give when pulled hard, and the companionway lacked a handhold for the first step, leaving a small gap in the brace chain at the foot of the ladder. Neither was structural, but both are worth knowing for offshore use where secure movement matters. The helm stiffness traced to the steering unit rather than the hull, and the steering unit was tunable rather than defective.

Ownership Notes

The 49 was offered with a standard 75-horsepower Yanmar or an optional 100-horsepower unit, and the deep sump layout means major machinery sits low and central for access and balance. Three 8D house batteries and a Group 34 start battery feed a 100-amp charger, supporting the boat's considerable hotel load from air conditioning, refrigeration, and electronics. With 150 gallons of fuel and 200 of water she is set up for long coastal or island stretches without frequent reprovisioning. Cruising World found the big, beamy 49 still kicks up her heels under sail.

The Verdict

The Hunter 49 is a big, beamy cruiser that sails with more spark than her volume suggests and wraps the crew in residential comfort. Henderson's refined B&R rig and helm-led sheet paths make her genuinely manageable short-handed, while the construction details — bronze through-hulls, Kevlar bow, bonded flange joint — speak to a serious offshore-capable shell beneath the glossy interior. The grabrail and companionway nits are minor, and the stiff helm is a tuning item rather than a defect.

Pros