Hustler 25.5 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull was moulded by Aquafibre and fitted out by Landamores in Wroxham, with solid laminate of chopped strand mat and woven rovings below the waterline and a balsa-cored deck and coachroof anchor. Free of IOR-induced distortions, the underbody proved slippery and well-mannered, while the headliner is the only internal moulding — every bulkhead and joinery member is bonded straight to the hull, a method that should make for an extremely stiff structure. Directional stability owes something to a displacement skeg that grows between the keel and prop shaft and runs aft to the transom, with a large rudder blade hung on the raked transom. Long grabrails sit on the slightly domed coachroof, deck paint gives a non-slip finish underfoot, and a shallow sump beneath the sole grants access to the bolts holding the cast-iron keel.

Rig and Handling

Her masthead rig carries a notably skinny mainsail on a round boom with roller reefing, and the original light No1 headsail measured 282 square feet — nearly three times the mainsail area. Chainplates set into the deck allow the headsail leads to pass either inboard or outboard, and Lewmar 40 winches were standard, with pump-action coachroof winches still serving on many boats. Short-tacking is hard work with sails this size, particularly with a babystay in the way. Even so, the boat is fast, stiff, tough, well-balanced and a joy to sail, with manners and performance that match her appearance, and writing in Practical Boat Owner, those who sail her report she can be raced two-handed with reasonable efficiency and is capable of seeing off newer and larger boats including the UFO 27 anchor.

Accommodations

Below, the original sea-going layout placed a big chart table opposite a functional galley, a quarter berth, 6-foot 6-inch settee berths each side in the saloon, a pilot berth to port, and sail stowage with the heads forward of the bulkhead. A more family-oriented alternative followed, with the bulkhead moved aft a couple of feet, the galley running along the starboard side, and a separate heads compartment between the saloon and a two-berth forecabin. Whichever version, headroom is 5 feet 6 inches. The cockpit gives good leg-bracing width between the seats, though the coamings sit close to the guardwires and are not a comfortable perch when she heels; lockers run both sides, the starboard one smaller and housing the fuel tank, the port one full-depth. Stowage is remarkably good thanks to an array of small lockers rarely found on modern yachts, and the chart table remains enormous by today's standards.

Engine and Equipment

Original power was a Vire 7hp petrol or Petter 5hp diesel, with a 9hp Volvo offered later, while some budget-conscious owners hung outboards on a transom bracket. At the bow a navel pipe deposits the chain in the forecabin. Early literature makes reference to a Lloyd's certificate issued with each boat.

The Verdict

Practical Boat Owner framed the Hustler 25.5 as a proper little seaboat and one of the best buys around as an economical and thoroughly capable cruiser or competitive club-racer. The evidence backs that: a clean, undistorted hull, direct-bonded structure, genuine race wins, and a thoughtfully planned interior that still reads as practical. The compromises are those of her era — low headroom, a heel-unfriendly cockpit coaming, and a rig that demands effort in tight manoeuvres.

Pros