Hustler 25.5 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

What distinguishes the Hustler 25.5 structurally is the absence of IOR-induced distortions in her hull, which left her slippery and well-mannered under sail. The hulls are a solid laminate of chopped strand mat and woven rovings, while a balsa core is used in the deck and coachroof; the headliner is the only internal moulding, all bulkheads and joinery being bonded directly to the hull to create what should be an extremely stiff structure. Directional stability might in part be due to the displacement skeg that develops between the keel and the propshaft and runs aft to the transom, and that large rudder blade on the raked transom looks as though it might get heavy as there’s precious little balance, but it never did. Above the waterline, long grabrails are handily placed on the slightly domed coachroof, deck paint provides the non-slip finish underfoot, and beneath the sole is a shallow sump with access to the bolts securing the cast-iron keel. With a beam of 8ft 8½ in and a waterline length of 21ft 3in that was long for her size, combined with a 40% ballast ratio, these measurements make her a powerful performer rather than a compromised coastal toy.

Rig and Handling

The Hustler 25.5 carries a masthead rig with such a skinny mainsail that the original light No1 headsail at 282sq ft was nearly three times the area of the mainsail, and the round boom and roller reefing for the mainsail are further reminders of the period. Chainplates in the deck allow passage inboard or outboard, and a babystay is present — short-tacking can be hard work with headsails this size, especially when there’s a babystay in the way too. She was fitted with Lewmar 40 winches and retains pump-action winches on the coachroof that are the originals from decades past. Where this boat scored — and still scores today — is in the way she sails: as a boat whose manners and performance really do match her appearance, she takes some beating, and according to some who sail her she is capable of seeing off a lot of newer and larger boats including, on occasions, the UFO 27. The cockpit has a good leg-bracing width between the seats, though the coamings are close to the guardwires and not a particularly comfortable perch when the boat heels, and she can be raced two-handed with reasonable efficiency.

Accommodations

Below, the original layout was designed for use at sea: a big chart table opposite the galley, a quarter berth, 6ft 6in settee berths each side in the saloon, a pilot berth to port, and forward of the bulkhead, sail stowage and the heads. She has an enormous chart table by today’s standards, a functional galley, and four good sea berths including the pilot berth to port; stowage is remarkably good, especially the array of small lockers so rarely found on modern yachts. A more family-oriented alternative layout was subsequently offered, with the bulkhead moved aft a couple of feet, the galley along the starboard side, and a separate heads compartment between the saloon and a two-berth forecabin. Whichever version, headroom is 5ft 6in. Lockers are both sides in the cockpit — to starboard the smaller one abaft the quarter berth and containing the fuel tank, to port full-depth — and in the bow is a navel pipe, the chain living in the forecabin.

Known Issues and Ownership Notes

The principal period-specific cautions are rig and cockpit related rather than structural. The babystay impedes short-tacking with the oversized headsails, and the coamings sit close to the guardwires, making a heeled perch awkward. Mechanical originality varies: engines were originally a Vire 7hp petrol or Petter 5hp diesel, a 9hp Volvo was a later alternative, and some budget-conscious owners fitted outboards on a transom bracket. The pump-action coachroof winches are original-period items still in service. No systemic hull or deck failure is documented in the survey record; the solid hull laminate and bonded joinery imply the stiffness the builder intended, and the Lloyd’s certificate reference speaks to the early quality expectation.

The Verdict

The Hustler 25.5 is a proper little seaboat — fast, stiff, tough, well-balanced and a joy to sail — and as an economical and thoroughly capable cruiser or competitive club-racer this Holman & Pye classic has to be one of the best buys around. She rewards the sailor who values manners and performance over volume, and her racing pedigree under UFO is no accident of marketing.

Pros