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The Hunter 45 DS - : A Modern Design For Comfortable Cruising

The Hunter 45 DS sailing yacht features a thoughtful design that prioritizes comfort and ease of use over extreme performance specifications. Notable design elements include a modest sail plan for low-effort sailing, electric winches, lines led aft for easy handling, and a twin-helm cockpit for good visibility from either side. The interior has an open-concept "deck salon" floor plan with amenities like air conditioning and Corian countertops for a comfortable living space. Owners have the option of a shoal-draft or deep-draft keel depending on their sailing plans.

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164 views2 pages

The Hunter 45 DS - : A Modern Design For Comfortable Cruising

The Hunter 45 DS sailing yacht features a thoughtful design that prioritizes comfort and ease of use over extreme performance specifications. Notable design elements include a modest sail plan for low-effort sailing, electric winches, lines led aft for easy handling, and a twin-helm cockpit for good visibility from either side. The interior has an open-concept "deck salon" floor plan with amenities like air conditioning and Corian countertops for a comfortable living space. Owners have the option of a shoal-draft or deep-draft keel depending on their sailing plans.

Uploaded by

muaadh
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Hunter 45 DS —

a Modern Design for


Comfortable Cruising
By Roy Laughlin
Photos courtesy Hunter Marine

LOA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44’ 10” Sail Area:


LWL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42’ 1” Standard Rig . . . . . . . . .962 sq ft
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14’ 6” Furling Rig . . . . . . .925 sq ft
Shoal Draft Model . . . . . . . . . . .5’ Furl w/vertical battens .975 sq ft
Deep Draft Model . . . . . . . . .6’ 6” Fuel Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . .51 gal
Displacement . . . . . . . . .23,000 lb Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 gal
Standard Rig Mast Height . .57’ 4” 54 HP Yanmar diesel
Photo by Roy Laughlin In-Mast Furling Height . . . .60’ 8”

T
he debut of the Hunter 45 DS marks an advance in no winch handle ever appeared on deck. Lines from
Hunter Marine’s sailboat design that includes the furling jib and main lead aft, on the top of the
thoughtful choices in performance and comfort. A cabin, to the cockpit.
careful comparison of its specifications with those of A stainless arch over the helm is primarily a
similar monohulls shows that none of its specs are mounting platform for the mainsail traveler track.
extreme. The boat package, however, according to Positioning the traveler, its control lines and sheets
Glen Henderson, chief of engineering at Hunter keep the cockpit clean and movement in it easy.
Marine, is an attempt to build a “low power” sail- Arch placement further allows mounting the
boat for either bluewater voyaging or coastal traveler and mainsheet at the end of the boom.
cruising, even if that cruising is from one end of That requires less force to operate it (another
a marina slip to the other. “low power” qualifying feature). As an addi-
The term “low power” is a purposely used tional advantage, when the sailboat tacks and
one. The sail area, largely determined by the the wind fills the mainsail, the dilution of
mast height, is modest compared to the force on the arch largely prevented the
standout sailboats in this class. The lowered usual “tack shudder” throughout the boat.
mast height is to facilitate the experience of The arch also holds a canvas for shading,
coastal cruisers, particularly passage under either a T-top or Bimini.
bridges. Designers made adjustments in The cockpit is most notable for its
hull form, including keel shape and a twin helms. The skipper can comfort-
“reflexed” shape in the aft half to ably see from a seated position on any
reduce drag. Whether in light air or tack. The need to stand to see over the
under auxiliary power, the 45DS is cabin, and then crouch to see under
notably responsive in speed and han- the head sail is absent.
dling in light air or under auxiliary Hunter designers have put as
power. much effort into finessing the interior as
Hunter engineers have spent a they have on deck. The DS in the name
great deal of effort making the sail- refers to deck salon, a designation that certainly
ing experience pleasant for fits the open and bright interior. The
the crew, which is central salon includes a well-
often just one or two equipped galley on the
people. More mod- port and a nav sta-
est sail sizes are eas- tion on the star-
ier to handle for board side just
that reason alone. inside the hatch.
The 45DS tested off A dining table
St. Augustine in and bench that con-
August had electric verts to a berth is on the
winches. In the test sail, port side in front of the galley.

48 September 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com


A settee on the starboard side converts to a
berth if needed. The woodwork inside is
primarily cherry with maple accents. As
John Peterson, director of marketing,
noted, “Customers compare a boat’s interi-
or to home, so we’ve taken that into
account in our designs.” That includes
Corian countertops, recessed lighting, air-
conditioning, a combination wall-mounted
microwave oven and coffeemaker in the
galley. There can be the usual array of home
entertainment components scaled to the
area of the boat’s interior. The designs are
comfortable but don’t completely sacrifice
a “yachty” feel. The sailboat’s interior still has handholds, rudder or shoal-draft option to accommodate any sailing
side rails on the countertops and shelves, and locking cabi- effort. An option is not such a big deal. However, the rud-
netry to prevent content spillage in rough seas. The cabin der and keel ballast are interchangeable after the boat is fin-
has six-foot-plus head room throughout. ished. If owners wanted to sail, for example, the ICW for a
The forward stateroom has a head in the bow “V.” This couple of years before heading to Europe, they could initial-
improves buoyancy but also allows a double berth on the ly install the shoal-draft keel and rudder and then replace
port side and a vanity and locker on the starboard side of them with the bluewater versions before the big trip. The
the stateroom. The aft stateroom has a centrally located conversion is not a weekend DIY project, however—the
queen-sized berth with access on both sides. The cockpit work should be done by a qualified boatyard.
well is directly over this berth, so there’s not six-foot clear- The 45DS is not a revolutionary design. It is a large step
ance over the berth. There is around its perimeter, however. forward in a sequence that includes a contemporary design
The 45DS’s designer gave the 45DS either a deep-keel and adoption of improved hardware that Hunter Marine
began over a decade ago. In this case, the 44DS includes a
host of desirable design elements from the Hunter 43DS.
These include light, open interiors, selection of rig compo-
nents and designs to make the sailing effort convenient and
physically easy, and boat sizes that take into account depths
of coastal cruising waters and the existence of bridges over
most cruising waters. The selection of “technology” for sail-
handling, navigation and living amenities is appropriate for
the needs and expectations of any reasonable sailor and the
family. It’s a sailboat for the sailing experience sailors look
forward to and then remember.
For further information, including a complete list of
specifications, please see www.huntermarine.com. The
Hunter 45DS will be shown at the Newport, RI, boat show
(September), the Annapolis show (October) and the Miami
Boat Show (February, 2008).

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS September 2007 49

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