Our President, Todd Hess, recently sat down with Hunter Marines’ Director of Sales, Greg Emerson, to reveal little known facts and features about the all-new E36 sailboat. Here are the results of that interview!
Q) Hi Greg! Many of our Members and prospective boat owners are very excited about the new 36 foot model. Let’s look behind the curtain and really kick the tires! First off, What does the “e” in e36 stand for?
Greg: It represents “extended platform”. The New Hunter e36 has a slight departure from the traditional walk through transom that the Hunter’s are known for. The New e36 has a transom gate that converts to an extended swim platform when let down.
Q) So the “e” does not mean electric?
Greg: No, it is not electric but we can see how it could be confused with an electric boat since we do have a New Hunter 27 electric boat which debuted in Annapolis and then in Seattle. Hunter has teamed with Elco Electric Company to offer an electric motor in virtually any model Hunter keelboat.
Q) So are there other advantages, to having a transom gate that extends the swim platform?
Greg: Yes, that’s a good question. Hunter always try’s to design in a new feature that has multiple benefits. For instance, the soft overhead liner in the Hunter’s not only deliver a nice look but reduces weight aloft or above the waterline, it allows use to through bolt all hardware, access electric for troubleshooting and bond all bulkheads direct to the deck. Our transom gate allowed us not only to extend the swim platform but also to bring the helm station 17” further aft enabling us to go with a much larger cockpit table as big as the one used in the Hunter 39. The cockpit is longer than the previous 356 and 36’s. We also gained additional room in the aft cabin while still maintaining the deep cockpit locker on the port side that the previous 356 and 36’s were known for. Lastly, the transom gate opens up the transom walk through area and creates an even further sense of openness in the cockpit.
Q) Are there other changes to the New e36?
Greg: Yes, we have incorporated the new sleek deck styling as seen on the Hunter 39 and New Hunter 50. These are designs from European designer Rob Humphrey who also designs for Oyster and Elan. The deck also is a flush hatch design. This means that the hatches are flush as opposed to being raised which will keep your running rigging from catching on a raised hatch corner. Even the handrails on the deck topsides are recessed. Below, we still have a rich and warm wood interior that the Hunter’s are known for. The biggest feature about the interior is the new wood floors. It is real wood and no longer a laminate floor. It really looks nice and raises the bar for the interior. Plus, now, the main salon table area has been designed as standard to have face to face seating as opposed to the wrap around seating that we usually incorporate. The wrap around seating is still available as an option but most of the New Hunter e36’s are being ordered with the face to face seating layout.
Q) We have been big fans of the Glen Henderson designs. Was he involved in this boat too?
Greg: Yes, Glenn Henderson still designs our hulls. Our in house design team (engineers) layout the interiors and Steve Pettengill lays out the deck top sides in relation to rigging, blocks, winches, etc. Steve has rounded Cape Horn three times, has almost 400,000 offshore miles under his belt and was second in the 1994 BOC Single Handed Race around the world so we use him to test our product offshore as well. He has been nicknamed Hunter’s Crash Test Dummy.
Q) Are the options about the same on the Hunter e36 as they were on the previous model?
Greg: Yes, however there is a new option. We offer real teak as an option. The extended platform gets teak as a standard item but we have an option for the seats and then an option for seats and the cockpit floor and then another option to put teak all the way around the deck. Teak can be expensive but our friends in Europe are willing to pay for it!
Q) Isn’t there a “Performance Version” of the New Hunter e36?
Greg: Yes, we have a performance version that can be purchased as an option. It incorporates a deep lead keel, a standard rig, folding prop and a fathead fully battened mainsail which adds 12% more sail area. This option really puts the New Hunter e36 on steroids and takes advantage of the B&R Rig design.
Q) Are there any reviews on the boat yet?
Greg: Remember she is very new and only made her debut in October at the Annapolis Boat Show. But there is a new Australian review that was just released in Australia and a short review in Sailing magazine by Bob Perry. However, Sail magazine and Sailing magazine did test sails on her at the Miami Boat Show so there are more reviews just releasing this Spring. There was also a test sail recently done by Quebec Yachting and should be out soon but you might need a French interpreter.
Q) How have sales been so far?
Greg: Sales have been good enough to keep us at a steady rate of one per week since the Annapolis Boat Show this past October.
Thanks for taking the time to explain some of these things I know have been on a lot of peoples’ minds since first learning about this exciting new sailboat in your lineup Greg. There are a lot of bases around the country who want to place at least one into their fleet right now!