Families Who Can't Decide Between Power and Sail Don't Need to With This Trailerable Hunter, Aimed at Entry-Level Buyers

In a world full of companies that make large promises, it is satisfying to discover a product that just works, something that does what it says it does, and does it well.

Unlike traditional motorsailers, which are usually larger vessels designed for distance cruising, the Edge is an entry–level, trailerable boat that can take a family sailing and wakeboarding in the same afternoon. And it costs less than $50,000.

In an afternoon spent testing the boat under both power and sail, the Edge performed well propelled by either. There are some complexities — and potential mistakes — that come with shifting between the two. The Edge has many of the compromises standard on a boat of this size, and many owners may find themselves ordering a handful of upgrades to make it more functional. But overall, the Edge is a fun, capable boat that is well–suited to the current economic climate — and it delivers on its promises.

SIMPLE TO LAUNCH

To evaluate the boat, I went for a sea trial on a hot, humid, variable–wind day with Jay and Cynthia Johnson, co–owners of the Lake Fairview Marina, a Hunter dealership in Orlando, Florida.

The boat is designed to be used as a day boat, perhaps even a weekender, by a small family, and so it has basic cabin accommodations with flexible outfitting. There are cushions in the V berth forward and on the settees aft of that to port and starboard, with a drop–leaf table covering the centerboard trunk amidships. A little farther aft to starboard is a barebones galley, which weekenders can upgrade to include a stove. While a head with a porta–potty is standard, weekenders may want to add a marine toilet with pump–out. Fully aft, tucked under the helm deck, is a full–size berth.

Launching the Edge is as straightforward as launching any trailerable motorboat. Stepping the mast is a relatively simple process, aided by the uncomplicated Bergström and Ridder (B & R) rig, which has swept–back spreaders, pre–tensioned shrouds and no backstay. Hunter provides a video that demonstrates the procedure clearly. Our test boat was already rigged, so all we had to do was back the trailer down the ramp.

Helping me was Anthony Land from Hunter's marketing department. Land took the Edge on a six–week tour of dealers this summer throughout the northeastern United States. Apparently the tour was a success, because I saw quite a few new hulls under construction on the factory floor a day earlier.

HUNTER MARINEA curtain separates the Edge's V berth from the seating and dining area.

As soon as the stern was far enough in the water to ensure that the Evinrude E–TEC outboard would get cooling water, Land started the motor. After he peeked to see that everything was working fine, we backed the trailer a little farther down the ramp and floated gently off.

Sitting at the centered helm seat behind the binnacle, Land pulled the single engine control back, and the Evinrude shifted quietly into reverse. We backed slowly away from the dock, spinning gradually with the helm turned. Although it is a 2–stroke outboard, the 75–horsepower Evinrude was as quiet as a 4–stroke and nearly as smooth at idle. There was no visibile exhaust or oily sheen on the water, both typical trademarks of older 2–strokes.

POWERING UP

As the bow swung out toward the center of the lake, Land shifted the engine into forward and smoothly accelerated to full throttle. We were on plane in about 6 seconds, with a bow-rise level typical of most powerboats. While you do have to stand to ensure that you can see obstacles over the bow during acceleration, once the boat is on plane, there's ample visibility while seated.

At this point, we were driving a powerboat, albeit one with a 33–foot mast and a boom sitting right in front of the helm. The boom didn't seem like an obstruction to visibility, but experiences may vary.

Hunter's design team, led by Glenn Henderson, knows how to create a good sailing hull. But drafting lines for a powerboat was outside their normal duties. Because Hunter is a unit of Luhrs Group, the company called on some of Luhrs' powerboat engineers to help modify the hull for better performance under power. Principally, this involved designing the strakes, lifting surfaces and chines to achieve planing and to control turning behavior, without adversely affecting basic sailing characteristics.

HUNTER MARINEThis berth is tucked under the Edge's helm deck.

As soon as we reached full speed, approximately 17 knots into the wind, we did a series of turns back and forth. The Edge leaned gently and predictably into them, like any well–behaved powerboat. The outboard was trimmed down, and while we did lose a few knots eventually in the turn, it wasn't excessive.

At this point in a typical powerboat evaluation, testers look for waves so that we can evaluate how the boat would handle a head sea. Our modest suburban lake had nothing more than a couple of inches of chop to offer, so we turned a couple of circles to generate a little turbulence. The result was pretty much as expected. In a light chop the boat feels fine, but if the seas build, you should slow down. The relatively low deadrise of the hull means it pounds a bit if the waves are substantial. Of course, that's just in powerboat mode; fully ballasted and sailing, it would be a more comfortable ride.

You can buy the Edge without an outboard, but it is unclear why anyone would do that. Yes, it's a couple thousand dollars more, but on a base of about $33,000 or so, and given what it adds to the boat's versatility, it should probably be standard. As it is, a buyer can choose either a 50– or 75–horsepower motor. While I'm sure the 50 would perform adequately, the boat offers a spritely performance with the 75–horsepower motor. And if you're going to try to pull several kids on a big, inflatable toy, the extra ponies will definitely improve the entertainment level.

The outboards have a top end of 5000 rpm, and while they're not silent at that level, they are tolerable. The sound levels I measured averaged in the 80–dBA range; 65 is the level of normal conversation. This is essentially an open–cockpit motorboat, so wind noise is a factor, but I did not find it excessive.

Fuel economy is relatively good under power. I wasn't able to measure fuel flow during the test, but Evinrude tested the same boat and motor and tallied about 3 mpg at 16 mph (see link). Though that is not bad, keep in mind that the fuel tank holds a modest 6 gallons. This is plenty to pull skiers, tubers and wakeboarders around the lake, but if you want to power longer distances, you'll need extra fuel.

TOM TRIPPHunter's Anthony Land demonstrates lowering the rudder in its compartment under the helm seat.

SETTING SAIL

After racing around the lake a bit, grinning at the idea of the looks we must be getting from old–time sailors, we pulled the throttle back to idle and headed upwind to unfurl the sails.

When transitioning to sail from power on the Edge, it is critical to take aboard water ballast. The boat can hold nearly 1,600 pounds, which is gravity–fed into tanks through a simple, three–inch guillotine valve at the transom. It requires stepping down onto the transom platform, using one hand for the taffrail and one to reach down and pull up the valve handle. Hunter says the boat will take on a full load of ballast in several minutes, which gives the crew time to prepare the sails. The company warns owners never to sail the Edge without ballast, and a placard to that effect is on the steering pedestal, right in front of the helmsman.

Because this is a trailerable boat, it's also necessary to lower the centerboard and rudder. A line from the centerboard lift runs out of the coach roof to a winch on the starboard side, just forward of the cockpit. A hard pull disengages the locking cam, the centerboard drops smoothly and the line is then cleated. Dropping the rudder involves opening a hatch directly behind the helmsman and reaching into the rudder "tube," pulling a locking pin, uncleating the line and pulling it through a system of pulleys, until the rudder is fully lowered. Hauling on the other side of the pulley raises the rudder.

With water ballast aboard, centerboard and rudder lowered, it's was time to raise the sails. Raising the mainsail is a matter of removing the sail cover, if you have it, untying the furling straps, and hauling on the main halyard. It's a surprisingly big mainsail, made possible by the B & R rig, and its lack of a backstay. No backstay means lots of room for a full roach in the main, and that means more power available.

Lars Bergström and Sven Ridder were Swedish aeronautical engineers who applied aviation science to sailing technology long before it was fashionable. Bergström, in fact, tank–tested a winged keel nearly 20 years before the Australians captured the America's Cup in 1983, making the design popular.

Bergström was a friend and sailing mate of Warren Luhrs, chief of Luhrs Group, which owns Hunter. This may explain why B & R rigs are on nearly all Hunter boats. Interestingly, Bergström was also the inventor of the Windex, the masthead device that measures apparent wind angle, an enormous aid to sailors looking for peak efficiency. He and Ridder also hold the U.S. patent on an aerodynamically efficient mast design that controls the turbulent boundary layer of air passing over the mast and hitting the leading edge of the sail.

TOM TRIPPHere's a good spot to keep an eye on skiers or other friends and family being towed aft.Another advantage of the B & R rig is the relatively light weight that the design confers on the mast. That means less weight aloft, which translates to more stability. There are some minor downsides to the rig, too. For example, the swept spreaders, which help provide fore–and–aft stability for the mast in combination with the forestay, limit the degree to which the mainsail can be let out for running directly downwind. Let too far out, the mainsail will chafe against the spreaders.

Handling the sails on the Edge is simple. The mainsheet passes through a fairlead directly in front of the helmsman and into a jam cleat.

Our boat had the optional roller furler for the jib, which made setting the headsail a snap. At the risk of sounding like someone who just orders every option, I do like this one. For a young family just getting into sailing, the simplicity of roller furling will significantly reduce the exasperation factor. The jib sheets are within easy reach on either side of the cockpit.

I found that keeping the outboard lowered and in gear, at idle, enabled me to control the boat under firm heading, which makes the job of raising the sails much easier. There's nothing worse than trying to raise a mainsail when it's full of wind. Once the sails are up, a turn of the key shuts down the outboard, and it is trimmed fully up and out of the water. At this point, directional control is through the rudder, which is managed through the steering wheel, just as the outboard was. It makes the transition to and from power extremely simple.

PERFORMANCE

Under sail, the Edge is a great daysailer. The boat pointed well up into the wind, close enough for anyone but a hardcore racer. This upwind capability is enhanced by the fractional rig, which allows the jib to be sheeted in tightly. In light winds, averaging less than 10 knots, we managed to sail at 4 to 5 knots, with three people and one–quarter fuel aboard. A couple of gusts surprised us, and as the big mainsail caught them, we heeled a bit and the boat accelerated nicely up through 6.5 knots. The Edge isn't going to start a new racing class, but it moves comfortably through the water in relatively light air, which is what a beginner is most to encounter out on the water.

In basic sail maneuvers, the Edge is tame and predictable. Tacking requires barely 2 knots of headway. Jibing is also unremarkable, although like on all sailboats, a safe jibe requires a little bit of knowledge and preparation. Taking sailing lessons aboard your own sailboat will be particularly easy with the Edge, because you can quickly motor to good air with that expensive instructor aboard.

TOM TRIPPThe Evinrude E–TEC outboard takes care of the powerboat side to the Edge's personality.

As the afternoon wore on, the wind disappeared, and we found ourselves in the middle of the lake. So we dropped the sails, hauled up the centerboard and rudder, lowered the Evinrude and happily motored back to Lake Fairview Marina like all the rest of the powerboaters. As soon as we passed about 4 knots, the water began draining out of the ballast tanks and our speed increased. Of course, if we'd been out training our up–and–coming champion wakeboarder, we might have kept the ballast aboard to really hop up the wake.

BUYING THE EDGE

Jay Johnson says he and Cynthia are ordering their inventory of boats with some optional equipment, including a bimini for shade, the roller furling jib, a marine head with pump–out, and the 75–horsepower Evinrude. With these, Jay expects the boat to sell for a price in the low $40,000s. A barebones configuration can be had for low $30,000s.

Hunter's "Mariner Package," a group of popular options offered on most of its line, includes a bow roller, compass with light, one–burner stove, swim ladder, and wireless Tack Tick T100 speed and depth display.

When the Edge was announced this summer, Hunter hoped to attract newcomers to boating. The goal was to offer them a simple, reliable craft that would let them experience both sailing and powerboating without a major financial sacrifice.

Because all boats are compromises between competing design priorities, many may say that a motorsailer is a compromised sailing vessel and a compromised powerboat. This is true to a degree on the Edge, but the question is whether it matters.

Hunter's goals was to appeal equally to powerboaters and sailors and to create a boat that provides a solution to families who cannot agree on what type of boating is best for them. The Edge does all that and delivers on Hunter's promises. It is easy to set up, launch and motor or sail — and it is reasonably priced. Young families should find it attractive. Judging from the early response of Hunter dealers and the number of boats in production on the factory floor in Alachua, Florida, it seems the Edge has a bright future.

Tom Tripp is a freelance writer specializing in technology and marine science, whose work has appeared in publications such as Northeast Boating and Chesapeake Bay Magazine. In addition to contributing features on new boats and technology, Tom writes a blog here on Mad Mariner.

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