Review of Hunter 450

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 7 berths, a galley, toilet facility and 190 liter waste water capacity.
The headroom is above average

The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 62.0 hp (46 kW), which gives a max speed about 7.1 knots.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 380 liters (100 US gallons, 83 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Hunter 450 is 1.89, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Hunter 450 is about 337 kg/cm, alternatively 1888 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 337 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1888 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hunter 450 is 29.4.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 38% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hunter 450 is 3.16.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 76% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hunter 450 is 200 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

66% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Hunter 450 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.2, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.2.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 21% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Hunter 450 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.