Hunter Marine 356

BoatsHunter Marine 356

See her sail

The Hunter Marine 356, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from All About Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24

CoastalBluewater

2.00 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.00

LightHeavy

217 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 217

EasygoingPowered-up

17.6 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.6

TenderStiff

36% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 36%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

Draws more than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2963 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Hunter Marine 356, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Hunter Marine 356 is a cruising sailboat designed by Glenn Henderson and built by Hunter Marine from 2000 to the present, featuring a B&R rig and a fin keel with a spade rudder. It measures 10.8 meters LOA, 3.7 meters in beam, and draws 2.0 meters, displacing 6304 kg. The model was also sold in the UK as the Hunter Legend 356, where it was offered with twin bilge keels. Hunter Marine, founded in 1973, became the second-largest American sailboat manufacturer by focusing on high-volume production of recreational cruising boats, integrating features like stainless steel cockpit arches to maximize interior volume and simplify handling.0:08 The company adopted the B&R rig, which eliminates the backstay, and despite winning multiple Cruising World Boat of the Year awards, faced criticism for structural hardware issues like chain plate corrosion and sluggish performance in heavy seas.4:39

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

36.1%

Rig & sail area

Rig

B&R

Ratios

SA / displacement

17.6

Displacement / length

217.0

Comfort ratio

24.5

Capsize screening

2.00

Hull speed

7.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1311

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 2000

Units built

500

Designer

Glenn Henderson

Builder

Hunter Marine

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Catalina Yachts 35510.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 10.8-metre cruiser with a 37% ballast ratio and a 2.03-metre draft, built for stability and ease of handling

$200,000 SAILBOAT SHOWDOWN - Ep 210 - Lady K Sailing9:57 from Lady K Sailing

Hunter Marine 3610.95 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop with a 44% ballast ratio, designed for stable coastal cruising during a short early-eighties production run

#47 Investments to improve our life aboard!0:52 from Sail Vessel Khalifa

Contessa 3510.82 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Doug Peterson-designed IOR One Ton racer that claimed the 1974 International One Ton Cup with her prototype Gumboots

BOAT TOUR - Erik Aanderaa's solo sailing MACHINE!0:49 from Alluring Arctic

Beneteau First 36.710.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Farr-designed racer-cruiser with a 2.2-metre draft and a balanced sail-area-to-displacement ratio for club competition

The Most Overlooked Sailboat on the Market | Beneteau First 36 7 from Lady K Sailing

Dufour Yachts 3710.77 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA modern fractional sloop from Felci Yacht Design, balancing a performance-oriented hull with a stable, comfortable beam

Dufour 37 - a boat with exceptional volumes0:03 from SVN solovelanet

Freedom Yachts 35 (Pedrick)10.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1993 performance cruiser with a deep 1.98-metre draft and a spade rudder for responsive handling

This Boat Costs ALL of my Budget, But She's Ready to Go NOW! Freedom 35 Cat Ketch | Wildling Sailing0:46 from Wildling Sailing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Hunter Marine 36-2An evolution of the 356 featuring a deep 1.96-metre fin keel for enhanced windward performance Hunter Marine 326A 9.7-metre cruiser with a deep 1.78-metre fin keel, optimised for performance and stability in coastal waters Hunter Marine 35.5 LegendA fractional sloop with a shallow-draft wing keel, designed as an updated evolution of the Legend 35 Hunter Marine 336A Rob Mazza-designed cruiser featuring a B&R rig and a shallow-draft fin keel for versatile coastal performance Hunter Marine 36 LegendA Glen Henderson-designed cruiser featuring a B&R rig, marketed as the Legend series for the European market Hunter Marine 306A 2001 cruiser featuring a B&R rig and wing keel, designed for stability and ease of handling in a compact package

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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