Hunter Sonata
Encyclopedia
The Hunter Sonata 7 is a 7 m (23 ft) small racer-cruiser yacht
built in Britain
from 1976 to 1990 by Hunter Boats Limited (now British Hunter
). The twin-keeled version is known as the Hunter Duet.
The Sonata was designed by David Thomas, and is a One-Design
, Cruiser-Racer Class. It has a glass-fibre hull
, with a low-profile glass-fibre deck
, a Bermuda rig
ged aluminium
mast
, and an iron keel (or keels). It has a relatively large sail area and the rig is a fractional
one. When fitted for cruising it has four berths, with two further occasional bunks. Mechanical power is provided by a demountable outboard motor
mounted on a sliding bracket on the port side of the transom
.
The Sonata was built in several forms, with a fin keel, a lifting keel, and as a bilge keel
er (with twin keels), when it was called the Hunter Duet. The same hull was used later with different deck mouldings for other models, including the Hunter Horizon 23. The 6 m (19.7 ft) Hunter Medina is a scaled-down trailer sailer
version of the Sonata design.
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
built in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1976 to 1990 by Hunter Boats Limited (now British Hunter
British Hunter
British Hunter is a manufacturer of sailing boats based in the Lauren Marines boat yard Southampton, England. It was formerly based in Essex, and was known as Hunter Boats Limited...
). The twin-keeled version is known as the Hunter Duet.
The Sonata was designed by David Thomas, and is a One-Design
One-design
One-Design is a racing method where all vehicles or boats have identical or very similar designs or models. It is also known as Spec series. It is heavily used in sailboat racing. All competitors in a race are then judged based on a single start time...
, Cruiser-Racer Class. It has a glass-fibre hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
, with a low-profile glass-fibre deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
, a Bermuda rig
Bermuda rig
The term Bermuda rig refers to a configuration of mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is also known as a Marconi rig; this is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats...
ged aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
, and an iron keel (or keels). It has a relatively large sail area and the rig is a fractional
Fractional rig
A fractional rig on a sailing vessel consists of a foresail, such as a jib or genoa sail, that does not reach all the way to the top of the mast....
one. When fitted for cruising it has four berths, with two further occasional bunks. Mechanical power is provided by a demountable outboard motor
Outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom and are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft...
mounted on a sliding bracket on the port side of the transom
Transom (nautical)
In naval architecture, a transom is the surface that forms the stern of a vessel. Transoms may be flat or curved and they may be vertical, raked forward, also known as a retroussé or reverse transom, angling forward from the waterline to the deck, or raked aft, often simply called "raked", angling...
.
The Sonata was built in several forms, with a fin keel, a lifting keel, and as a bilge keel
Bilge keel
A bilge keel is used to reduce the hull's tendency to roll. Bilge keels are employed in pairs . A ship may have more than one bilge keel per side, but this is rare. Bilge keels increase hydrodynamic resistance to rolling, making the ship roll less...
er (with twin keels), when it was called the Hunter Duet. The same hull was used later with different deck mouldings for other models, including the Hunter Horizon 23. The 6 m (19.7 ft) Hunter Medina is a scaled-down trailer sailer
Trailer sailer
A trailer sailer is a small yacht or large dinghy style of sailboat that is moved to sailing locations and stored on a road trailer. It is neither a Day sailer or a Pocket cruiser but may be used for either purpose depending upon design suitability...
version of the Sonata design.
Key dimensions
- Length (LOA): 6.90 m
- Length on waterline: 5.60 m
- Beam: 2.60 m, Sail area: 19.5 m²
- Draught: 1.37m (fin keel)
- Weight: 1115 kg