Hunter Passage 450

The Hunter Passage 450 is an American sailboat that was designed by the Hunter Design Team as a cruiser and first built in 1996.^[1][2][3]

Hunter Passage 450

Development
Designer	Hunter Design Team
Location	United States
Year	1996
Builder	Hunter Marine
Name	Hunter Passage 450
Boat
Displacement	26,180 lb (11,875 kg)
Draft	5.50 ft (1.68 m)
Hull
Type	Monohull
Construction	Fiberglass
LOA	44.25 ft (13.49 m)
LWL	38.58 ft (11.76 m)
Beam	14.00 ft (4.27 m)
Engine type	Volvo 78 hp (58 kW) diesel engine
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	wing keel with weighted bulb
Ballast	9,680 lb (4,391 kg)
Rudder	internally-mounted spade-type rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	55.42 ft (16.89 m)
J foretriangle base	16.92 ft (5.16 m)
P mainsail luff	49.38 ft (15.05 m)
E mainsail foot	16.82 ft (5.13 m) (17.82 ft (5.43 m) with the furling mainsail)
Sails
Sailplan	B&R rigged Masthead sloop
Mainsail area	415.29 sq ft (38.582 m2)
Jib/genoa area	468.85 sq ft (43.558 m2)
Total sail area	884.14 sq ft (82.139 m2)

Production

The design was built by Hunter Marine in the United States, but it is now out of production.^[1][2][3]

Design

The Hunter Passage 450 is a recreational keelboat, built primarily of hand-laid polyester and vinylester resin fiberglass. The deck is constructed as a fiberglass and marine plywood sandwich, while the hull above the waterline incorporates a Baltek end-grain balsa core. The design features a masthead sloop B&R rig, a raked stem, an oval-shaped center cockpit, a walk-through reverse transom with a swim platform and folding ladder, a fiberglass mainsheet arch, and an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a wheel. It displaces 26,180 lb (11,875 kg) and carries 9,680 lb (4,391 kg) of lead ballast.^[1][3][4]

The standard wing keel with a weighted bulb provides a draft of 5.50 ft (1.68 m). Propulsion is supplied by either a Swedish Volvo or Japanese Yanmar diesel engine rated at 78 hp (58 kW). The fuel tank holds 100 U.S. gallons (380 L; 83 imp gal), and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 200 U.S. gallons (760 L; 170 imp gal).^[1][3]

Standard accommodations include dual staterooms with private heads and a transom-mounted hot and cold water shower. Factory options included air conditioning, a washer and dryer, a bathtub, and an in-mast furling mainsail. Below decks headroom is 78 in (200 cm). The design holds Community of Europe certification for "unlimited offshore use".^[1][3][4]

The boat has a calculated hull speed of 8.32 kn (15.41 km/h).^[3]

Operational history

Reviewer Quentin Warren, writing for Cruising World in 2002 praised the design's accommodations. He wrote: "This boat is comfortable to be aboard, light and airy, easy to handle from the cockpit, big on tankage, chockablock with amenities and perks - it’s no surprise that people are queued well down boat-show docks for the obligatory look-see. It isn’t traditional or classic or reserved; rather it’s a showcase of modern thinking with liveaboard focus."^[4]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Similar sailboats

• C&C 45
• Hunter 45
• Hunter 456