The Hunt 60 Ocean Series is a classic New Englandstyle cruiser offered in express and flybridge models, with several layout options.
Trends in design, especially those we perceive as radical departures, always risk becoming clichŽs. A trend becomes the norm and then, over time, fails to excite us. I suspect that’s why the best designers never rest on their laurels. On the other hand, some motifs endure beyond reason. One is the classic New England powerboat, which evolved from the workboats favored along the East Coast from New York to Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. Another steadfast style comes from pilot boats and patrol boats — aesthetically all business, seaworthy and fast. Hunt Yachts and the C. Raymond Hunt Associates design firm have masterfully married the best of these traditional styles, polishing the edges to create purposeful, elegant boats.
The new Hunt 60 Ocean Series is a fine example. Although we rarely see a boat’s deadlevel profile, that view on paper gives us a good inkling of how she’ll look in three dimensions on the water.
The Hunt 60 Ocean Series immediately captivates with her subtle sheer line. From an aggressively raked stem, the sheer sweeps aft in uninterrupted grace and terminates in softness at the transom. We see that forward rake echoed in the C-pillar at the after end of the superstructure. That angle converges somewhere in the sky with the angles of rake in the cabin trunk’s fascia, windshield and A-pillar. Changing one of those elements would punish the eyes. The remainder of the superstructure is straightforward: flat sides and lots of glass crowned by a pleasantly cambered roof. This practical style in no way detracts from the 60’s overall aesthetic, and it adds immeasurably to useful space inside the house. ( A flybridge version also will be offered.)
All that glass will let natural light wash the saloon — glowing gold on sunny days, dimming to restfully neutral when the sun takes a break. The arrangements plan on the main deck shows a settee with a table on the port side, flanked by a pair of chairs, and two barrel chairs opposite. Below, the 60 has the master stateroom amidships, the galley and dinette forward of that and a double stateroom forward. A captain’s cabin, accessible from the afterdeck, separates the master stateroom from the engine room. (Two galley-up layouts also will be offered.)
Like all of Hunt’s models, the 60 Ocean Series rides a deep-vee hull. Expect a soft ride in snotty seas, great directional stability, quick handling and good fuel economy when the boat is on plane.
Hunt’s Ocean Series yachts are offered in a range from 54 to 84 feet and are designed to accommodate custom layout and power requests.