Hunter 490 Yacht

Summary: Slightly scruffy but solid and well loved, sails like a witch. Possibly the smallest boat which can reasonably be called a "yacht", the Hunter 490 came from the inspired pen of Oliver Lee as the little sister for the well-established Hunter 19 (later to become the Europa) and is in many way a small version of the Anderson 22. She's a mere 16' long (4.90m, hence the name) and weighs 1000 lbs, 500 lbs of which is the keel, a 3/4" steel plate with a cast iron bulb underneath. The result is a boat which sails beautifully but which is reassuringly un-tippy: she'll go to 20 or 30 degrees and then stay there. I inherited this one from my father, who had bought, dismantled and abandoned her.
I restored her for sale, gave her a try and liked her so much that I used her on a local freshwater loch for several years. She has since been replaced by a Drascombe Longboat (sailing characteristics of a garden shed but much more room for guests) so with regret the Hunter has to find a new owner. She has been sitting outside for five years, and so needs some cosmetic work, but is basically sound. As built she had moulded in non-slip on deck, which the owner before my father painted over. I painted over his paint, and now the who topsides could really do with a new coat.
It's absolutely fine from a distance, but decidedly scruffy up close. The hull is painted with yellow International Toplac and apart from a few scuffs is fine. The underside has some strange pinhead-sized blisters, so I stripped it down to gel coat, let it dry for a year and then coated with nine (yes nine - a local chandler had it on offer) coats of International Gelshield. On top of that are a couple of coats of Trilux antifouling. It's not necessary for freshwater but I had a can in stock.
The boot topping is white Trilux. The spars are original Sparcraft and the rigging was made five seasons ago. Don't be fooled by the titchy mast in the picture - that's a dinghy one we use for hoisting flags in the garden. The real mast is in storage nearby. The Seatech main and roller reefing genoa are 30 years old but have only had five seasons' light use and are as good as new.
There is also a cockpit tent which I have never used. I added the pulpit, which is a Hunter 19 one, because without it the foredeck was a scary and lonely place - particularly if, like me, you are 6'3". No pushpit. I replaced all the deck hardware with new Barton (mostly) stuff and made perspex and teak washboards. Inside there are three berths (if you are small, or friendly): vee at the front and starboard quarter berth.
A port quarter berth could easily be made by reversing the pattern of the starboard one. The cushions are nice and blue but one needs a new zip. Since I was using her on a smallish freshwater loch, I didn't bother refitting the outboard bracket. Instead she comes with rowlocks and the longest pair of Lahna oars which can be fitted - just - into the cabin for storage. Only one thing stops her being instantly sailable.
The keel is lifted by a wire strop which passes through two sheaves on the mast support post and down to a winch on the front of the post. The original sheaves, which I replaced like-for-like, were really not up to the job and the very last time I raised the keel, to bring her out, the front one jammed and tore out of the post. I have two new and much stronger ones from Allan which are slightly larger and will require an hour or so with a sharp chisel to fit. I was planning to make stainless backing plates for them too, to spread the load a bit. If I have time I'll do this job and edit out this paragraph.
The trailer was custom made for the boat 30 years ago, taking as its basis a trailer for meteorological balloon gas cylinders. The suspension is therefore massively heavy. I have replaced the wheel bearings. The tyres are about ten years old so it might be a good idea to replace them before towing a long distance. I am happy to have that done at cost.
The brakes work well, but the operating rod between the hitch and the central bell crank is a bit rusty and could do with replacement. On the other hand, the boat and trailer together may well be under the 3/4 tonne limit for unbraked, so with a big enough car it may be possible not to bother with the brakes at all. I think £500 is a realistic price, particularly since there is a trailer. Please don't be afraid to submit an offer. More pictures will follow, when I have time or on request.