MODERN MARVEL
THE HUNT
YACHTS 32 CC
Today, Hunt Yachts,
originally founded by
C. Raymond Hunt and
Associates, is owned by
the Hinckley Yacht Com-
pany, and it is still produc-
ing boats in Portsmouth,
Rhode Island. The 32 CC
is a beautiful entry into the
large center console genre.
With a 22-degree transom
deadrise and beautiful lines
and craftsmanship, it hon-
ors the Hunt performance
legacy in an effi cient and
amenity-laden package.C. YMOND
HUNT
Perhaps no person has had more of an impact on modern
boating than C. Raymond Hunt, the naval architect cred-
ited with designing the fi rst deep-V hull. The Duxbury,
Massachusetts, native began working with sail- and
lobster-boat designs in the 1930s and experimenting
with deeper deadrise hulls for powerboats in the 1940s.
But it was his construction of a 23-foot wooden tender
in 1958, which featured a 24-degree transom deadrise,
lifting strakes and hard chines, as well as a sharper keel
and forefoot, that many credit as the fi rst true deep-V.
From there a revolution in powerboat design began. The
deep-V design allowed boats to knife through the water,
creating a smoother, more seaworthy ride.
In 1960, Dick Bertram built the Hunt-designed
Moppie, a 31-footer based on that original tender,
that he used to win the then-famous Miami-Nassau
Race. Bertram turned that boat into the venerated
Bertram 31, a fi berglass production model that is still
coveted by classic-boat enthusiasts to this day.
But it’s not just the Bertram. Hunt also helped de-
sign the original 13-foot Boston Whaler in 1957. His
design fi rm, C. Raymond Hunt and Associates, which
he founded in 1966 with John Deknatel (who’s still at
the helm), is credited for designs produced by numer-
ous renowned builders, including Chris-Craft, Grady-
White, Robalo, Southport, Grand Banks, Four Winns,
Cruisers, Regal and many more.C. Raymond Hunt was
a design genius whose
creation of the deep-V
hull allowed for faster
planing boats with bet-
ter seakeeping in seas.PHOTOS: COURTESY HUNT YACHTS AND HUNT DESIGN90 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JUNE 2018