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Hunter Liberty and Minstrel Owners Association
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"What a pretty boat, with that nice stern and unusual rig: what is it?"

We agree that the questionaire is right: everything about the boat is both pretty and practical. David Thomas developed the design for Hunter Boats in 1979, capitalising on his memories of the stern of a Royal Naval Montague Whaler and the best aspects of Gary Hoyt's American Freedom concept (hence the "Liberty" name) but anglicised so that conventional mast tracks could be used - and therefore a single sail instead of a wrap round - and the sail also reefed more efficiently as the complications of the wishbone and snotter are avoided.

Liberty

Liberty

Minstrel

Minstrel

But we do enjoy not having genoa sheet winches, the easy balancing of the two masted rig, the use of the tightly sheeted mizzen to keep the boat heading into wind while the main is set or the anchor weighed. Enthusiasts set upwind blade staysails or downwind balloon types between the masts, or even forward of the main mast, so it is possible to make life as complicated as you wish

Life below decks is highly civilised because the main mast is so far forward that it does not interfere with the accommodation layout, while the offset main hatch allows a full sized heads compartment (with surprisingly good headroom) immediately to port. So the saloon allows a double or two singles, plus a very long quarter berth running back under the cockpit and a good galley.

The Minstrel and Liberty 23 hulls, keels and rudders are identical. Below decks they are also the same, except that the Minstrel has an essential mast support. This slight inconvenience is countered in some boats by using it as a table support. Likewise, despite the support, owners have found ways to organise an infill cushion, so allowing a double berth

Minstrels are normally faster up wind than Libertys, as they should be since they have single masted rigs and a little more sail area. For the same reasons they are not quite as stiff. Off the wind there is little difference, though Libertys sometimes seem to gain in stronger winds. To our surprise, a goose winged and well laden Liberty has run away from a spartan Bermudan rigged Minstrel with its spinnaker set, so nothing is certain

Altogether 84 Libertys were built: 65 22s and 19 23s (the same hull with more ballast, a slightly bigger rig and bigger, less attractive windows) and then Hunter Boats used the same hull to build 30 of the gaff rigged Minstrel class, which is equally popular; Liberty and Minstrel sailors delight in late evening discussions over the relative merits and speed of their boats.

The Association

Welcome to Hunter Liberty & Ministrel Owners Association

The Association boasts 87 members, so we still have to find about 30 of the boats, to document the whole class. If you happen to know of one, anywhere, we would like to know how we can contact the owner, so that we can try to discover its history, regardless of whether the owner wishes to join us or not.

HLMOA's aim is to provide a forum of discussion and group activity centered around individuals who have a common interest in boats of the type:

Some of HLMOA's activities and information:

To contact us please email us on contact@hlmoa.org.uk

Joining

If you would like to join the Association please complete the online form : Joining the Association

Do note that there is a small annual subscription charge of £5 for UK residents

Leaving

If you would like to leave the Association please please email us on contact@hlmoa.org.uk We would request you let us know why.

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For Sale

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You should take note that this Association takes no responsibility for our Members' advertisements. Neither does it confer any guarantees regarding the items for sale. We are here only to provide a contact point and cannot provide advice on any item. Please contact the advertiser directly if you need further details.

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Wanted

A liberty

   £ ono. Contact  David Cash  organicpumpkin@hotmail.co.uk

Wanted Liberty or Hunter in good condition, ideally with a trailer, but not essential. 

I'm sixty four years young, recently retired and will give your boat lots of TLC.

David Cash.  

07908183819

organicpumpkin@hotmail.co.uk

For Sale

VASCO - Hunter Liberty 23 for sale

   £1850 ono. Contact  Jeremy Ellis 01380 831469  ellisjez@gmail.com

Hunter Liberty 23 for sale
   £1850 ono. Contact  Jeremy Ellis 01380 831469  ellisjez@gmail.com

 
Vasco, a Hunter Liberty 23 is for sale due to change in circumstances. Vasco is essentially a sound, well-built and equipped boat, incorporating many of the good ideas and enhancements generated by the class association over the years but now in need of TLC, including cosmetic refurbishment, antifouling, running rigging. 
Vasco is well known and documented within the Hunter Liberty and Minstrel Owners Association (HLMOA), who are well worth joining for the mine of information on the class they provide to members. 

She comes with:

Spray hood
Tohatsu 6HP outboard engine, low hours not run-in yet
Batteries with solar panel and engine charging, 
Autohelm,
VHF
Fish finder sonar
Cabin and Navigation lights
Portable marine sea toilet with holding tank / pump-out,
Gas stove
Good sails

Internal refurbishment has been started but requires completing. She has sound deckhead / cabin top / Ceiling foam backed vinyl lining, but the hull side lining has been removed for replacement. The internal shelving, instrument and cooker mounts have been removed for refurbishment.
All removed parts are in under cover storage, along with the tiller and rudder assembly.  
Currently lying ashore at Wareham, Vasco is a promising opportunity for anyone willing and able to invest the time and love to personalize her to their own tastes. Enquiries are welcome at any time for more information, photos or to arrange viewings.

Kind regards
Jeremy

For Sale

Liberty Hunter 22 with trailer for sale

   £5500 ono. Contact  James Connolly 01432 274074  San_623@hotmail.com

For Sale

£5,500 ono. Contact James Connolly 07790 574503 – san_623@hotmail.com

Lia~Bility, a dual rigged sloop is for sale due to health issues (the owner’s not the boats!)

 

Hunter Liberty 22 for sale for £5,500. Currently on her trailer on hard standing in Hereford.

This Liberty 22 is on an excellent SBS 2000 (2 tonne) four-wheel trailer with new winch and nylon strap. An extension tow bar has been fitted with stops that add progressively extended tow connections of plus 0.55 metres, 1.15 metres, 2.00 metres, 2.5 metres, and 3 metres. The first two extensions cover most situations you are likely to meet and the longest would probably only ever be needed on a beach launch. The extension pole makes launch and recovery of the Liberty as easy as my .5 tonne Sailfish 18 was as the boat floats all the way into position on the trailer and there is no pull of dead weight.

The original masts and sails are in good order, the mizzen having been newly sleeved for one metre either side of the join, forming a solid, tight fitting 2 metre union. Rivets on all fittings were drilled out and the fittings re-riveted on completion. I was very pleased with the job, and only disappointed that I will never enjoy the benefit of it!

Lia~Bility comes with a second pair of very good sails. The main is virtually new, 2 or 3 outings, and the mizzen is in good condition. The main is by Jeckells and is dark red, the mizzen is a Crusader and is white. There is another set of Liberty sails with the Gunther/Sprit rig, See below.

Lia~bility has been fitted out for inland cruising as a Gunther/ Sprit rigged sloop. In fact the configuration remains the same as the original using the standard Liberty sails and the change has been affected without compromising the boat in any way and the two rigs can be interchanged easily.

The Gunther part of the rig is pretty much the way the standard Gunther is, a shorter, or stub, mast, main 17’ 3”  (5.18 m), mizzen (15’ 9” (4.87 m) is fitted to the boat and a Gunther yard run up the mast thru Gunther irons (stainless steel) which pulls the sail into its  Bermuda shape, and the boat sail just as with the original rig. Lia~Bility can pass under any bridge, at summer levels, from Gloucester to Stourport on the Severn with the Gunther rig dropped, but she cannot sail with the Gunther down; and this is where the sprit comes into service. The Sprit attaches to the leach of the sail at a point opposite the mast head and lifts the sail out when the snotter is tightened at a point on the mast lower down, this makes a square sail, and away you sail, with the air draft reduced to a maximum of 17’ 3” main sail. The system works very well on rivers bridges that allow plus 18’ clearance. All raising and lowering of the Gunther is done from the cockpit.

In situations where the air draft is too low to allow passage to the 17’ 9” rig the masts can be lowered from the cockpit onto the cabin roof which reduces the air draft to about 8’ (2.4 m). The Gunther/Sprit rig is available as a separate purchase.

Presently the boat is laid up for two berths that can convert to a large double. The upholstery is in good order and the cabin is clean and tidy. There is a solar fed leisure battery for lights, etc. The galley has a Swedish stainless steel, methylated spirit two hob stove, which insurers prefer to bottle gas. For heating there is a Hampshire solid fuel Heater. Ship to shore communication is by a Standard Horizon Explorer GX1700E  radio gps.

Although in good general condition Lia~Bility would benefit from a hull repaint and needs anti-fouling.

Lia~Bility also comes with a Mariner 6 hp four stroke outboard which I have recently spent £600 restoring. The thinking behind this was that it made more sense to me to restore an engine I knew to be good than to invest £800 or so on another I didn’t know. I spent £345 on the work on the engine and £250 on the new gear box. All the bills are available.

I have also spent £500 + on improvements to boat and trailer, including the extension tow bar. It was all intended for me, but alas,  c'est la vie!

I am advertising Lia~Bility on the club site before offering her to a broader market, but not for long!

Contact me at any time for more information and more photos.

The boat is pretty well ready to sail in either rig but would benefit from a coat of paint to the hull, and anti-fouling or hull blacking to the underside. The interior is in good shape, see photos.

Kind regards,

James

 

Wanted

Wanted, Toplac Squall Blue Paint 923

   £ ono. Contact  James Connolly 01432 274074  San_623@hotmail.com

Does the Club still have for sale tins of Toplac paint, I think it was Toplac Squall Blue 923?? I'm not sure that this is the place to ask but I'm lost with computers!

For Sale

Mizzen Mast and Boom for a Liberty 23. Offers invited

   £ ono. Contact  David Dring 07860780352  dringies@hotmail.co.uk

For the mizzen:

Originally served as Mizzen Mast on 23ft Hunter Liberty. Measures approx 6.78 metres overall, with a crack at approx 1.11m from the bottom, then a repair from the crack up to about 1.34 metres from the bottom (see pics). Diameter of mast is 76mm for most of its length, before it tapers to approx 48mm at the top. 

It should be possible to cut the crack and repaired section out and then sleeve/reassemble (??), otherwise the section above the repair looks straight and measures around 5.44 metres, so it might make a decent shorter mast.

The main mast:

Proctor mast, ex Hunter Liberty. Bent after a telephone wire incident (I'm told). Top 7m still very straight, so could be cut down for smaller boat, perhaps. Diameter at bottom of mast, and at bottom of useable 7m section is approx 89mm (i.e. it is parallel for at least the bottom 1.7m. Tapering to approx 45mm at the extreme top. Some useful fittings.

Could possibly be be repaired by cutting and sleeving, but I'm doubtful. It could certainly serve, cut down,  as a 7m mast; these Liberty masts were designed to work unstayed, so they are very strong

And the boom:

Boom (mizzen boom, as I remember, but cant be sure) ex Hunter Liberty. Stood outside a while, so perhaps for spares or repair; approx 2.59 metres long and 66mm in diameter.
 

Really hope these can be of use to someone. 

Wanted

Trailer wanted

   £ ono. Contact  Tim and Ginny Faulkner  Tim@homeoak.co.uk

Please call me or email if you have one to sell

tim@homeoak.co.uk

07901 563745

Wanted

Road trailer

   £ ono. Contact  craig turnbull  craigturnbull12@aol.com

Looking for a road trailer for a Liberty 22 if anyone has one for sale.