Description
The Hunter 216 (built 2003–2010, with well over 1,000 hulls produced) is an American trailerable daysailer/pocket cruiser designed by Glenn Henderson as a modern, high-performance evolution of the classic Hunter 18–20 footers. At 21 feet 5 inches LOA with a very beamy 7-foot 11-inch hull and an all-up trailering weight of just 1,800 lbs (including trailer), it is one of the largest boats 21-footers that can be legally towed behind almost any car. It features an innovative composite construction: a vacuum-bagged fiberglass hull with foam-sandwich sides and a thermoformed plastic inner liner that provides huge interior volume, positive foam flotation, and near-unsinkable safety.
The fractional rig carries a large roachy fully battened mainsail (~140 sq ft) and a roller-furling 110% jib (~90 sq ft total upwind ~230 sq ft), plus an optional asymmetrical spinnaker on a retractable carbon sprit; the unstayed carbon-fiber mast steps in seconds with a simple lever system. Available with either a fixed shoal wing keel (1,250 lbs ballast, 2 ft 6 in draft) or a swing keel/centerboard version (1 ft up / 4 ft 6 in down), it is quick to rig, planes easily in 12+ knots, and is surprisingly stiff and forgiving. The cockpit seats six, and the surprisingly spacious cabin offers two 7-foot quarter berths, a small V-berth, and a portable head—comfortably sleeping a family of four for overnights. With its open transom, kick-up rudder, and beachable hull, the Hunter 216 became a huge hit for lake sailors, sailing schools, and young families who wanted Catalina 22-level space and performance in a package that launches and rigs in 20 minutes. Though no longer in production, it still has strong class racing in the Midwest and Southeast and remains one of the most practical and fun modern trailer-sailers ever built.
