Hunter Sonata for sale in Gosport United Kingdom

Custom built lifting keel yacht, 1978

Lifting keel, electric motor, the design was loosely based on the Hunter Sonata but with some improvements. She has accommodation for 4 with a porta potti, and comes with a trailer. She underwent a major refurbishment in 2018 including new rigging and sails. One owner from new

Mechanical

An electrical drive system with a 24V P-drive
Folding prop passing through an alternative plug fitted in the outboard well.
The engine drive was a 5hp outboard mounted through a well in the aft locker with a removable blanking plug to keep a smooth profile with the engine removed.

Electrical

2 x 12v 100ah batteries - 2018
1 x solar panel

Rigging

The rig is 7/8ths sloop
Upper and lower shrouds
Spreaders angled 10 degrees back from the transverse line.
Backstay.
Rigging replaced - 2018
Roller furling - 2018
Old headsails recut to fit the Furling system.
Running rigging has been replaced with dyneema ropes - 2018

Sails
Mainsail - 2018
110% jib - 2018
150% genoa
70% heavy weather jib
Spinnaker.

Navigation

Tacktick Depth and Log
Compass

Deck

GRP Deck
Tiller steering

Canvas

Sprayhood

Miscellaneous

Road trailer with a separate launching cradle mounted on it
Squaw was out of the water for 15 years before 2018 when she was relaunched after being completely refurbished.
The hydraulic cylinder for the keel lifting has had all new seals and washers fitted and the hydraulic pump in the cockpit has been replaced with a new one.
The outside paintwork has all been redone with two part Epifane polyurethane paint above the waterline
Coppercoat antifouling below the water line.

Accommodation

4 berths
Porta potti
2 ring burner
Hand pumped cold water
All the internal lining was refitted using a backing of 3mm neoprene - 2018
All the wiring was replaced with tinned copper - 2018
All lights LED fittings - 2018

Construction

Squaw is a one-off design and she was first launched in 1978. She was designed by Robin Smallwood, a Naval Architect and built by Robin and Andrew Smallwood.

Her construction is in GRP on a foam sandwich core of thermo plastic polyurethane foam. The foam in the hull is 10mm thick and in the topsides is 20mm thick for the large flatter areas and 10 mm thick in the smaller areas. In any area which is liable to compression the foam is replaced by GRP. This applies to the centre spine of the keel and bow and to anywhere on the deck where there is a deck fastening.

The GRP layup on the hull and topsides outside is 1oz. CSM on the foam, double diagonal unidirectional roving finishing with 1oz. CSM. The surface is finished with resin filler. On the inside there is 1oz. CSM on the foam with heavy woven cloth on top. The internal foam sandwich panels are 1oz. CSM and heavy woven roving. There is no deck seam as the deck fibreglass was lapped over the hull to form a monocoque construction.

All the internal panels are glassed into place to form an immensely strong structure. The outside of the boat is finished with two part polyurethane paint.

The design was loosely based on the Sonata but with some improvements. There is a 400kg. lifting keel lifted hydraulically operated from the cockpit. This reduces the draft from 1.35m. to 0.75m. The rudder blade moves up and down in the stock to reduce its depth.

Owners Comments

She has always sailed far more than she has motored as she will sail in the lightest of breezes and even withstand strong winds well reefed down.

She has sailed on many interesting cruises. Her maiden voyage was from the Hamble
to the Channel Islands. Whilst moored in Poole harbour she sailed to the Scilly Isles and back.

Berthed in Neyland Marina at Milford Haven she sailed along the South Irish coast to Kinsale and back. Moored in Barry, S. Wales she sailed up to the Menai Straits and took part in the two week Menai Straits regatta offshore series where she won the overall cup as well as several of the individual races. Later she was trailed up to Scotland and launched in Loch Crieran off Loch Linnhe and sailed round the Western Isles for 3 weeks finishing up passing through the Crinan Canal and mooring off Greenock for the summer