The Island Packet should be on the road to the new owner in the next day or so. It was hauled and de-rigged Friday. We now have a 2008 Hunter 27 in our slip. It was interesting trying to research the Hunter, I never realized just how quickly the company changes boats. This particular Hunter 27 was made for four years as near as I can find. It actually weighs only 300 pounds less than the IP27. of course the LOA is off, no bowsprit on this model although they did make a 27 with a retractable sprit for a while. Plumb bow, sugar scoop transom, VERY high freeboard, no back stay. It is very white, not a stick of teak anywhere. Totally unlike anything we have ever owned. Something kind of unnerving about a boat that white.

I checked unknowingly, it will start in gear. The Lewmar shifter/throttle is NOT in neutral when straight up, that would be forward. It explains why the PO had a piece or orange tape on the pedestal (which I removed before the boat went into the water), that was to mark neutral. One of the powerboaters came over and explained the Lewmar system to me. It sure took the strain off the guys on the dock when we got the boat out of gear and into neutral to warm up. Got it over to the slip with no issues, it handles much more like the Islander. Got her into the slip, tied to the dock and could not get the Yanmar to shut off. No pull handle, it has a button marked "stop" which only works when the ignition key is in the ON position. I think there was supposed to be a digital hour meter on the tach, if so I couldn't get it to display.

Got the diesel shut down and with a breeze right on the nose the launch crew decided that we should take the opportunity to put up the sails. RF was a non-issue, works like every other headsail furling unit. In-mast was a nightmare. Based on a passing remark by the broker, I understood that the key to the entire system working is a small stainless S hook that attaches the sail to the furler. I had no idea, it was laying in a little box on the nav table and had since been moved to the floor of my truck to be tossed in the dumpster with other random things left behind. Finally got the main started going on, the wind clocked 90* and picked up to around 20. With the sail half up it took five guys to wrestle it into a position to go up the sail track...........two hours worth of wrestling.

The rusty keel bolts are actually shiny stainless. The "rust" was much more like rust colored pond scum that was growing on the keel bolts. Although the boat was lightly used it was also lightly cleaned. A bucket of warm water and Mr. Clean with Febreze went a long way to making everything smell way better.

Still don't know about the AC system, that bit of troubleshooting is on the list for this coming Friday.

The enormous Hunter owner's manual is more like a group of consumer warnings in a 3-ring binder the size of a phone book. Not really that big on how things work, just on what not to do with them. Don't take a shower with a blow dryer plugged in. Don't smoke by the batteries. Keep diesel fuel out of your eyes. Don't fall down the companionway steps, don't fall off the back, don't play in traffic.....you know, the usual.

This is going to be a learning experience because I'm more of a traditional guy (read old) used to fuses and switches, stuff made out of wood and mechanical shutoffs.