Hugo Andreae takes us on a tour of the beautifully bespoke Hunt Ocean 76 motor yacht, which is built on a hull design from the legendary Raymond Hunt...
Deep-vee innovator C. Raymond Hunt is the brains behind this elegant motor yacht, which made its first inroads into the UK in 2019. Hunt Yachts, as a brand, may be unfamiliar in these parts but you can bet your bottom dollar you’ll recognise its lineage.
The man responsible for Hunt Yachts’ hull design is C. Raymond Hunt himself, a man credited as a pioneer of the deep-vee hull form and responsible for hulls from iconic brands such as Bertram Yachts and Boston Whaler as well as myriad offshore racers.
Hunt’s boats are renowned for their flawless high-speed seakeeping and ability to maintain those speeds in challenging conditions. Owned by the same group as Hinckley (of Picnic Boat fame), Hunt Yachts builds its largest Ocean range in Taiwan while commissioning and sea trials take place as its base in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
The Hunt Ocean 76 resonates upscale Americana, particularly inside where it’s festooned with varnished cherry timber, pillowy cream upholstery and furniture that could have been plucked straight from the country club. Cutting-edge cool it is not but it’s proper and loaded with Down East charm.
This is a boat to be used to cover great distances at a decent lick; the standard engines are a pair of 1,600hp CAT C32s, good for a top speed of 29 knots but it’s the uprated 1,900hp motors capable of 31 knots and a 27-knot cruise that will really allow the athletic hull to sing.
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It’s not a boat laden with fripperies but it is effortlessly comfortable, with three en-suite staterooms and a proper galley on the lower deck and space for a comprehensive utility room and crew quarters.
The first Hunt Yachts Ocean 76 made its debut at the 2019 British Motor Yacht Show in Swanwick, and other models models can be imported by Hunt Yachts Europe. Watch this space…
Hunt Ocean 76 specifications
LOA: 82ft 3in (25.1m)
LWL: 67ft (20.4m)
Beam: 19ft 6in (5.97m)
Draught: 5ft5in (1.65m)
Displacement: 61 tonnes (135,000lbs)
Fuel capacity: 7,760 litres (1,700 gal)
Water capacity: 1,850 litres (408 gal)
Engines: Twin CAT C32 1,600-1,900hp
Top speed: 29-31 knots
Cruising speed: 24-27 knots
