Haines Hunter V19R

Haines Hunter V19R Leisure Craft 

The Haines Hunter V19R is a mono-hulled leisure craft that is primarily used as a fishing vessel. It has a deep, plunging Vee shaped hull that is
good for different types of sailing.


It is 17 feet long (5.9m) and comfortably caters for 4 adults or 2 adults and 3/4 children. The helm sits in a protective canopy that has a windshield. This makes it a comfortable ride in any weather. Most canopies are restored or replaced and usually only partially cover the deck.
This is a good thing for fishermen as a full sized canopy can get in the way when casting.
A small living/storage space sits in the bow of the boat – The hatch into this space is usually a small doorway just next to the helm.
The Helm is usually on the starboard side of the dashboard – the doorway to the storage space on the port side.
The engine well is designed to house one outboard motor. Most recommend a 150 to 300 horsepower prop – depending on the
conditions in your area. Storage pockets/spaces for fishing gear, lifejackets and other equipment are placed effectively around the inside of the hull.
There is a footwell that runs fore and aft that creates some basic bench seats, but most owners build seats for more comfort and use the deeper
footwell as a secure way to traverse the vessel during travel.

How Much Do They Cost?
The Haines Hunter V19R was manufactured over thirty years ago – this means that many of them sell for cheap, but beware, boats selling for
$5,000 are usually bombs and should only be tackled by experienced handymen. Otherwise, a fixed-up Haines Hunter V19R can be found from $18,000 –$30,000 with fully restored boats selling from $45,000 all the way up to $75,000.

Why so much? Well, let’s go through a restoration in a little more detail.

Restoration. Most boats are received in poor condition, so a full gutting is required. The console is usually removed and replaced with a modern equivalent – depth finder, GPS and the typical blue Shimano sticker lovingly placed just below the 2-way radio.
This new dash also gives you the opportunity to update the FM radio – Bluetooth will let anyone with a good playlist connect and play.
Sometimes the canopy is ruined from being left out in the weather, so it is also removed – along with the weather shield/windscreen and replaced with
a modern-looking one. It was common for the canopy to be a full mould-cast fibreglass frame. Today, most shade is a collaboration of weather resistant fabric and alloy bracing.

This completely changes the look of the boat and definitely brings it into the 21st Century. Battery and wiring will likely need to be stripped and changed. This includes the wiring to the outboard and dashboard. The Bilge pump will need to be replaced and any wiring swapped out for more modern, waterproof options. Flooring over the Keel may need to be built and carpeted, and the handrails on the gunwale swapped out for shiny new ones.
The hull is most-likely in need of a full clean and a few coats of paint. Most owners go for a classic white, black or a deep royal blue when
choosing a colour, however, there are some wacky coloured V19R’s out there. Expect to find baby-poo orange and rich red coloured vessels.
But all jokes aside – most shop-refurbished HH V19R look like a boat made in 2019 and are kitted out with up-to-date technology.
Towing This boat is a deep seafaring vessel and thus needs a sturdy trailer to carry it, so don’t try to save money by skrimping on a trailer.
Rule Of Thumb – The HH V19R should be towed on a double axle trailer that is manufactured to carry its weight and an A-frame that gives plenty of
clearance between car and boat – and doesn’t make it impossible to steer.

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History Haines Hunter

Haines Hunter is an Australian family company that was born from two separated boatbuilding families – The Haines and The Hunters.
They initially manufactured their boats in New Zealand under license to their parent company in AUS (HH).
Haines Hunter was initially based in Brisbane and was home to over 30 boatbuilding and parts manufacturing families that worked together to
handcraft these fiberglass boats. There was such a demand for Haines Hunter boats that they would build 250 crafts in a year. Subsequently, the company expanded throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The Company was bought out by Sea Craft in 1980 – The exact year they released the Haines Hunter V19R.
Fortunately for HH boat enthusiast – Sea Craft didn’t change any of Brisbane based company’s work standards or procedures – and so Haines
Hunter V19R was made in exactly the same way as its predecessors, by hand. Interestingly, each HH V19R was overseen by one boatbuilder throughout the entirety of its creation from the casting of the hull – to the wood trim finish to the polishing and vacuum cleaning.
Many craftsmen worked on the boat – but each one was supervised by that nominated builder – this led to a far superior finished product in an era of
automated manufacturing.
HH were so confident of their V19R that even their TV advert persuades the buyer to take a test drive in choppy conditions before buying – so you
can really feel the superior design.

The Haines Hunter V19R (1)