Hunter 450 Passage Review

We have owned our Hunter 450 Passage for over 5 years now. In this article, I am going to provide a Hunter 450 Passage Review. I’ll talk about how we decided to buy our 1998 Hunter 450 Passage, and provide a thorough review of the boat to include the following along with Hunter 450 images:

Exterior specifications and design (deck, rigging and hull)
Interior specifications and design (mechanical and auxiliary systems)
Interior layout and accommodations
Performance and Handling
Sailing Experience
Overall Comfort and Livability
Pricing and Value
Pros and Cons
Conclusion

How We Ended Up With A Hunter 450 Passage

Hunter 450 Passage Review - photo of our boat under full sail in the Bahamas in blue water on a sunny day. — 1998 Hunter 450 Passage

It was a cold January day in 2020 when Scott and I went shopping for our fulltime liveaboard sailboat. We were in the middle of our 6-year plan for early retirement, and knew we wanted to purchase and get to know our boat before taking off in 2023.

After looking at some Hunter and Beneteau 38 to 40-foot sailboats in Mobile, AL, we really like the layout of the Hunter sailboats. But, Scott being 6-foot 3-inches tall wanted something with a little more headroom. The boat broker who showed us boats that day told us about the Hunter Passages.

We went online to search for them, and to our luck, there was a 45 foot sailboat, the Passage 450, for sale an hour away in Pensacola, FL.

The moment both Scott and I saw and stepped foot on the Hunter Passage 450, we knew this was exactly what we were looking for. So what did we love so much about this boat? Read on…

The Hunter 450 Passage is a 45-foot sailboat manufactured by Hunter Marine (now known as Marlow-Hunter) in the United States. Production on these boats started in 1996, and continued into the early 2000s.

It has a 14-foot beam, 63-foot mast height and 5 ½-foot draft. Her top design hull speed is 8.32 knots according to Wikipedia.

What we first fell in love with when stepping foot on this boat is the open space inside, along with the amount of storage available. We knew we would be living full time on whatever boat we purchased, and both Scott and I could see ourselves living comfortably on this boat.

Hunter 450 Review - photo of our Hunter 450 under sail in the Bahamas in blue water on a sunny day. — 1998 Hunter 450 Passage

Exterior Specifications and Design

The Hunter 450 Passage has the B & G Rigging, meaning no backstay, and she is equipped with a bolt-on bulb style wing keel and a spade rudder. She has a raised center cockpit which allows additional headroom in the cabin below. Perfect for 6’ 3” Scott!

Below are some additional specifications:

LOA: 44.25 ft / 13.49 m
LWL: 38.58 ft / 11.76 m
S.A. (reported) 908 sq ft / 84.36 sq meters
Displacement: 26,180 lb / 11, 875 kg
Ballast: 9,680 lb / 4,391 kg
Construction: Fiberglass
Ballast Type: Lead
**Source: https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/hunter-450-passage/

Interior Specification and Design

We really like the amount of fuel and fresh water the Hunter 450 Passage can carry. She has a 100-gallon fuel tank, located under the aft bed, and 3 separate fresh water tanks totaling 193 gallons:

Forward Tank: 55 gallons – located under the forward bed
Starboard Tank: 94 gallons – located under the sole “hallway” area heading back to the aft cabin
Port Tank: 44 gallons – located under the galley sole

Our Hunter 450 Passage is powered by a 78 hp Yanmar diesel engine. We also have a 9000KW Kohler generator that can run major items such as our air conditioner and water heater.

Photo of our 78 horse power Yanmar Engine in the "engine room" with the door removed to see the engine. — 78hp Yanmar Engine

Photo of our 9000 kilowatt Kohler generator located under the stairs and wet locker. Wet locker is removed in this photo for a view of the generator. — 9000KW Kohler Generator

We have three 198 ah AGM house batteries and one separate starter battery.

Photo of two 198 ah AGM batteries sitting side by side under the sole/floor. There are large red and black cables on top of them and running to the port side of the boat to connect to the third battery not pictured, located under the port settee. — Two of our three 198ah AGM house batteries

The galley is equipped with a front and top loading refrigerator and separate top-loading freezer. When we bought the boat, the fridge and freezer were set up with cold plates to run on shore power or generator. However, we have since modified them by replacing the cold plates with evaporator plates to run off of 12-volt air cooled compressors. This was one of our big projects before leaving the dock. I will go more into this topic when discussing overall comfort and livability.

The fridge top door and front door are open to show the amount of storage we have in our fridge. Visible inside are shelves with food and drinks. — Front and top loading refrigerator

The top of the freezer is open and there are bins visible. On the right is an ice cube bin full of ice sitting inside the evaporator plate. — Top loading freezer

Interior Layout and Accommodations

Since we are living fulltime on our boat, we wanted something that was comfortable in addition to something that sails well and built well.

We feel we hit the jackpot with the comfort of this boat!

Aft Cabin

The aft cabin is the star of the show with a near walk-around bed and plenty of headroom above the bed and rest of the cabin.

We have a full queen size bed, that is more comfortable than the bed was in our house.

the starboard side of the aft cabin has a blue bench with big blue pillow and table with storage. Forward of that are two lockers with plenty of storage. We also have fishing poles hanging from the hand rails on the ceiling. — Aft cabin – starboard side with bench, table and plenty of storage

Aft cabin queen bed with a blue and pink quilt, several pillows and a gray blanket at the foot of the bed. On the starboard side of the bed, is a blue cushioned bench with storage underneath. — Aft cabin – queen bed on the port side

There are two lockers for hanging clothes, a locker on the port side of the cabin and a large locker on the starboard side of the cabin that is also able to fit a washing machine if we chose to put one on board.

In addition to all of this locker space, we have a table with storage, storage shelves both port and starboard, and another additional storage area above the engine.

Aft cabin starboard hanging clothes locker full of my clothes and shoes — Aft cabin starboard hanging locker

Aft cabin shelves above the engine that have my clothes on the top shelf and Scott's clothes on the bottom shelf — Aft cabin storage shelves above the engine and hanging storage behind door

Aft cabin port locker with Scott's hanging clothes and storage on the port side of the bed — Aft cabin port hanging locker and storage on port side of bed

If there is a place to store something, I have found it! As Scott keeps finding out when I break out something he hasn’t seen in a while and can’t figure out where I store it! 😊

Forward Cabin

We have one other cabin onboard, forward of the salon, with it’s own head. We can comfortably fit 3 onboard, as we found out while sailing in the Abacos and took on a crew member.

The forward cabin has two lockers of its own, both able to accommodate hanging clothes. One we store our life jackets in, and the other has been converted to the tool chest. There is even more storage under the forward bed, under the seating area, above the bed and lockers.

Forward cabin showing the bed and storage shelf above the bed. There are also drawers under the bed — Forward cabin with storage shelf above the bed, and drawers and additional storage under the bed

Forward cabin locker where we keep our tools and towels. — Forward cabin – one of two hanging lockers. We converted this locker into our tool and towel storage

Heads and Showers

We have two full heads on our Hunter 450 Passage. The forward head is a wet head, with toilet, sink and storage cabinets and a shower head. The aft head is the toilet and sink with storage above and below the sink.

Forward head with pink countertops (yep, pink!) and mirror above countertop and sink. It is located at the very front of the boat, so it is v-shaped. There is storage under the sink, behind the mirror, above the mirror and more above the toilet and behind the door. — Forward Head

Aft head with more pink countertops, sink, mirror with storage behind and above. Also have storage under the sink. Previous owner installed wooden cup and toothbrush holders mounted on the wall next to the mirror. — Aft Head

The aft shower is a stand-alone shower, with a bath tub! Well, a small bath tub, but a bath tub none the less! It is large and spacious compared to several other boats we have been on.

Aft shower showing storage for shampoo, conditioner, etc. on a shelf and small port window above it. — Aft shower

Aft shower looking the other way toward the shower head. It is a mini bathtub. Below the faucet is a waterproof hatch door that gives us access to the port side of the engine. — Aft shower showing the “tub” and the waterproof hatch door for access to the port side of the engine

Salon

The salon is very spacious with two settees with storage under and behind each one, a very large table, book shelf/media center, ottoman, and tv mounted on the bulkhead.

We had our cushions redone by Annette with Moku Marine Canvas and Upholstry before we left Mobile. She also made a cushion that goes on top of the table that lowers and creates a large lounge area on the starboard side.

I have seen boats that either remove the table or replace it with a small one for more livable space in the salon; however, we decided to keep the large table as it provides a great work space for sewing and other projects.

Port side of the salon with light cream upholstered cushions and gray and blue rugs — Salon – Port side

Starboard side of the salon showing a large table, ottoman and a wraparound settee in light cream color. There is a TV on the bulkhead above the settee and colorful striped curtains and pillows. — Salon – Starboard side

Galley

The galley is a u-shaped design which makes it more functional when underway. You can easily brace yourself in the galley while cooking during a passage.

There is plenty of storage for everything we need to cook the same meals we cooked when living on land. There was even a microwave, that upon first use, I may have broken! 😉

There is even enough space under the cabinets for our 5-cup coffee maker that we use while at the dock.

Our galley is U-shaped with the sink on the starboard side, fridge and freezer and storage cabinets above them along the back, and stove/oven and more counter space and storage forward of the stove. There is a tea kettle on the stove and a toaster oven tucked in the back corner where a microwave used to be. — Galley

Nav Station

Our navigational station is rather functional as well with an SSB radio, and storage under the table and seat. We keep our paper charts laid out nicely here when underway.

Engine Room

Our engine is located in the center of the boat underneath the cockpit. It has two doors, one in the passageway and one in the aft cabin.

You can also access the back side of the engine from inside the shower, thanks to the previous owner installing a waterproof hatch door. This comes in really handy when accessing and replacing the impleller!

Just forward of the engine in the Kohler generator. It is located under the wet locker, which easily moves out of the way for access.

To say we are happy with the interior would be an understatement, as we feel we have plenty of space for what we need, and don’t feel crowded or on top of each other.

Photo of engine in the front of the picture and behind it is the generator. Photo is taken from the aft cabin looking forward — Engine forward and Generator behind it taken from Aft Cabin

Photo of the generator under the stairs. The wet locker that goes over the generator is pulled away for access and visible in the picture — Generator under the stairs and wet locker pulled away for access

Performance and Handling

While it is important to be satisfied with the comfort and livability of the boat, we bought the boat to sail, so it is equally important that she handles and sails well.

Pelagia handles very well in both light and rough seas.

Our roughest seas in her to date was on our first overnight from Pensacola to Port St. Joe when we were sailing in the Gulf of Mexico. While we knew the forecast called for winds from the north at about 20 knots that evening we got surprised when they built to 35+ knots and the seas built to 6-8 foot short period waves from the north. We diverted from our track and went to Panama City, but that took about 6 hours of pounding into the wind and seas. Pelagia proved to be a solid and strong boat, having no issues with the conditions and delivered us safely into the harbor so we could lick our wounds before moving on.

As I write this article, we are motoring from Beaufort, NC to Wrightsville Beach in the Atlantic with light winds, and 1-to-3-foot swells. The Hunter 450 Passage handles these conditions with ease, providing a comfortable passage, and I know she can handle much more than this.

Overall, the Hunter 450 Passage is a strong, well-built boat that handles well in all conditions we have seen to date, giving us trust in her ability to get us to our destinations safely.

Sailing Experience

Pelagia is rigged with a jib sail forward and the main sail. We do not carry a spinnaker, but she can be rigged with an asymmetrical spinnaker if we choose to do so one day.

The jib sail is not a large genoa, but instead a simple 100% jib with the clew extending back to the mast. The jib furls on the fore stay for simple setting and dousing.

Photo looking forward from the cockpit. The jib sail is out, and there are several lines running from the mast, back into the cockpit. We are sailing in clear blue water. — Jib sail out and lines running into the cockpit

The main sail also furls into the mast, which makes setting and dousing quite simple as well.

She handles very well under sail, point upwards to 30 degrees off the wind, but riding most comfortably on a beam reach.

All of the lines run back to the cockpit and all of the winches are located in the cockpit, making for a very safe operations when setting, dousing or trimming the sails.

Overall Comfort and Livability

As you can sense through this article, we are very pleased with the overall comfort and livability of our 1998 Hunter 450 Passage, and are proud to display her on our boat cards.

We have lived aboard fulltime now for almost 4 years, and find this boat to handle well in different weather conditions, and find her very comfortable to live on. We have made a couple of modifications to make her more suited for fulltime liveaboards traveling and anchoring more than staying in marinas. A couple of these boat projects we completed before we left Mobile. The modifications we made include:

Converting the fridge and freezer from 120-volt power to 12-volt power. With the fridge and freezer on 120-volt power, we found that we would have to run the generator at least twice a day, morning and evening, for at least an hour each time to cool off / keep the food cooled down. By converting the power to 12-volt, we no longer need to run the generator twice a day. So how do we have enough power to keep the food cold? That leads us to our next project, adding solar power.
Solar Panels – We added 900 watts of solar on top of our hard top to help power the fridge and freezer on 12-volt power, along with our other power consumption needs. This allows us to use the generator much less frequently, mainly only on cloudy or overcast days.
Added a third AGM Battery – The boat had two 198 ah house batteries. We added a third 198 ah house battery to give us 594 ah. This allows us a little more power usage while on anchor or sailing. We looked into the option of lithium batteries, however, we figured out that we would need to purchase and/or replace multiple pieces of equipment, such as our inverter, and necessary battery monitoring systems, controllers, etc. We felt that our current system is still working well, so we just added to our existing system. This also saved us a lot of money going this route and living off of 594 ah.
Converting our manual pump head to a composting head – This one may be a personal opinion, but I feel that this is a major upgrade converting to the Airhead composting toilet. We are fulltime liveaboards who travel and try to stay out of marinas as best we can. We no longer have to worry about where we will get our next pump out, if our macerator pump will work when we are offshore, or when we will have to snake the sanitation lines and/or replace them outright.

View from top of mast of our solar panels. We have two hard panels aft and three semi-flexible panels forward of them, all installed on our hardtop over our cockpit. — 900W Solar Panels on top of hard top

Photo of our Airhead composting head in our aft head. It has a 2-gallon liquids tank, and a vent hose that runs out the starboard side. — Airhead Composting Head

Pricing and Value

I find that the Hunter 450 Passages really hold their value in the sailing and cruising world. We purchased our 1998 Hunter 450 Passage in 2020 for $130,000. I found 3 currently for sale in the United States at the following prices and locations:

2000 $124,900 on Yacht World in League City, TX
2000 $125,000 on Boat Trader in St. Petersburg, FL
1998 $129,500 on Sailboat Listings in San Diego, CA

Ours came with the hard top over the cockpit, enclosure around the cockpit, aft bimini, dinghy, dinghy engine davit for lifting the engine in and out of the dinghy, and fully stocked with spare parts, life jackets, and much more.

Pros and Cons

I’d be lacking if I didn’t provide pros and cons of the Hunter 450 Passage in this review. I am obviously partial to this boat, as we purchased it and it is our home. I’d say my top Pros, followed by some cons, include:

Pros

Sturdy, strong and well built
Storage space
Interior livability

Cons

Access to the engine and generator for maintenance and repairs. We have good access on the starboard side; however, the port side is rather challenging.
Maneuverability around the steering wheel in the cockpit. This could be fixed with an aftermarket folding steering wheel, but we currently do not have this and it is challenging going around the helm in the cockpit.

Photo of our cockpit looking forward with two big blue chairs in each corner facing forward. They stick out over the seat and make it challenging to walk around the big wheel at the helm. There is also a big blue chair forward near the companion way, for Mangaux of course. — We love our hunter center cockpit, but it can be difficult getting around the wheel with our comfy blue chairs

Conclusion

My overall impression with our Hunter 450 Passage after cruising and sailing more than 3.5 years with her is great. We couldn’t be happier with our boat. We really like sailing capabilities and how she handles in rough weather conditions. The living space below is very comfortable and spacious.

I’d love to hear from other Hunter 450 Passage owners, as well as other sailboat owners, to hear what your favorite and least favorite things are about your boats. Does your boat have any unique features that makes you love your boat?

Live your dream,