1967 Fairey Huntsman 31 Aft Cabin for sale in Poole, Dorset
1967 Fairey Huntsman 31 Aft Cabin for sale in Poole, Dorset
Just refreshed with varnish work, new anti-foul and anodes for the 2018 season. Additional pictures taken before launch on Friday 25th May.
Fairey Marine produced power-boats that were the class of the field and the epitome of style.
The Fairey Huntsman 31 was the personal brain child of Chief Designer Alan Burnard who persuaded the Directors of the need for a boat to slot in between the still-selling Huntsman at 28 feet and the Swordsman at 33 feet. All hulls were made from multiple layers of Agba veneers that were hot-moulded in an autoclave at Hamble Point near Southampton.
All Huntsman 31s are renowned for their soft and dry ride which is why they are sought after when rarely coming onto the market.
Venator is the first production Huntsman 31, hull #1 so has a unique place in marine history.
She benefits from renovation work to her hot-moulded hull including new spray rails and much sympathetic freshening of her interior – such as new cabin flooring and cabin roof-lining – yet keeping many original features. These boats were strong, light and powerful being built to go places.
In addition to craftsmanship on the hull by a marque expert which included additional strengthening learnt from later race-boats Venator in the last 3 years has been completely rewired with 24 volt engine circuits together with 12 volt sockets for phones and 240 volt sockets in main cabin and the galley. LED lights are fitted in both cabins. Other work includes a re-paint and two period 210bhp Ford Sabre engines driving through Borg-Warner gearboxes to 3 bladed propellers. Recently, 4 new batteries were fitted as well as an oil-change and filters for the engines.
A top speed of over 30 knots is regularly achieved.
Thus, the fundamentals have all been addressed. Venator like all Fairey power boats is best described as a production class GT boat and now needs a new custodian to maintain her place in history and take her forward. Thus, the new owner has the rare opportunity to maintain and enjoy a marine icon because, as the first production Huntsman 31, Venator inspired many over the years.