The Hunter Sonata 7 is a 7m (23feet) small racer-cruiser yacht built in Britain from 1976 to 1990 by Hunter Boats Limited (now British Hunter). The twin-keeled version is known as the Hunter Duette.
The Sonata was designed by David Thomas, and is a One-Design, Cruiser-Racer Class. It has a glass-fibre hull, with a low-profile glass-fibre deck, a Bermuda rigged aluminium mast, and an iron keel (or keels). It has a relatively large sail area and the rig is a fractional one. When fitted for cruising it has four berths, with two further occasional bunks. Mechanical power is provided by a demountable outboard motor mounted on a sliding bracket on the port side of the transom.
The Sonata was built in several forms, with a fin keel, a lifting keel, and as a bilge keeler (with twin keels), when it was called the Hunter Duette. The Duette was fitted out for cruising rather than racing. The Duette was also available with a lifting keel. The same hull was used later with different deck mouldings for other models, including the Hunter Horizon 23. The 6m (20feet) Hunter Medina is a scaled-down trailer sailer version of the Sonata design.
The Sonata is a National class in the United Kingdom and is raced across the country. The class is governed by the National Sonata Association in conjunction with the Royal Yachting Association.
There are at least 17 fleets in the world, 15 of which are in the United Kingdom[1]
| Year | Championship Location | Owner | Boat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Dabchicks S.C, West Mersea | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2000 | Strangford Lough Y.C, Killinchy | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2001 | Medway Y.C, Rochester | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2002 | Royal Tay Y.C, Dundee | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2003 | Royal Southern Yacht Club, Solent | Tom White | Pizzicato | |
| 2004 | Strangford Lough Y.C., Killinchy | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2005 | Abersoch, Wales | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2006 | Dabchicks S.C., West Mersea | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2007 | Sunderland Y.C. | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2008 | Strangford Lough Y.C., Killinchy | Dave Boatman | Blue Tack | |
| 2009 | Poole Y.C., Poole | Dave Boatman | Blue Tack | |
| 2010 | Helensburgh, Clyde | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2011 | Dabchicks S.C., West Mersea | Simon Farren & Marc Purdie | Camel Toe | |
| 2012 | Medway Y.C., Rochester | Joe Cross | Presto | |
| 2013 | Strangford Lough Y.C., Killinchy | Andy Tunnicliffe | Eric the Boat | |
| 2014 | Brixham Y.C., Brixham | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2015 | Helensburgh, Clyde | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2016 | Poole Y.C., Poole | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2017 | Strangford Lough Y.C, Co. Down | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2018 | Medway Y.C., Rochester | Joe Cross | Exposition | |
| 2019 | Helensborough S.C, Clyde | Steve Goacher | Eric the Boat | |
| 2020 | COVID19 | NOT | HELD | |
| 2021 | Island S.C, Cowes | Max Richardson | Little Scarlet | |
| 2022 | Colne Y.C, Brightlingsea | Jonny Hewat/Lucian Stone | White Noise | |
| 2023 | Parkstone Y.C, Poole | Tony Woods | Frankie The Rhino | |
| 2024 | Medway Y.C, Rochester | |||
| 2025 | Castle Cove S.C, Weymouth |