HR has a well deserved reputation for building some of the finest production boats in the world. In general, you will find their workmanship first rate and their boats are a joy to own and sail. Where they fall down, is minor in the whole scheme of things, and compared to other production boat builders, they are in a class of the best.
But, they do some things that make me shake my head and wonder what they are thinking. Production practices and methods change all the time. And if you are picking up a new boat today, some of these issues may be corrected. Here are some of the problems I encountered in our boat (Production May 2003, Model HR-36).
Deck Fasteners: None of the screws or bolts which penetrate the outside fiberglass core had any sort of sealant on them. I feel any screws or bolts which goes into the fiberglass and into the core, should have a thread sealant applied. This included fasteners for vents, electrical inlets, deck hardware, etc.
Toilet Installation: Neither the inflow or outflow were plumbed with an anti-siphon loop. Both lines were installed below the waterline and we have had toilet over-flow problems happen on several occasions. I have even experienced this on other HR's. This is a serious oversight and difficult to correct after the boat is built. It would have been an easy installation to have done it right the first time. I've since noticed other HR's which have had an anti-siphon loop installed. Why some have them and some not is a mystery.
SSB Installation: The installation method chosen by HR is poor at best. If any of your other navigational instruments (Speed, Depth, Autopilot) are turned on when you transmit on the SSB, the instruments will be reset or their settings will become corrupted due to RF being pumped into the DC electrical system. HR charges several thousand dollars for an SSB installation and you should expect them to get it right. I'm currently working on a solution that I hope fixes the problem. In addition, they mounted the tuner in an impossible location to get at.
Lewmar Portlights: I found that there was no sealant applied to the frame prior to installation. Also HR uses the economy model from Lewmar. I would think that given HR's reputation for an Ocean rated category boat, that they would have used a higher grade of port.
Lewmar Hatches: I found that there was only a single thin bead of sealant applied around the hatch frame. No sealant was applied to the screw fasteners. It didn't take very many months for the hatch seals to begin to fail, requiring re-bedding of all hatches. Again, they used the lowest quality of Lewmar Hatches made.
Engine Mounts: After only one week with the boat, our engine mounts worked loose. HR tightened them with Locktite, but they have since worked loose again. I check these most every day with my normal engine check and tighten when necessary. However, I have heard in the HR users group on Yahoo, several other owners have also experienced this problem. Some with disastrous results.
Shaft anode: The shaft installed by HR is too short to install a shaft anode. They only put on a propeller spin-on anode. This is a very poor design as the spin-on anode falls off easily, leaving the propeller unprotected. Other boat owners I know have installed a rubber insert bolted between the shaft and the transmission. This supposedly gives a benefit of allowing some flexibility between the shaft and the transmission, and extends the shaft enough to allow a shaft anode to be bolted on. I plan to try this next year. (I have now installed this and it works great and allows the installation of a shaft anode).
Batteries: If you don't specify Gel or AGM batteries, then HR will install normal wet cells. However, these batteries are not marine batteries. They were designed for Trucks. Ours failed after only one year of service. I have talked to two other HR owners with a similar experience. A single battery from the second set (same manufacture) failed within 4 months of installation.
After Sale Service: Mediocre at best. Once you leave the yard, it is hard to get their attention. Even though they have now hired an after sales service representative, response is limited and slow. As poor as the company is for service, let me put a plug in here for HR Parts and Accessories. This is a separate company, not in any way owned by HR. It is owned by Vickie Vance who knows her boats, is a joy to work with, and really goes out of her way to help you. She can solve many of your headaches saving you from with dealing directly with the company.
I've given here a long list of problems I have experienced. If you are picking up a new boat, you might check these issues for yourself and either have the yard correct the issue, or be prepared to deal with it yourself. As one HR owner recently told me, "HR gets it about 85%." I think I could agree with that. The other 15% keeps your project list from getting too short.