Beginning a restoration on a 1987 Hunter 23

svseacucumber

svseacucumber

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Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
New member here, been looking for a trailer sailer for a while and recently picked up a new to me Hunter 23 and trailer that was for sale over in Holland, MI. The boat seems to be in decent shape, last sailed in 2022 so it's only sat for a short time and at $750 for the boat, trailer and sails the price was pretty decent too. Been lurking on the forums for a while soaking up as much information as possible. They've been a wealth of information so far.

The interior of the boat looks pretty good to me, nothing is totally rotted out or anything like that. The bottom of the boat however is gonna take some work. I've already got a 10hp Honda 4 stroke I'm hoping to use with this boat.

As for my experience I have hours on boats of various sizes in the Great Lakes as well as quite a bit time down in the Florida Keys while I was working as a scuba instructor. The boats were just never mine. I guess that changes now! The other restoration threads I ran into on the forums really got me inspired and I really look forward to putting in some sweat equity on this project.

Here are a few photos of the condition of the boat the day I picked it up a couple weeks ago. Hopefully with a little bit of luck and hard work I can make her shine again.

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isaksp00

isaksp00

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Apr 27, 2010
1,277
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
Looks decent. Look carefully at the bulkheads that the sidestay chainplates attach to. Particularly if water has leaked through the deck slot and compromised the integrity of the plywood.
10 HP is a little overkill, but if you have one, just check that the transom fitting supports the weight. Mine came with an 8 hp Honda and it is a bit heavy to lift on the swing-up bracket.
Don't underestimate the tendency of the mast to sway sideways when stepped.
 
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svseacucumber

svseacucumber

.
Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
isaksp00 said:
Looks decent. Look carefully at the bulkheads that the sidestay chainplates attach to. Particularly if water has leaked through the deck slot and compromised the integrity of the plywood.
10 HP is a little overkill, but if you have one, just check that the transom fitting supports the weight. Mine came with an 8 hp Honda and it is a bit heavy to lift on the swing-up bracket.
Don't underestimate the tendency of the mast to sway sideways when stepped.
Click to expand
Appreciate the feedback! I am actually a little concerned the motor mount isn't as hefty as I would like. Been checking for all possible topside water ingress points and the windows definitely leak. I'll definitely take a look around the bulkheads. Thanks!
 

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isaksp00

isaksp00

.
Apr 27, 2010
1,277
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
I do not have that pipe below the motor mount. From your other photos it doesn't look like there is a hole through the transom. No idea what it is.
Check the fittings on both ends of the hose between the cockpit drain and though hull, and the hose. If that fails, could sink your boat. May need a better hose and double hose clamps at each end.
Check the hose that drains the anchor locker to the through hull, accessible at the front of the v berth, make sure there are no leaks, tight clamps, etc.
 
svseacucumber

svseacucumber

.
Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
isaksp00 said:
I do not have that pipe below the motor mount. From your other photos it doesn't look like there is a hole through the transom. No idea what it is.
Check the fittings on both ends of the hose between the cockpit drain and though hull, and the hose. If that fails, could sink your boat. May need a better hose and double hose clamps at each end.
Check the hose that drains the anchor locker to the through hull, accessible at the front of the v berth, make sure there are no leaks, tight clamps, etc.
Click to expand
I believe the pipe is a support for the shaft of the motor. I found another piece inside the boat that fits in the pipe and has a v shaped padded end on it which I believe is for the shaft.
 
isaksp00

isaksp00

.
Apr 27, 2010
1,277
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
Hmm. If it were mine, and you go with a motor as large as a 10 or even 8 hp, I think I'd get rid of that bracket and the pipe and invest in a good quality swing bracket with robust backing plate. If it is related to transport, I would not drive on the road with the outboard installed.
 
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rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,542
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I would recommend a max OB size of 6HP you will hit max hull speed at about 2/3 WOT. That is plenary of head room for pushing into a head wind. I had a tohatsu 6 sail pro on my H26 and hit hull speed at about 3/4 wot
 
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svseacucumber

svseacucumber

.
Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
rgranger said:
I would recommend a max OB size of 6HP you will hit max hull speed at about 2/3 WOT. That is plenary of head room for pushing into a head wind. I had a tohatsu 6 sail pro on my H26 and hit hull speed at about 3/4 wot
Click to expand
That seems to be the motor most people reccomend. I just already have the 10hp on a little jon boat and was hoping to not have to purchase another outboard. I would probably rather have a motor dedicated to the sailboat anyway. Thank you for your advice!
 
svseacucumber

svseacucumber

.
Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
isaksp00 said:
Hmm. If it were mine, and you go with a motor as large as a 10 or even 8 hp, I think I'd get rid of that bracket and the pipe and invest in a good quality swing bracket with robust backing plate. If it is related to transport, I would not drive on the road with the outboard installed.
Click to expand
The pipe is definitely coming off. Unfortunatley it is bolted through the transom with 4 small bolts. After hearing some more advice I'm probably going to try and stick with the stock motor mount and just bite the bullet and get a more appropriately sized outboard.
 
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rgranger

rgranger

.
Jan 19, 2010
12,542
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
svseacucumber said:
That seems to be the motor most people reccomend. I just already have the 10hp on a little jon boat and was hoping to not have to purchase another outboard. I would probably rather have a motor dedicated to the sailboat anyway. Thank you for your advice!
Click to expand
The 10 might work fine but if it is on a jon boat it is probably the short-shaft version. Short shaft OBs do not work well on a sailboat. The prop will come out of the water when you heel or in all seas except flat calm water. You will want a 20" at the least or the extra-long 25". Tohatsu sailpro comes in the 25".
 
isaksp00

isaksp00

.
Apr 27, 2010
1,277
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
The inner end of your motor mount looks like it has stress cracks. May be cosmetic, maybe not. I'd check the inside. I'd also use a safety cable from the motor to the angle iron just in case it cracks. Maybe the outboard leg crutch DIY had something to do with that
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,234
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Former dealer who introduced that sailboat now retired. Get rid of that motor bracket and get a smaller outboard. A new swing away motor bracket has been suggested. Remember this a reverse transom and you will need to add triangular wedges to the top brackets of the that swing away O/B motor bracket. Use a major piece of either stainless steel or aluminum to distribute the load of motor and brackrt.
One other thing. Make sure you have enough distance of the bottom of motor shaft that it does not hit the bottom trailing edge of the transom
 
svseacucumber

svseacucumber

.
Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
Crazy Dave Condon said:
Former dealer who introduced that sailboat now retired. Get rid of that motor bracket and get a smaller outboard. A new swing away motor bracket has been suggested. Remember this a reverse transom and you will need to add triangular wedges to the top brackets of the that swing away O/B motor bracket. Use a major piece of either stainless steel or aluminum to distribute the load of motor and brackrt.
One other thing. Make sure you have enough distance of the bottom of motor shaft that it does not hit the bottom trailing edge of the transom
Click to expand
Thanks Dave. I'm leaning towards getting a tohatsu 6hp sailpro and a new motor mount. I was just hoping to not have to drill any new holes in the transom.
 
isaksp00

isaksp00

.
Apr 27, 2010
1,277
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
Drilling and repairing holes is not a big deal, unless you are intent on the gel coat looking good. I gather you have experience. Something like West System epoxy and a little cloth would work fine and you can get at that area easily from the lazarette. Might cost $100 or so in materials and tools, but then again you paid only $750 for the boat and trailer.
 
svseacucumber

svseacucumber

.
Jul 4, 2024
7
Hunter 23 Royal Oak
isaksp00 said:
Drilling and repairing holes is not a big deal, unless you are intent on the gel coat looking good. I gather you have experience. Something like West System epoxy and a little cloth would work fine and you can get at that area easily from the lazarette. Might cost $100 or so in materials and tools, but then again you paid only $750 for the boat and trailer.
Click to expand
Appreciate the feedback. I am aware I will be spending a few times what I paid for the boat by the time I'm done fixing her up. Looking at a hoist system as well. By chance does anyone here have any experience with the Go Hoist system? http://www.gohoist.com/
 
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