Is it a hopeless waste?

[bananaboat]

Hi everybody. My first post here. I just got a 1986 Hunter 23.5. This might have been a huge mistake now that I found badly rotten wood after I bought the boat. I did inspect it before purchase but overlooked this rot somehow. If you are facing the exit to the cabin, there is wooden board about 2 feet high by 2 feet wide at the back of a little cubby. The bottom five inches or so is so rotted that i could easily stick my fingers through it. I tried to dig out what rot I could but the boat is on the water so I was scared to go too far with it. I pumped out about an inch of water that was behind that rotten wood. But now I have a newly purchased boat that I don't know what to do with. It also has an 80's style Tohatsu motor that I can't get running. Fresh gas and oil and spark plugs but no running. So is my boat gonna sink? Or break apart the first time I take her out? Oh boy I think I am in over my head. Please help. Sorry I didn't include pictures. I forgot the camera.

 

[MrUnix]

Post a pic, otherwise we are working blind! Doesn't sound to bad though.. first, find out where the water is coming from and fix that.. then replace the rotten wood with some new wood. As for the outboard, first thing I check is for spark to eliminate the electrical portion.. if that checks out, then it's usually a fuel problem (stuck needle valve is common for engines that have sat and gummed up).

Cheers,
Brad

 

[peptobysmol]

Yes, please post some pics. Don't get too discouraged... yet. Could be that your in for a huge refiitting. But could be that you just have a few minor repairs to make. Have you owned a sailboat before? Is the "rotted board" underneath the cabin step? If so, your boat is probably fine for now.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Wood rot won't sink you

because your fiberglass hull and the fittings in it keep the water out.

But the water is getting in somehow. Pump it out, find and fix the source of the leak. Then find and replace any rotted wood. Don't forget stringers that may be fiberglassed to the hull to stiffen it. I don't think this is a show-stopper. A friend bought a Junneau 32 with serious rot issues. A complete solution in this larger, more complex boat took about 200 hours, including rebuilding stringers. I'll bet that your fix will be much easier.

I guess you are past this now, but this kind of surprise is why including a survey in a purchase contract for a good old boat is a good idea.

 

[Bill Jones]

I don't believe your boat is a 23.5 as they weren't built until 1991. Perhaps a 23. A friend of mine owns a 23 and it has a tendancy to get rain water in the port lazerette in the cockpit. Perhaps your problem starts there and moves to another part of the boat.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Water leaks and engine problems

Certainly find out how the water is getting in before fixing the wood rot. Otherwise you are just treating the symptoms and not curing the patient.
As for the engine, spark, fuel, and compression are all you need. Take the spark plug out and reattach the wire. Ground the plug bottom to the cylinder head so you can see the spark gap. crank the engine and observe (or not) the spark jumping the gap. this is easier out of direct sunlight. You can also hear the spark jumping the gap BTW. If that checks out have a helper put their finger over the spark plug hole and crank the engine. At some point in each cycle (2 turns for a 4-cycle engine, every turn for a 2-cycle) you should have their finger feel very high pressure escaping around the hole. If that checks out then sniff the gasses coming out of the spark plug hole for a gas smell. If all the above check out your problem is either in the actual gas air ration (say carburetor rebuild) or the valve timing (not possible on 2-cycle BTW as they don't have valves)
My bet is it is the carburetor is gummed up and just not passing enough gas to run the engine. A pretty easy test of the carb is to take an eyedropper and administer raw gas into the intake of the carb. With the choke off crank the engine and if it fires at all after about a minute of cranking it is surly the carb. If this has an electrical starter then don't crank it continuously for a whole minute as that will damage the starter motor.

 

[isaksp00]

Not sure what you have - I have a '91 H23, and had somewhat similar problems, none serious. Relax for now!

Do you mean the bulkhead that is at the aft end of the starboard bench seats? It is to your left, way back, as you are looking from the cabin out the companionway to the cockpit. When I bought it, mine had some water (about 4 inches) in the storage compartment under the cushions back there, and about 5 inches or so in the lazarette under the cockpit (check that whole area if you have not). The lower ends of the marine ply bulkheads (including the one at the aft end of the main cabin, the big one, and also the one at the aft end of the starboard berth) were somewhat rotted, and I scraped off as much loose wood as possible after drying out the compartments.

I think the water intruded while sitting on the trailer over 2 years by either leaking through lifline stanchion fittings and other thru-decks, or by filling the cockpit because the scupper drain fitting at the rear end had been clogged with wet leaves - they are a very good drain plug. There's a round access port in the area where the gas tank goes (rear stbd side of cockpit), and I think the water level got above that, and leaked into the lazarette and then into the area under the stbd berth.

Unless the main bulkhead is totally rotted, you should not have real structural problem.

 

[Ed Schenck]

In these interior pictures of an H23 can you point to the offending bulkhead? http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/in...Itemid=278&pid=8990&page=sshow&mn=23&catid=52

 

[Freebird]

Bill Jones is right, if its an 86 then most likely its a 23. Post some pictures of the rot and the boat so we can tell what you have. It may not be to bad to repair. Ifs it been sitting for a couple of years you may have a leaking anchor hose or cockpit hose. once we know what you have we can tell you what to check for. As for the motor, I bet its a gummed up carburator.

 

[RLW]

Looking at the pictures you have on your profile your boat is a H-23. I have the same boat, but it is a 87.

 

[Sethic]

Regarding the motor - Once you replace the plugs (and ensure they're getting fire by pulling them and observing when the pull cord is yanked or motor is started if it has an electric start), you'll want to take a good hard look at your fuel system. Start from the fuel line and primer and work up to the carb, as this is in order of increasing replacement cost.

Don't be afraid to rebuild your carb. On my 4-stroke Honda it was not a difficult task, though I have zero experience with outboards. Just keep the parts in a clean and logical place so you can get it back together, and use a repair manual found online. Well worth the cost!

 

[Steve Dion]

The motor issue is probably a bad carb. I would suggest that you try some spray carb cleaner. I would also add some to the fuel tank too (only add the recommended amount). You may need to open the top of motor and be sure that you do not have a air/fuel leak too.

Worst comes to worse, take the motor to a Nissan/Tohatsu dealer and have them get it running. These motors are just about indestructible.

Be sure to get some photos posted of your concerns with the rot. You will also need to find the source of your leak before you start replacing anything. That can be the biggest challenge.

 

[bananaboat]

Thanks for replies

In these interior pictures of an H23 can you point to the offending bulkhead? http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/in...Itemid=278&pid=8990&page=sshow&mn=23&catid=52

Thank-you
everyone for the replies. I will indeed rebuild the carb this weekend and check for spark also. As far as the wood rot goes Ed, I looked at the link you provided. The photo in the top right is what I would be referring to. It is the white coated plywood board that is in the recess behind the breaker box. I did drain all standing water after poking my hand through the wood. The water was pooled maybe an inch or so deep behind it. Also had some standing water in the hull that I pumped out which I accessed under the seat in the cockpit.
I also have an issue with the plates that hold the tiller to the boat. The screws going into the plate and through the back of the boat are rather loose and I couldn't find away to hold the nut on the inside while tightening the screw on the outside. What a headache... I'm sure there are more issues but I need to get these problems fixed to restore confidence in my purchase.
I will definately take pictures this time so every one can have visuals. I would not be surprised if the boat is a 23 and not a 23.5 but the title does say 23.5. Can't wait to get out in open water and sail her.
If I hit bottom with the keel will the boat be more likely to explode or sink because of the wood rot weakening the structure?
Should i be concerned about the bracket that holds the outboard to the boat? It clearly is not the original and seems like it would rip out of the fiberglass in rough seas.
Like I said, pictures will come and then I will check for updates.
Thanks again.

 

[njmedic3306]

Rotted Wood

I just bought the same boat a few months ago and its currently covered but from what you described the same parts are rotted on my boat as well. On mine there is a piece of wood below the power box and behind the steps that is soft. There was also a piece of wood below vbirth that was soft but both pieces seemed easy to replace and nothing else appeared soft. It was explained to me that all the wood on the Hunter is structural so I will be replacing but I doubt its more than an hours work.

I also live dangerously, I could not justify paying $300 or more for a boat inspection when I only payed $1200. Good luck and try a few pictures and the guys on this board will steer you straight.

 

[isaksp00]

I think what you are referring to is the main bulkhead, which stretches across the back of the main cabin, behind the companionway entrance, to the port side behind the sliding galley. You can see the back side of this if you go down into the lazarette under the cockpit port seat. I am not an expert, but this bulkhead probably does add some rigidity for hull flexing (the hull fiberglass is pretty thin when you think about it). I would think that if it is well rotted up and down, it is probably a good idea to do some kind of repair; some posters have replaced the whole thing. If it is just rotted at the bottom edge, but the main part and the places where it supports the hull more to the sides is solid, I might ignore or defer it.

Of course, it depends on how you'll use it - on the ocean, in hard conditions? Or just in more local, protected waters, like a lake or bay? Mine is on a lake, and I will avoid really bad conditions, so I am less worried (mine has a bit of rot at the bottom edge, but not actually all the way through - mainly the outer few layers of ply, that I peeled off).

Unless you really ram the shore, I don't think this'll make your keel pull off. I had my outboard die on me right after I cast off my mooring, in roughly 15 kt winds pushing me directly toward the shore, and my mooring is maybe 150 ft or so offshore. Too short a time to think of the anchor, in the maybe 45 secs or so to blow me ashore, and I could not start the motor. This lake has a very rocky shore, and the keel banged up on the rocks. I was able to start the motor after that, and back off. After I hauled at the end of the season, I can see a small ding on the keel leading edge, and no signs of any other kind of damage. So - sailing at full speed right into a rock, maybe yes - drifting accidentally into one, doubt it.