1975 Hunter 27

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Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
I have just purchased a 1975 Hunter 27, and it appears to be in pretty good shape. The yanmar 8hp diesel works, it has a main, 110% jib, and spinnaker. I onlly paid $2500, so I figured anything wrong with it that didnt sink it would be reparable with time and money. It has been in the water for 5 years, and before that was in a warehouse for about 10 years. The boat has minor cosmetic flaws that need to be corrected on the hull above the waterline.

The only thing that concerned me was the hull access area above the keel had abot 1-2 inches of water in it. I was wondering was that normal or an indicator of some underlying problem? When we pull the boat out of the water for transport, any advice on what I should look for or things other than bottom painting that should be done/
 

MrUnix

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Mar 24, 2010
626
Hunter 23 Gainesville, FL
Our H27 always had a little water down there.. I think it's just the nature of the beast. Just make sure your thru-hull cutoff valves and stuffing box are in good shape and you should stay afloat.

Cheers,
Brad
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
That's quite a good deal. Theoretically, since your mast is deck-stepped, the bilge should be dry. But old boats leak and the water finds its way to the lowest point. Over time you can make it dry. . . . .maybe.

While it is out of the water you can check the hull/keel joint to make sure that is not a leak source. Check the outside part of all thru-hulls to make sure there is no corrosion that would cause them to fail. Move the rudder fore and aft and side to side to see if the rudder bearing is worn. Check the shaft to see that it is centered in the stern tube and not loose in the cutlass bearing. See that the prop is not bent or nicked. Then check the knot log if there is one, that the paddlewheel still spins and has all of its paddles. Lots to look at.
 
Nov 8, 2007
1,523
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
An inch of water in the bilge - not a big issue

Here are the fixes we have made for leaks over 10 years:

Tighten the nuts on the bolts holding down the toerail. This was an annual thing until we put a bead of 5200 on the toerail/deck joint.

Repair/replace ports. We have the two worst offenders down, and 4 to go.

Leaking cockpit drain hoses. This was only a problem when we exceeded hull speed, but it put quite a bit of water in the cabin floor in a short time, and was hard to troubleshoot!

The icebox drain may feed into the bilge in a convoluted way. Ours has a pump to empty it into our sink, but my last effort to fix a leak in the fixture is leaking again.

Our mast step leaked into the balsa and pine in the step itself, but we never saw any evidence that any was actually getting into the cabin. Anyway, the mast step is fixed.

A strong wind can blow rain into the two air cowlings above the stern that provide air to the engine. This was the only source of leaks over this winter haul-out.

I figure we will have a bone dry bilge in another 5 years!

But we have sailed over 5,000 miles in Lady Lillie, and spent nearly a year of nights aboard while we were slowly finding the leaks!
 
Jun 21, 2009
110
Hunter 27 Sparrows Point
Re: An inch of water in the bilge - not a big issue

jcc ---> Welcome aboard.
Sounds like you got a pretty good deal.
My H27 also gets water in the bilge after a good rain. I too believe the main culprit is the toe rail (especially where the water tends to "pond" on the deck next to the cockpit). Gonna try Sandusky Dave's fixes. And yes, my ports need replacing too (brittle, especially the dogs).
In the water for 5 years...? YOWZA! Have fun with that bottom...
 
Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
Re: An inch of water in the bilge - not a big issue

It is really not that bad, a few small blisters, all less than the size of a dime.
 
Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
As an update, the boat is being painted ---

Above the waterline with Dupont Imron (in place of gel coat repair)

Below the waterline with
Pettit Protect - 3 coats barrier
Pettit Trinidad SR - 2 coats antifouling
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Maybe some pictures will be forthcoming? Sounds like you are making up for the low purchase price. An Imron finish should really standout. I did the same bottom work back in 1999, five barrier coats and two Trinidad SR. I have since switched to an ablative now that she remains in the water and I can't sand and paint every spring like I did in Ohio.
 
Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
Yes, will do. However, I have a phenomena that I would like to see if anyone has an answer to. In two or three random places on the hull below the waterline after sanding, I have a resin-like substance weeping thru the hull. It is brown and sticky like pine resin. What is it, and how should it be treated?
 
Mar 18, 2010
91
O'Day 222 Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Sounds to me like

You have blisters.:eek: There is lots of information on the board / web about them. I currently have them on my boat ( 75 H30 ) that I am working on. Pictures would help. Does it look anything like this?

In the second photo, the 'sanded hull', you can see a large blister next to the shadow, a smaller one just above, and another by the center stanchion and yet another, just under the vent thru hull.

p.s. does it smell, like vinegar?
 

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Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
Yes, vinegar

Yes they smell like vinegar. There are only three that are behaving this way, there were bout 15-20 others, but they were all above the gel coat. All of them are small about the size of a pencil head. These three are weeping this strange substance however, so I wanted to make sure they were dealt with properly before barriet coats and anifoulant coats were applied
 
Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
Update

So, we have been working on blisters since July ... and have recently painted the hull above the waterline with Dupont Imron .... it was the most practical solution. I will upload pictures later today ...

These are the befores and afters

Next is bottom painting, lettering, and striping

When we bottom paint we are using Pettit Protect and Trinidad SR
:neutral:
 

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Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
Update of finished Project

It is now 1 year after i purchased this boat, and i am making preparations for putting this puppy back in the water ... thought i would post the finished pics before transporting.:dance::)
 

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Nov 8, 2007
1,523
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
JCC, all I can say is that is these are all of your problems, then you got a great deal on a great cruising boat.

I haven't had to deal with blisters, but an archive search of all forums should get you to some good threads. The issue was not confined to any specific make or model.
 
Jun 21, 2009
110
Hunter 27 Sparrows Point
Looks great. What kind of ports did you go with? I didn't bring my non-skid paint down that far on the coach roof, but it looks good. Pick up some stern-perch seats.
 
Mar 30, 2010
12
Hunter 27_75-84 Kerr Lake / Steel Creek
I havent changed out the ports yet ... still to do. I am working on the upper deck after putting the boat in the water. I have to powerwash, compound, wax the upper deck. I have to put the hand rails back on the upper deck. We are also re-doing cabin coushins. Still work to do.
 
Jun 21, 2009
110
Hunter 27 Sparrows Point
Your forward ports look pretty darn good then. My '79 has nasty yellow cracking ports, and the dogs crumble in my hand. We replaced the cabin cushions with micro-suede ones, and even had some custom cushions made to "fill-in" the area behind the back rests. Went the extra mile (or $) and had designer curtains made too.
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,107
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
I am concerned about your compression post. How is the deck under the mast? How is the laminate and core? Is there any sagging or movement here? Check this out before going sailing. This is much more crucial than painting.

For blister repair I like Interprotect. Pettit makes a product very similar to it. These are epoxy-based fillers/sealers that bond very well and last a lifetime. If all our boats had been coated with Interprotect from new we wouldn't have such blisters. Then again if they'd been done in vinylester resin we wouldn't even be talking Interprotect!

JC <-- hoping the Easter Bunny brings me more WEST epoxy!
 
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