1977 Hunter 27ft - I need help!

jssailem · Dec 6, 2017

Ali. That is the lowest priced 27 ft Hunter on Boat trader. It is a 1977 boat. There are bound to be some things that will cost you money to put right. Off Shore 100-200 miles what are you planning to do? To answer your question would need to know if you plan to go during a gale or balmy calm conditions. 200 miles means you will be at the least 40 hours away from help. You will want to have the boat inspected and correct any and all findings for a 200 mile from land at sea trip. Or you can always live in the "danger zone", on the edge....

Columbus sailed across from Spain with only a rudimentary compass. So you do not need a lot of electronics. Your I pad will work fine if your have power to keep it charged. But what do you plan on having it do? At 100 miles from land there is no cell service - no WiFi. You will need the GPS version iPad in order to it tell you where you are. You might want a paper chart and the ability to read/understand it seeing as your going light on electronics. Is this enough? I do not know can you find your way home, and do you need to? Or will heading toward the setting/rising sun be enough and you'll be ready to land where ever you arrive?

Regarding the engine. If replaced means it was installed according to Hunter Specs and properly aligned, with the correct prop, a good shaft, and is in p[roper running order... Sure you should be able to rely on it. Might want to include that on your list of items to be inspected by a professional prior to your sea adventure. But it is a sail boat and the engine is called an "Axillary" engine.

Good luck... Oh how are you planning to get the boat from NC to Los Angeles?

heritage · Dec 6, 2017

The depression in the mast step is not normal. The wood coring material has rotted away allowing the mast to sink into the deck. A proper fix requires the mast to be removed, top layer of fiberglass cut out, all the rotted area dug out and replaced with new plywood, then put it all back together with epoxy. Not a cheap job if you are have a boat yard do it. Honestly,, just looking at the mast step condition, I would be very sceptical about other areas of the boat that may not have been repaired.

ggrizzard · Dec 6, 2017

Unless you have a large bankroll for repairs and a refit, start thinking about how you will learn about:
1. Fiberglass repair. I'll post some links to sites later this week.
2. Electrical wiring. See "Mainsail"'s site here: http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/forumdisplay.php?f=135
as a start. Many good books are available.
3. Diesel engine maintenance and troubleshooting: Google your engine year and model once you know what it is.
4. Sailboat rigging and inspecting same: Many books have been written on the subject.
5. Plumbing repair /replacement. This is NOT your Home Despot kind.
Boats move, houses don't (except in Cali). So boat plumbing is going to be a whole new learning curve.

Your post caught me off guard as I just finished some cosmetic teak rehab and replacement on my 38 yr old H30C. ("H" as in Hunter... "30" as in 30 ft long... "C" as in John Cherubini the designer of our boats) and my mind is fried.
And Yes, you got one. Yours is a 1977 H27C. And there is a dedicated forum section for those of us that own "C"'s here: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?forums/the-cherubini-hunters.44/

I'll bring up more topics for your review later. But for now, know that you will either fall in love with the process of bringing an old classic back from the dead or you will spend a lot of money and be bitterly disappointed.
If it turns out to be the former, I'll be glad to help.
Regards,
G.

Bill Roosa · Dec 6, 2017

The cheap route for instrumentation is a compass, a pair of binos, a clock, and paper maps. The US Coast Guard requires that you have paper maps or a certified ($$$$$$$$$$$$$) electronic nav system.
Map reading is not that hard, learning to take what is on the map and id it on the water is a lot more difficult. the binos can help with that. The clock is used in various methods of distance and speed calculations when doing dead reckoning (DR). Bowditch (the book) is a great resource for those methods, weather forecasting...... I'd not be trusting a phone/tablet GPS as they are not designed for marine environments. World class racers go to sea with 6+ gps on board and come back with none that work. nuf said.
for all those nav methods math problems I prefer the aviators E6B circular slide rule. Pen and paper also work though.
Restoring a boat can be a pain or a pleasure. Get a dream that includes your boat and you should be in the latter.

ggrizzard · Dec 6, 2017

Here's a video highlighting the fun of plumbing! They go on to family stuff at 7:30.

You may want to subscribe to their Vlog.
G.

Benny17441 · Dec 6, 2017

Cannot tell from that picture if there is a depression at the mast or if it is normal. The compression post doubles as framing for the head pocket door. If the compression post is bent the door will not slide freely. I think those boats came with a single cylinder Renault diesel; from the listing the engine was upgraded to a 12HP Yanmar with fresh water cooling. Hunter has been using Yanmar engines for the past 35+ years. The boat seems to be in good condition and priced fairly for the year model. If I were you I would hire a surveyor to inspect the boat. I had an h27 years ago and that boat is sturdy with good stability and can be sailed to the Bahamas and down the Islands to the Dominican Republic but as with any small sailboat it will require an experienced captain to execute the trip. As far as navigation equipment a handheld GPS and charts would do but I would prefer a small chart plotter. Crossing the Gulf Stream from Miami to the Bahamas is a tricky passage which requires planning and a weather window. Hire a delivery Captain to help you take the boat and at the same time he can teach you about sailing and passage making.

shemandr · Dec 7, 2017

That mast step looks collapsed to me. Check the standing rigging turnbuckles. If they are at the short end of their range it could mean they have been continually tightened to compensate. In any event given your timetable and plans I think it would be wise to pass on this one.

Will Gilmore · Dec 7, 2017

not to dissuade you from your intended course but, consider something closer to home so you don't commit to much just to go look at a boat you know little about yet.
You don't sound like you are committed to Hunters as much to getting a good deal on a serviceable small cruiser. A yacht surveyor for someone with your limited experience is absolutely required. The circumstances under which people come to sell a boat include: "inherited it from my father who kept it pristine, you can sail her tomorrow" (they have no idea).
Here is a sample of a boat in your price range closer to home.
30' Islander Mark II (1972 $7000)
http://m.sailboatlistings.com/view/69726
32' Iona Islander (1977 $5000)
http://m.sailboatlistings.com/view/69255
If you want to sail for an extended sailing trip in the Caribbean, coastal town hoping along the Central American and Gulf coast of the US will teach you a lot.
There is a book available on kindle called 'Bumfizzle' about a couple from the mid-west who quit there jobs and sold everything to drive to Florida and buy a sailboat, sight unseen. They moved aboard, spent months fixing her and learning to sail before heading out around the world. I believe they still have an active blog.

I hope you go for it. Very exciting.

Bill Roosa said:
The US Coast Guard requires that you have paper maps or a certified ($$$$$$$$$$$$$) electronic nav system.

I am unfamiliar with this requirement.
Do I need to be worried when sailing my mariner among the islands and bays in Maine?
- Will (Dragonfly)

SailormanDan · Dec 7, 2017

I think this got lost in the discussion: these Hunter 27's are only rated as coastal cruisers, which means 23 miles offshore max. That's great for most of us, but if you are looking at making bluewater passages hundreds of miles offshore, I think you should look at another model of boat, Hunter makes them.
For all the boats that are for sale out there, maybe take a broader look the market.

David in Sandusky · Dec 7, 2017

Welcome aboard, Ali!

We have cruised our ‘77 h27 over 9,000 nm on Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron over the past 18 summers. She is a great design for your planned East Coast and Caribbean cruises. The 6 foot cabin, and good bunks are fine for one or two. We have sailed a week several times with 4. The only issue was storage while four are sleeping.

We replaced our original SB8 Yanmar Diesel with a like new 1GM10 in 2010. This is an ideal engine for this boat and will last another 30 years with normal maintenance.

Because the deck is curved, the standard mast step can look depressed. Our purchase survey showed high moisture there, and a year later, our cabin door by the compression post under the mast began to stick. It cost us around $800 to have it fixed as described above. We replaced the rotted, wet wood with and aluminum plate and epoxy and have had no issues since.

I would definitely include a survey as a condition of your purchase contract. Then you can negotiate a price reduction to cover obvious issues (for instance the mast step.) Our survey also defined our maintenance program over the coming few years after purchase. On average, we spend $1,000 per year on fixes or upgrades. Sails every 10 years, and a new engine were much higher than that, but we have spent only a few hundred dollars for do it yourself repairs like remounting leaking cabin windows.

The Cherubini forum on this site is full of great advice and solutions. Just ask!

I think the minimum navigation gear is a depth gauge, a hand-held gps, paper charts, a smart phone with weather radar and navigation apps, and a marine radio. The smart phone nav apps are comparable to a dedicated gps, but I like the dedicated user interface, and mine does much better in the glare of the sun than my iPhone or iPad. Oh yeah, it is reasonably waterproof!

When we bought Lady Lillie, I paid a good sailing instructor to spent a day helping me to convert my extensive Sunfish experience to our 27 foot keel boat. A lot of that is setting up checklists for the more complex systems while getting under weigh, returning to port, anchoring, leaving the boat at the dock, etc.

As a final note, Tom Manalili, a former member of this site used to cruise from Florida to Cancun and back every summer on his h27.

Fair winds and following seas!

David in Sandusky · Dec 7, 2017

Sailormandan, I don’t know where you got your “rating” for the Cherubini 75-84 h27. The design is clearly capable of offshore cruising. Systems and gear would need to be upgraded for that purpose. With good standing rigging, it easily qualifies for the longer Caribbean voyages (100-150 nm) that Ali plans.

David in Sandusky · Dec 7, 2017

Sadly, Tom Manalili’s posts have disappeared. But here is his review of the boat:

http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/reviews.php?task=review&rid=1071&mid=16

capta · Dec 7, 2017

A lot more valuable and much more informative than paper CHARTS are cruising guides, available these days for most areas one might wish to sail. Certainly there are excellent cruising guides for the US east coast, the Bahamas, and most areas of the Caribbean, including the DR. You can skimp and cut costs in a lot of places, but not carrying cruising guides for all the areas you plan to cruise, is just foolish. Not only for the safety factor of having information specifically designed for cruisers, sailors in particular (unlike charts, most of which were printed for commercial vessels), but they include information about the local regulations, places to purchase supplies, good eateries and even fun and interesting things to do ashore.
It is going to be quite some task to be prepared by January 15th -20th (2018?) for the voyage you are proposing. Not only must you make whatever vessel you purchase seaworthy and ready for the voyage, but you will have to refamiliarize yourself with sailing and learn about navigating in general and in tropical, reef strewn waters as well. It might be to your benefit to go to the Bahamas and rent a bareboat, hire a local captain, and get a week's worth of on the spot training.
It's a fairly easy for someone with a modicum of common sense to buy a sound boat and cross an ocean (say California to Hawaii) without a great deal of experience, but quite another to venture into the Bahamas (or a similarly complex sailing environment) unprepared. It is said that "Rocks and reefs sink boats, but the ocean (deep sea) rarely causes catastrophic damage to one."

heritage · Dec 7, 2017

I wouldn't be without the "Explorer Chartbooks" when in the Bahamas. They are not cheap, but well worth the money spent.

SailormanDan · Dec 8, 2017

David in Sandusky said:
Sailormandan, I don’t know where you got your “rating” for the Cherubini 75-84 h27. The design is clearly capable of offshore cruising. Systems and gear would need to be upgraded for that purpose. With good standing rigging, it easily qualifies for the longer Caribbean voyages (100-150 nm) that Ali plans.

Thanks David, I will have to go look again and figure out where I got that idea, possibly I'm misunderstanding the Coast Guard rating system.

1977 Hunter 27ft - I need help!

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