Hunter 170 Hull problems

[Richard K Whit]

New to sailing and I'm thinking of buying a Hunter 170 and the owner states the hull is in new condition as it was a warranty replacement by Hunter in 2008. Is this a ongoing problem with the 170's?
Anyone know a reason on why this might have happened.

 

[Bill Murray]

Maybe Hunter will tell you??

 

[txjim]

There have been several threads in the Daysailors forum regarding ACP hill cracks, including hull replacements. There's a thread running now regarding serious hull cracks, probably due to water between the hull and the cap freezing.

Lots of opinions out there, here are a couple threads:
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=548829
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=536689

In summary, a few people have had serious problems (some covered by Hunter), many more (like myself) have had easily repairable minor problems and many more have had no issues. Your mileage may vary....

 

[john6206]

My hull was replaced because of cracking.

I bought the boat used in 2002. It was a 1998 hull. The cracks were pretty minor, I was really calling them for some clarification on the crack repair information in the manual - I guess '98 was a problem year for the plastic.

I would not be concerned about the replacement hull - mine has worked out well. They replaced it with a hull with some "cosmetic flaws" but they were minor.

It's a fun boat - I have had mine for 7 years now and I am still loving it, I have repaired a few cracks is stress locations. Not sure how this compares to normal up keep on a fiberglass boat of similar size, but it has amounted to about 5 hours of work over the course of 7 years.

My crack repairs are not quite as invisible as some I have seen on this web site - maybe a few more hours and they would have looked better - but there was sailing to do!


john

 

[wldrns1]

Don't Do It

New to sailing and I'm thinking of buying a Hunter 170 and the owner states the hull is in new condition as it was a warranty replacement by Hunter in 2008. Is this a ongoing problem with the 170's?
Anyone know a reason on why this might have happened.

I used to own a 170. Bought it brand new. After the first season the rear quarters cracked through from port to starboard, radiating to the transom as well. Hunter replaced the hull. Four years later the new boat cracked at the mast step. The level of care I gave to each hull was way above and beyond anything that should be required. Both failed none the less. I was absolutely sick about these events. I fixed the later myself and sold the boat last year. I haven't been to this Forum since.

I cannot beleive this is still going on. Honestly, what kind of company knowingly continues to make a product that is known to fail? The lack of support and willingness to stand behind the product expressed here is alaming. The company instructing owners to do the repair themselves is nothing less than ridiculous. Is that what it means to be a Hunter Owner? Personally, I will never own another Hunter product and if anyone asks my opinion of the boat &/or company, I'll do my best to recommend they steer clear. How on earth is one supposed to enjoy these boats when the threat of failure is ever lurking? Read your Warranty Statement and hold the Company to it. They are bound to honor it. Contact your local BBB, your local District Attorney's office and any other Consumer Advocate organization available to you. Make Hunter fix your boat and if you've had enough by then, sell it.

 

[wldrns1]

Don't Do It...Stressed Out

New to sailing and I'm thinking of buying a Hunter 170 and the owner states the hull is in new condition as it was a warranty replacement by Hunter in 2008. Is this a ongoing problem with the 170's?
Anyone know a reason on why this might have happened.

I'd like to provide some clarification here regarding my previous Post. I live in Central NY. We do have winters. My boat was always stored outside. When I purchased it, I had a custom Sunbrella (breathable fabric) cover in light gray made for the boat. It cost 850.00. I felt the expense worthwhile to protect my investment. When not sailing, the boat was cleaned and covered, mast taken down and stowed on the provided trailer mast supports with an additional support under the mast to the mast step to remove the 'bow' from the mast in this position. I also disconnected the winch from the bow eye to relieve any pressure on the hull it could have caused. The hull was supported only by the bunks and trailer yoke at the winch area. Snow was not allowed to accumulate during the winter.

Even with these efforts, I had cracking problems with both hulls. Yes, Hunter replaced the first one. No, I did not seek anything on the second one. I decided to do the repair myself and sell it.

This boat went from something I enjoyed to something I worried about. Every time I prepped to go for a sail, and upon my return, I found myself inspecting for cracks. This problem took away any enjoyment I hoped to have sailing it. When not in use, I'd wonder if the next time out I'd discover cracking has occured. For those not concerned with having to do this type of repair, enjoy. My experience with this boat ultimately caused way too much stress and worry for me personally. I didn't find ownership worthwhile.

 

[fendertubeman]

I have a 1998 Hunter 170 that has many cracks and it seems that the plastic shell has become delaminated from it's foam core in several places. The floor is quite soft especially on the starboard side. The worst crack is near the motor mount and probably runs a good 7 inches and provides little structural support for a motor. I also know for a fact the boat takes on water through that crack - not good.

Since my 170 was made in the infamous 1998 model year, how do I go about getting a replacement hull from Hunter? Who specifically should I contact? Names, phone numbers, email addresses? I am not the original owner - FYI. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[wundrbar]

Oh I've had more than my share of cracks. But mine weren't caused by stress. They were caused by temperature change. It turns out the material Hunter uses to build the boats, BASF Luran S, can't take severe temperature fluctuations. Whydo you think your owners manual says you shouldn't cover your boat with a dark colored cover. Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous?! Check out the photos of my boat one day last December when the temperature dropped to -25 degrees.
http://picasaweb.google.ca/p.eisensc...CL3Zp-H_tP-cAw#
And there was no water in the hull! This has happened to dozens of other Hunter owners - check out the archived forum threads. Worst of all, Hunter won't accept responsibility for all of this. They just sit on their hands and blame their customers. I've taken this all the way up to their executive team. And you can follow my thread on this issue here: http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=110738

 

[fendertubeman]

Wow! Those are some serious cracks. Clearly, that should not happen. My cracks are bad but nowhere near that severe. I understand your frustration with Hunter. What they should do at a minimum is buy you out at retail book value (which should be around $3 to 5K), because nobody is going to buy your boat in that condition. Otherwise, you are stuck with a defective boat you can't sail or sell.

 

[wundrbar]

Thanks fendertubeman. Given my horrible experience with Hunter to this point, I'm not holding my breath waiting for them to do what's right. And I wouldn't dream of selling this wreck to an unsuspecting sailor. My mission now is to make sure nobody buys a Hunter without understanding the risks if I can help it.

 

[BlueRunner]

In reading about hull replacements here, I'm wondering what that actually means? Does a new hull include every thing from the deck downward? Or is there a way to join the top deck to the hull in an inexpensive manner?

I have an '08 that I just bought. I find it hard to believe that Hunter would continue to produce an inferior product from '98 onward that would require many expensive hull replacements.

While I've only had my boat a few days now, I love the way it sails.

 

[jo mo]

Save your money

New to sailing and I'm thinking of buying a Hunter 170 and the owner states the hull is in new condition as it was a warranty replacement by Hunter in 2008. Is this a ongoing problem with the 170's?
Anyone know a reason on why this might have happened.

I own a 170 also, this is my second hull from hunter, my boat has only been in the water 2/3 times and always covered in a carport...I have major hull cracks and a few ranging from 8" up to 28"...I am waiting for the customer service reply...Buyer be VERY VERY careful. JOMO:naughty:

 

[BlueRunner]

I own a 170 also, this is my second hull from hunter, my boat has only been in the water 2/3 times and always covered in a carport...I have major hull cracks and a few ranging from 8" up to 28"...I am waiting for the customer service reply...Buyer be VERY VERY careful. JOMO:naughty:

What year is your 170? Mine is a '08 and I haven't had ANY hull problems. From reading several posts here about this problem, it seems like most of the hull/cracking problems are on the early models '98 and on.