Hunter 212 cracks

[Chris Russ]

I have a Hunter 212 that was manufactured in 2002. This boat developed cracks on the deck/cabin area in 2007. Now in 2009 the there are more cracks. In 2007 I contacted Hunter Marine and they said to stop drill the cracks. That was done and it worked for one year. Now in 2009 there are more cracks and they are deep enough to allow rain water to enter the cabin. I have sent pictures to Hunter Marine both times and Hunter never offered to repair or fix the problem. This year because of the larger number of cracks and the water problems I tried again, I even sent a letter to the CEO. There response is the boat is out of warranty and because of the economy they will not do any good will repairs. I also asked if these cracks would affect the structural integrity of the boat, their answer was to get a surveyor to inspect the boat.This boat has not been sailed hard. In 2009 it was only sailed for about 10 hours. The boat is sailed in Minnesota and in the winter the boat is kept in a weather tight garage on its trailer. Has any one else had troubles with the 212 cracking? If so how were repairs made to the boat?

 

[Erik Garcia]

My 216 has suffered a number of cracks and drilling was a great temporizing response. It's a bit of work but if the 212 has the same plastic outer on core inner construction as the 216, the fix should be the same: I "rotozip" a channel along the path of the cracks and fill them with "plastic weld" made by Devcon. Easy to work with, you'll need more than you think. Let it set, sand and paint.

 

[peptobysmol]

I saw a post before about a Hunter hull cracking because of severe cold. Look it up. IIRC, Hunter replaced the boat but I think it was still under warranty.

 

[vines]

My 212 has cracks.
Not like the ones up north that experience extreme cold.
But small cracks.
I followed these rules to 'fix' them.
www.sailing-obsession.com/ACP%20Repair.pdf
I did everything but the paint.
The Devcon is yellow so it really needs to be painted.
I just need to do it.
Let us know what you do and how it works.
Send pictures.

 

[wundrbar]

Chris:

Cracking of Hunter ACP hulls is a very common problem. Dozens of others have posted comments about this and Hunter will not accept responsibiltiy for manufacturing a defective product. Check this thread for more details.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=653522&highlight=hunter

Also, contact BoatUS.com and log a complaint in their register. They are a boat owner protection group and have become aware of the issue. I beliieve they are starting an investigation into this matter on behalf of Hunter owners.