New Guy Introduction

Kevy

Kevy

.
Nov 27, 2018
48
Hunter 320 Nanaimo
Hey all,

Fairly new to boating and the new owner of a 2000 Hunter 320. Came off fairly well in the survey and inspection. Have some great boating expertise in the family which has been a big help. We're looking forward to learning more and have taken lessons, engaged with family and are registered for more education.

If you'll indulge me I have a few questions that have come up about the new-to-us boat:
1. Since buying there's been a fair bit of rain and we've discovered a couple of leaks. One is putting a decent amount of water in the aft cabin shelf on the port side. Seems to be coming from drips under the panel above and running down the side. Question is, can the panels in the aft cabin on the 320 be removed? Like to try and trace the source.

2. Our Webasto forced air heater seems unreliable. Often enough it will fire and there will be warm exhaust, but no flow in the cabin. I'm learning and will try to work through and trouble shoot, but thought I'd solicit opinions. Even the start up time seems long but maybe that's normal for that diesel heater?

Those are our big concerns since getting the boat. There's other maintenance to be done (hot water tank leaks but we'll probably try and remove it anyway since we won't really use it and put in some batteries), but we're trying to learn diligently.

Thanks for the forum.

Kev
 
kappykaplan

kappykaplan

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May 1, 2011
4,242
Pearson 37 Lusby MD
Welcome to the forums, @Kevy! Unfortunately, I can't help you with your questions. You might get more responses if you ask in Hunter Owners.
 
Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

.
Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Welcome to the forum Kevy and a new adventurous life. We are all interested in helping where we can. There are plenty of members who will have the answers for you.
I would love to see some pictures of your new mistress (er, the boat, that is)

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
jssailem

jssailem

.
Oct 22, 2014
21,098
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Welcome to the Forum. Congrats on the new boat.
Need a bit more help with the Heater Question.
https://www.webasto-comfort.com/index.php?id=691&L=12
Here is the link to the current heaters. Can you tell the unit you have. Model, Date?

You say it is running but no heat. Are the air ducts attached? Are they clean so air can flow? Sometimes critters can clog the duct. Are there any unusual smells.?
Can you hear a fan blowing air? Some folks say the Wabasto has the sound of a small jet engine. Do you think your unit is makin that sound?
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
It sounds like the fan on your Webasto might be failing. That would explain the warm exhaust but no heat. They (the unit) warm up very quickly; as soon at it pushes the cool air out of the ducting. The fan is integrated and internal... it might have to go back for service.
 
Kings Gambit

Kings Gambit

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Jul 27, 2011
5,002
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
Open the cabin vents, and/or remove the fixture, and w/ a flashlight look in to see if the duct is connected and aligns w/the vent. I recently had to reposition one of my ducts that way. Easier than crawling into the tight spaces to look at the duct to vent connections.
 
Kevy

Kevy

.
Nov 27, 2018
48
Hunter 320 Nanaimo
Hey guys, thanks for the awesome responses.
I think Friday I'll get a chance to actually get dirty digging around and upside down in the boat and looking for things, model of the heater is certainly one of them. It blew air a few times when we re-positioned her to the slip, but not consistently so a fan is a good guess. Appreciate all the insights!
Here's a pic, I'll figure out how to upload more when I have time.
Cheers,
 

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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

.
Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
She even has the name of a mistress. Beautiful. You're a lucky guy.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Kevy

Kevy

.
Nov 27, 2018
48
Hunter 320 Nanaimo
Lol. My wife will love it.

Does anyone have 2 heaters in their boat? I think part of my problem might be that there's a heater under the dinette that might be connected to engine coolant plus the diesel heater in the stern. Is that common? It would explain why the heat seemed to work fine when we were under power.....
 
907Juice

907Juice

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Apr 7, 2016
184
Beneteau First 305 Seward, Alaska
Webasto heaters are very reliable, but they can go bad if not maintained. If you aren’t mechanically inclined, remove it and take it to a diesel shop. It’ll be cheaper than a new one. We also have a secondary heater that runs off the engine much like the hot water heater. Look at the back. It should have 2 lines coming out the back.
 
Kevy

Kevy

.
Nov 27, 2018
48
Hunter 320 Nanaimo
The heater looks ok and circulates to 2 heat exchanger fans (1 behind the aft cabin, 1 under the dinette). When I turn on the heater the heater starts drawing air and pumping, but then never fires. Maybe a fuel feed problem so I'll play around with it. Like to avoid removing it if I can as just draining the coolant seems like a pain in the butt, though I should probably replace it anyway.
Thanks!
 
907Juice

907Juice

.
Apr 7, 2016
184
Beneteau First 305 Seward, Alaska
Try sucking (or whatever “safe” way you want) the fuel through the feed line. Sounds like a fuel or ignition problem. Mine does that if I run it dry. Usually a couple cycles and it’ll fire up.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,098
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@Kevy I am now confused.
I understood in your first message that the issue was the Wabasto heater not generating heat. That unit is self contained. It sucks diesel from a tank (most often your primary fuel tank, but sometimes folks install a secondary tank just for the heater. You may need to fill that tank if it has been emptied.)
The problem sometimes happens that the fuel line is drained so you need to prime it. An off and on switching of the heater till it sucks fuel and fires up.

Now I am thinking you mean the engine coolant heater. These use the engine heat in the coolant line to pass by a radiator (often with a fan) to pump warm air into the salon space. The coolant is then returned to the engine compartment where it passes through the heat exchanger and back to the coolant tank to again get heated. Sometimes this is an open all the time system, but that means you’ll be offering the radiator heat during the summer. More often the lines have valves to open and shut the coolant stream. Anywhere along the path you may have a closed valve or debris clogging the line. The heat exchanger, the heat radiators, a valve all can trap impeller bits or rust. One needs to start at one end and progress through the system removing hoses and inspecting the valves or small orfaces of the radiator and heats exchanger for clogging debris. Essentially flushing the lines so the coolant can run free.
Then you need to start the engine to provide heat to the system.
Good luck...
 
Kevy

Kevy

.
Nov 27, 2018
48
Hunter 320 Nanaimo
K, getting somewhere. With my brother in law (very knowledgeable) we figured out that the house battery wasn't providing enough voltage. The negative terminal had a good deal of corrosion. Think it was providing poor voltage and wasn't being charged properly. Clean terminals and attachments and voila - no issue. Sounds way healthier as well. That solved we moved on to the leaks.....found 2 stanchion posts that were poorly seated and moving. Pulled them, re-sealed, and replaced. No leaks on next flood test with the hose.

Now to pull the HW heater.....

Seems like a boat win for the day to me :)
 
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VanIslandGuy

VanIslandGuy

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Jan 12, 2016
268
Hunter 410 Ladysmith, BC
Hi Kevy,

Welcome from another Ladysmith Hunter owner. Which marina are you at? Glad you seem to be getting things solved with the boat.
 
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