1975 Hunter 25 Keel "seperation"

[Joe Trecker]

I am looking at purchasing a 25. It seems to have seperation between the forward top portion of the keel from the hull. Seller was told this is just cosmetic. Seems like an important part of a sailboat to me, though. Do the bolts need to be tightened or a new seal between the keel and hull? The rest of the boat seems fair, but this worries me.Appreciate any thoughts,JT

 

[Ed Schenck]

How big?

What are the dimensions of the separation? Does the rest of the hull/keel joint appear solid?My H37C had about an eight inch crack, leading edge around the port side. About 1/4" in width and depth. The rest appeared tight. I filled with 5200 and then tightened all of the keel bolts. I probably got a quarter turn, maybe a half turn on a few. In five seasons no separation has reappeared.I also know of owners who have loosened all the keel bolts to create a one to two inch split. Then they clean it out and run some beads of 5200 and retighten. Big job. You could fill the bilge with water and see if any finds its way outside. A surveyor might be a good idea.

 

[Jim]

Same here

My 81 h25 developed a keel smile after the first year i bought her. Previous owner scabbed it over with one layer of fiberglass cloth, faired and painted. Looked good. However, where I sail most you will hit a bump where you don't expect it, and this was enough to expose the crappy repair. I should add that although this could be construed as a cosmetic problem, soaking,freezing ,thawing, weeping causes a problem not unlike a pothole in the hull of your boat. What I did was remove all unstable or suspect material with a double-cut burr in a small die grinder. Very aggressive;don't slip. I then applied 3m 5200 with a glue syringe for a backbed, leaving about 3/16" to fill. After the 5200 cured I finished with Marine Tex, faired, painted, and end of problem. I did take up on the keel bolts first, I should add. Regards, Jim

 

[DOUG]

GAP

I ALSO HAVE A 25 HUNTER,WHEN I BOUGHT MINE IT HAD A CRACK AT THE HULL. I GLASSED IT IN AND BOTTOM PAINTED IT. THE HULL NEVER RETURNED, I DONT SEE A PROBLEM