1984 37C - Dimensioned Drawings Plans

D_Bosh

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Sep 14, 2021
9
Hunter 37C Hamilton
Would anyone know how to obtain a copy of the plans of the 1984 37 Cutter? I'm looking for a set that has dimensions (imperial or metric) on them. I would be willing to buy them I just haven't seen any resources as of yet.

I've followed this forum for a few years now and have huge respect for all those season Hunters that share their knowledge with the rest of the community. If anyone has any ideas I'd be very grateful.

Thank you so much!

DB
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Welcome to the forum!!

Curious why you want these? Never seen dimensional drawings of production sailboats......oil refineries yes. But that would very useful, especially to see how they were built and how to replace or get access to parts. Suggest consulting with ex-Hunter engineer and builder on this site for a small consulting fee. Short of that, scan the boat for internal and external dimensions and thicknesses.
 
Last edited:
Jun 8, 2004
994
C&C Frigate 36 St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia
Your only hope would be if John Cherubini II (Diana of Burlington here on the forum) has a copy of his father's drawings. I know he was talking about publishing some, but I think there may be complications with the original Hunter company (now Marlow-Hunter) owning the rights...
 

D_Bosh

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Sep 14, 2021
9
Hunter 37C Hamilton
Thank you both very much, both are good suggestions and very much appreciated. Jim, I've enjoyed a lot of your Hunter 37C posts and referred to them quite often, thanks for your contributions.

Thanks again!

David
 
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Likes: Jim Legere
Jun 5, 2010
1,107
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
Bosh, it depends on what you need a drawing for for me to see what I have.

You will NOT find ANY factory or designer drawings specifying the length of a propshaft for a fiberglass production yacht. That just isn’t done, I’m afraid. Any slight alteration in the fiberglass layup of engine logs of location or angle or change of strut sources might alter this. The typical industry practice is for the boatbuilder to build a prototype, figure this out, buy a bunch of bronze propshafts (as they should never be stainless; but try telling anyone that - at the time your boat was built, it was bronze) and see how they work. When something happens, they cut half an inch off and keep building.

Best practice anyway would be to pull yours, measure it, and reorder, to have better threads or better taper or less corrosion. Without the presence of the original propshaft, use any other of the same diameter, or a wooden dowel if there’s one long enough, and get a good tape-measure dimension. And don’t forget to consider the taper, the threads, the keyway(s) or whatever, all of which can affect a yardstick (or drawing, or verbally reported) dimension.
 
May 31, 2007
758
Hunter 37 cutter Blind River
JC: Please explain why the shaft should be bronze, not stainless. Stainless seems to be the industry standard.
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,107
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
JC: Please explain why the shaft should be bronze, not stainless. Stainless seems to be the industry standard.
1. Same material as prop itself, reducing bimetallic corrosion underwater (and reducing need for zincs);

2. VERY STRONG especially in torsional loads - Tobin (‘red’) bronze has been used in this application almost since there have been propellers.

Which brings me to: ‘industry standard’ is a malleable and fluid term. Modern practices tend to be based on preferences of service providers and vendors, not on technological advantages. SS is simply cheaper than propshaft-worthy Tobin bronze. That’s the sole reason for the change. Almost all production sailboats built before about 1985 used bronze propshafts. Motorboats started using SS because it was cheaper (this, not seaworthiness, is always of primary consideration with powerboat builders) and the practice was adopted for sailboats by yards who did mostly motorboats and who allowed their sources for bronze to dry up through lack of orders.

3. SS, especially any from SE Asia, should never be kept immersed in water. It is of an inferior standard and the oxygen present in water is enough to initiate corrosion. Funny thing about SS - you won’t necessarily see the corrosion. Then one day it just breaks. This is why most SS hardware made in China, Thailand, and Taiwan (vis.: Sea-Dog) will boast of using type-316, which is better for corrosion resistance, over type-304 (same as type 18-8 as used for screws) which was more common and always cheaper. Type-303 and -304 are commonly used in architectural applications - not good for underwater at all. Type-316 is better against corrosion but is far more brittle (does not take what I call a ‘jerk load’ well) than -304 and I’d avoid it in a propshaft for this reason. If today you have a type-304 propshaft and you’re not sure that the metal did NOT come from SE Asia, I’d give it 5-7 years and wish you good luck. Given a new shaft of US-sourced Tobin bronze, I’ll give you 4 times than lifespan.


Please keep in mind that I view my role on this site as one to teach what SHOULD BE and I (usually whilst cringing) watch others follow anecdotal evidence of less-technically-trained end users or the ‘advice’ of vendors et al whose motivation is to take your money, not to improve your boat. You’ll take whatever advice makes you feel most comfortable; but please don’t expect other than a hands-on-hips, head-shaking response when a qualified industry professional recognises your latest problem as being the result of an end user’s having taken some poor advice :huh:
 
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May 31, 2007
758
Hunter 37 cutter Blind River
Many thanks, JC, for the bronze vs. ss shaft response. Makes sense. My first keel boat was a 79 H33 which came with a very bent bronze shaft (hurricane write-off). On advice of repair yard, it was replaced with stainless. My most recent is a 81 H37C which came with a ss shaft. I assume it is original but it might not be. I suspect that living in fresh water is less evil to a ss shaft than in a salt environment. My zincs do not corrode and so far I have not witnessed ill side effects. Perhaps I am lucky.