1987 Hunter 285 - New Owner

[Stay The Course]

I just closed on a 1987 Hunter 285 and will have several questions as I learn more about the boat my wife and I are naming "Stay The Course".

1. Hot water heater.
   • The breaker on the AC panel has black electrical tape over the breaker. The former owner said he never used the hot water heater and therefore does not know why his former owner placed the tape over the breaker.
   • How can I troubleshoot the hot water heater. For example, where is it located (rear starboard locker I assume), are there inlet and outlet cutoff valves, is the water heater 120VAC (I assume, yes).
2. Cockpit deck
   • The cockpit deck, directly in front of the wheel housing, seems a bit squishy. My former owner says it was always like that. Is this normal? How can I troubleshoot this issue? Is this area of the cockpit deck accessible from underneath? If so, from where?
3. Potable Water
   • I have yet to perform an inspection, or taste test, on the onboard potable water. Again, the former owner never used the potable water system and just brought bottled water for drinking. All faucets are operational and flow water as designed by the on-demand pump.
   • What is the best practice to clean the potable water tank in order to be able to use it for drinking purposes?
4. Bottom paint
   • The former owner brought this boat from a lake in Illinois to the current home port in Missouri. The former owner stated before the boat was moved from Illinois to Missouri his former owner performed a bottom job. The existing paint has been on the boat, in the water, for between 5-7 years. At what point do I pull the boat from the water and scrub off any existing ablative (if applied) and reapply two-part epoxy sealant followed by ablative paint?

 

[Davidasailor26]

Welcome to boat ownership and to the forum!

The breaker on the AC panel has black electrical tape over the breaker. The former owner said he never used the hot water heater and therefore does not know why his former owner placed the tape over the breaker.

Best case the PO just put the tape on the breaker to avoid turning it on while the boat was winterized and the tank empty. Or they might’ve done it because there’s some electrical problem with the tank or wiring. If you’re handy with a multimeter you could test the circuit to make sure it’s not shorted. If that comes out ok I’d probably put water in the system, turn on the breaker, and see what happens. (While being sure to stay at the boat in case of any issues).

The cockpit deck, directly in front of the wheel housing, seems a bit squishy. My former owner says it was always like that. Is this normal? How can I troubleshoot this issue? Is this area of the cockpit deck accessible from underneath? If so, from where?

Wheel pedestals are a depressingly common point for leaks letting water into the core. You could start by tapping the laminate to see if it sounds sharp (dry and healthy) or dull (wet and potentially rotting). If it’s wet you could trill some test holes into the core (ideally from the bottom) to see if the wood is still fairly solid or turned to mush. Unfortunately if the core is rotting repairing it could be a relatively big project - pulling up the existing laminate, replacing the core, epoxying it back together, and rebuilding the surface.

What is the best practice to clean the potable water tank in order to be able to use it for drinking purposes?

Here’s the pretty authoritative guide on cleaning potable water systems - Flushing the Water Tanks

s. At what point do I pull the boat from the water and scrub off any existing ablative (if applied) and reapply two-part epoxy sealant followed by ablative paint?

At 5+ years I’d at least haul the boat and see what condition the bottom is in. You probably won’t need to remove all the existing ablative. It’s often enough to just sand it a bit and apply a new coat or two. If what’s on there is peeling badly then you could remove it and start with fresh coats. Only if there are signs of blisters would I go all the way to bare laminate and add new epoxy barrier coat

 

[BigEasy]

Congratulations on purchasing your new boat & welcome to the forum. You will find lots of good advice & opinions here. I second @Davidasailor26 ‘s recommendations; that’s exactly how I would proceed. Nothing serious here except the cockpit floor; need to get to the bottom of that problem ASAP. Hopefully there is no core problem. There are some informative videos on You Tube dealing with deck core rot; that might be a good place to start. Good luck.

 

[Tally Ho]

On the water heater, it is probably a 120v AC water heater, but it may also heat water from the engine coolant system. This is very common on sailboats. Some boats are plumbed with a water by-pass system (very helpful when winterizing so you don’t have to fill the WH with antifreeze).

I would find the WH and see what sort of connections you find…

1) water inlet and outlet. Also look for some valves and lines that could by-pass the water lines.
2) engine coolant loop (you can also look for some heater hoses on the engine running in the direction of your WH).
3) electrical connection. Usually under a removable plate on the WH.

Take some photos and let us see what you have.

You should only turn the power on if there is water in the water heater, or it will burn out the heating element.

Greg

 

[BigEasy]

On the water heater, it is probably a 120v AC water heater
3) electrical connection. Usually under a removable plate on the WH.

Make sure you’re getting water into the heater, then check to determine if you’re getting AC power from the AC breaker on the distribution panel to the water heater. If problem persists, remove the removable plate on the water heater (after turning breaker to off) & look for a reset button where the wiring connects to the water heater.
The reset button may require resetting. I used to charter a Beneteau 331 that had water heater issues & would need to have the reset button periodically reset.