1990 Hunter 23 (wing keel) Restoration

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Isopack is correct that the outer or upper shroud goes to the outside hole for attachment while the lower shroud goes to the inside hole for attachment on the chain plate.

When running lines thru the mast, make sure they are clear not wrapping around electrical or lines or vice versa. I found it most help to elevatethe top of the mast and shake it which helped for the lines or wires to go thru when going from a higher point to a lower point.

 

[Reefing]

Thank you Isaksp00/inarathree/crazy dave your recommendations is what i did. I was passing the jib line and it was so brittle that i broke. So after a couple of attempts of pushing line and raising the mast i ran to home depot and bought the fish tape (inarathree the one you described was at home depot as well but that one is designed to not be conducive of electricity $$$ the regular metal wire was $30 for 65'). The jib line went right through and took me about 5 minutes. So naturally i was pumped and ready to do the same with the topping lift end that goes to the boom. Because purchased the line with a loop at the end i can only pass one end through and unfortunately the goose neck end is where the block is.

Isaksp00 if i have the original boom ( which i think i do) inside the area you described, if you look in with a flashlight you will see the blocks that i am referring to.
Inarathree, my boom ends are riveted so i have no way of removing the ends without destroying the original weld and modifying it again with a stainless steel screw or similar.

I think that at this point i will take the boom to island nation and have them fight with it. I might need to get a new line and have them make the loop at the end after the line is in.

Also, today i found out that the port whole plexi glass is leaking so i will be replacing that as soon as the finances recover.

On a positive note today i reinstalled the mast and connected most of the rigging in preparation for the maiden voyage. Here is a picture of the boat almost ready to go in the water. I will update again when the boom is ready for the water. In the meantime i think i will attempt to make a gin pole so that it is convenient to use the boat often while i finish working on it to leave it in the water.

 

[Reefing]

Friends i was able to put the boat on the water on Friday to make sure there were no leaks, etc. i am happy to inform that all is good. While stepping the mast, since i was doing this with a rookie and i myself am one too, we made multiple mistakes and had about 5 attempts in raising and lowering the mast because of halyards being left on top, standing rigging getting in the way, or coming off from the mast or being improperly installed. In any case after many attempts it went up and we were able to motor around. All seems to be working perfectly. BUT, while lowering the mast, my friend had to leave to pick up his kids and i was being chased by a thunder storm with very cold air and while raining the mast slipped of my hands and broke the mast step at the base of the mast, not the fiberglass.

If i recall correctly, Crazy dave recommends a company here in Tampa Bay/St Petersburg that work on masts. Does anybody knows the name and/or address of this company. I need to find the replacement mast step and i am hoping to do it right away so that i can get back on the water.

 

[isaksp00]

Did you damage the unit that attaches to the deck, or the part that attaches to the bottom of the mast? Pics would help, as there are different mast suppliers that have different attachment hardware.

If you have an aluminum casting style tabernacle (the thing that bolts to the deck) and it is not repairable, the shop on this site may have one. Same for the fitting that rivets to the bottom of the mast extrusion. If the mast tube is mangled, maybe you can bend it back and re-rivet the fitting back in (pop rivet tool). If the mast tube itself is too badly damaged, not sure if a good aluminum welder shop could patch it - Dave is the expert there.

Now, I realize you were in a sort of emergency. But, in my opinion, it is generally not safe to try to manage that mast alone.

 

[inarathree]

Silly, why didn't you call, I would have helped.

Crazy Dave will know of others in the Tampa area, but I know JSI in St. Pete does custom masts, so will probably do repairs. I have worked with them in the past, not for mast work, but for sails and cushions.

I know there is also place somewhere over on 49th between Ulmerton and 118th. (I think).

 

[Reefing]

Thank you guys; it has not gone pst me the stupidity of my venture but the original forecast and time looked very reasonable. I should have stopped when as soon as we started working on the mast there was a nut job trying to tie up tot he docks but the marina attendants denied entry and after a yelling match the cops came in an tasered they guy. That should have been my first indication that the day was not suited for a trial run.

With that said, i found that the manufacturer of he mast is an affiliate of US Spars and they are n Gainesville, FL. The biggest hardship has been identifying the mast. They not not have serial numbers on the mast and ca't say with certainty that the mast is model xyz so i have had to measure with a digital template and hope for the best (waiting for the part now). They say that the 1990 H23 has a Z190 mast, but from z170-230 the mast step is the same size and only the tabernacle changes... In any case i get the part within a few days and get it installed.

 

[Reefing]

Inarathree, i know and trust me i will not take that friend again to work on the sailboat.

I am planning to take it to island nation this week to get the mast repaired as i d not have a rivet gun to affix the replacement. Once that is done, i will be taking it to the water ao that i can take the trailer to get repaired. At which point i will need help agin in raising the mast. I will keep you informed this week, by cell, of the status so that we can make plans to take the boat on the water over the weekend.

Does anybody know the name of the plastic discs in between he rudder and the hinged based. They are the pieces that help in the swivel movement of he rudder when it goes up. Mine are extremely brittle and y am planing to replace the line on the rudder so i will like to replace that as well.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Reefing;

The store has those discs and if not posted, contact them.

Masthead Enterprises In the St. Pete area and what use to be Johnson Sails is another but think it is under a different name. I trust them. Dave Johnson (not the owner) at Johnson sails can be trusted or all the fellows there can be trusted.
Seco South made the original rigging for your mast.
Z Spar left the country after a series of fiascos but came back as U.S. Spars and the mast is a Z190.

Did I hear someone moving to MN. Winter time is Brrrr and you better get snow gear. Keep me posted where you do end up with phone number via forum email. I will respond with my info. Info is kept confidential.

 

[inarathree]

WHAT?!?! Now your going to MN? I lived there for 5 years, its beautiful. So long as you get out in the winter for some sport, you won't go crazy. And like others said, sailing is great there, although the in Minneapolis lakes seem a bit small for a 23'.

Good luck.

 

[inarathree]

Reefing;
Masthead Enterprises In the St. Pete area and what use to be Johnson Sails is another but think it is under a different name. I trust them. Dave Johnson (not the owner) at Johnson sails can be trusted or all the fellows there can be trusted.
Seco South made the original rigging for your mast.

Johnson Sails is now JSI. Great people.

I thought Seco South was just rigging, I didn't know they did spars also.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

seco south did the rigging. You mast came from Z spar but due to a rather fiasco, they left the country but the same spars and hardware can be seen on the site of US Spars which by the way are owned by the same folks in France who own Z Spar.

 

[Reefing]

Crazy dave, thank you, yes i ordered the z190 mast step and will take it to get it installed on Friday.

Yes, there is a slight chance that we might be heading north. Although we started our journey in PR both of us went to school in New England and i spend an extra 6 years working outdoors year round. Although there is no comparison to that MN winter, i am looking at it as riding a bike, but this time without the training wheels.

Inarathree, i am taking the boat to island nation on Friday early morning, then to the trailer shop to quote the repairs and after i will be working on a ginpole. If all works out, i will be putting the boat on the water Friday afternoon or Saturday and taking it out Sunday. I will keep you posted if this plan works out to go out on sunday.

 

[Reefing]

I wanted to post an update on the things i have been working on since my encounter with a 30' pipe of Al and gravity. I had to fix the mast transport post and i was able to accommodate prefab pieces to the original post and still benefit from a telescopic feature. Also, i was able to get a fabricator to design a gin pole for the z 190 mast commonly used on the h-23. I will greatly appreciate your feedback and comments to assure that i am headed in the right direction.

 

[Reefing]

Ok friends this is an update on the project. I was able to put it on the water last weekend and sailed it 3 days. Wind was about 10mph and the boat was moving very comfortably for my family and I. During one of the outings the tied was moving out quicker than expected so i had to hop out and push the boat out of the sand, close call and a bit of struggling to get it out and raise the main at the same time.

The sails appear to be fine, not good but good enough, although i had to take them both for maintenace as they are 26 years old and showing.

My family and I had a great time although admitedly with 2 novices and 3 year old and a 4 month o,d there is a lot of juggling back and forth and i am starting to wondering if a sailboat is the right option now, instead of a few years from now.

 

[Reefing]

WHAT?!?! Now your going to MN? I lived there for 5 years, its beautiful. So long as you get out in the winter for some sport, you won't go crazy. And like others said, sailing is great there, although the in Minneapolis lakes seem a bit small for a 23'.

Good luck.

Not leaving anymore. The offer fell through so we get to stay in Clearwater, FL. My apologies to our friends in the (curently and already) frozen north! We did visited the aread and found Excelsiorto be very nice.

 

[carboman]

a bit late possibly but id be willing to give you my rig I used to raise my 1987 23 wing keel off the trailer.
dwylde159@gmail.com

 

[Reefing]

Carboman, my apologies for the late response. THANK YOU!!!! very much for the offer. with the change of the forum and the holidays I have been out of the forum for a while.

 

[Reefing]

Friends, I have come to a hard decision of selling my Hunter 23. After having it on the water for a month and using it with the family we came to the realization that with the 3 year old and a new born it is just to hard to sail around the intracoastal in Tampa Bay Area while still learning how to sail. To much boat traffic, much currents and unpredictable weather in the summer with heavy thunderstorms. if anybody is interested the boat is advertise on this website.

Happy New Year, safe sailing and following seas.

 

[inarathree]

Sorry to hear that. Its always said the two best days of boat ownership is the day you buy and the day you sell. I didn't feel that way when I sold my last boat. Hopefully you will continue sailing somehow. The Admiral says we can get a new boat Q1. I will let you know sometime when I am looking for a boat buddy.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Reefing;
Think hard first. It is a good age at three to get one involved but that is a start. As for the baby, I grew up with my daughter on the boat at 7 weeks old and for years she was my sailing buddy. Have you thought about day sails for the time being.