Hello all,
We looked at a 1999 Hunter 340 yesterday. The boat needs a little bit of work (the galley stove needs replacing, some instruments missing, etc, older infrastructure) but over all it appears to be ship worthy and I'm probably handy enough to do most of the work myself. I do have some familiarity with the 340, as my dad owns a 2001 vintage, I do think it would be exciting to own one myself. If we decide to make an offer we'll get a survey, of course, but want to work out details before we get to that step.
We did come away with a few questions (one specific, one general). The existing owners (who have only owned the boat for a year, selling due to health issues) were not much help in answering any of our questions.
1. There appears to be a vinyl covered foam material covering some of interior, specifically on the haul--for instance, in the aft stateroom above the berth. In that space the bottom section has come unglued and has discoloration. I'm assuming this is due to water. I'm not sure if this is a condensation problem (the boat has been sailed in Lake Superior, so cold water + humidity can result in a lot of condensation) or if there was a leak from above (perhaps the arch?). FWIW we did not see any water stains on the teak. Two part question:
a. have others experienced this, is it the sign of a bigger problem (I.E. a leak)?
b. what have others done to repair something similar--remove the vinyl/foam? Is there a replacement option? Just clean it up and use adhesive to glue it back down?
2. Are there any other "gotcha" areas that we should be aware of with the 1999 version? My dad has related his own areas that required attention, although over all I think he's kept his boat in better condition than the one we viewed. There are some structural differences (stainless arch vs. fiberglass, he has in mast furling, this boat does not, etc.), not sure if these differences create additional caution areas that we should consider/investigate before making an offer.
Thanks for reading and considering!
We looked at a 1999 Hunter 340 yesterday. The boat needs a little bit of work (the galley stove needs replacing, some instruments missing, etc, older infrastructure) but over all it appears to be ship worthy and I'm probably handy enough to do most of the work myself. I do have some familiarity with the 340, as my dad owns a 2001 vintage, I do think it would be exciting to own one myself. If we decide to make an offer we'll get a survey, of course, but want to work out details before we get to that step.
We did come away with a few questions (one specific, one general). The existing owners (who have only owned the boat for a year, selling due to health issues) were not much help in answering any of our questions.
1. There appears to be a vinyl covered foam material covering some of interior, specifically on the haul--for instance, in the aft stateroom above the berth. In that space the bottom section has come unglued and has discoloration. I'm assuming this is due to water. I'm not sure if this is a condensation problem (the boat has been sailed in Lake Superior, so cold water + humidity can result in a lot of condensation) or if there was a leak from above (perhaps the arch?). FWIW we did not see any water stains on the teak. Two part question:
a. have others experienced this, is it the sign of a bigger problem (I.E. a leak)?
b. what have others done to repair something similar--remove the vinyl/foam? Is there a replacement option? Just clean it up and use adhesive to glue it back down?
2. Are there any other "gotcha" areas that we should be aware of with the 1999 version? My dad has related his own areas that required attention, although over all I think he's kept his boat in better condition than the one we viewed. There are some structural differences (stainless arch vs. fiberglass, he has in mast furling, this boat does not, etc.), not sure if these differences create additional caution areas that we should consider/investigate before making an offer.
Thanks for reading and considering!