2004 Hunter Passage 420 Questions

[Mike H.]

We just purchased a 2004 420 Passage Center Cockpit. Love the boat. Had some work done in dry dock including changing the cutlass bearing , (they had to drop the rudder and pull the shaft as it was stuck bad). We have some questions.
1) The steering is stiff as hell. It takes two hands and some strength to turn the wheel. Is this normal? Our past boats, Hunter Vision 36 and Beneteau 35s5, was easy to steer. Could do it with one finger.
2) This boat does not back well at all. It has a right hand 3 blade prop. Are these vessels know for strong prop walk to port in reverse? This morning tried to back out of the slip in 14 knots of wind. It seemed like I had no steerage. We abandoned the effort and put her back in the slip.
3) The engine is a Yanmar 4jh3e. I replaced the impeller and discovered the P.O. had broke off one of the small bolts holding the cover on the impeller housing. Has anyone experienced and remedied this?
4) When I was changing the impeller, I had shut the raw water sea cock, but a small but significant amount of water still flowed into the bilge through the impeller housing. Is my sea cock failing, or was there a siphon effect through exhaust elbow or something?
5) The water that flowed into the bilge under the engine did not quickly drain away. I pumped as much out as I could. Do I have a plugged drain limber, (hole) or something?
Please let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Mike

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

1) The steering is stiff as hell. It takes two hands and some strength to turn the wheel. Is this normal?

nor surprisingly, no. Check steering cables to quadrant. Might have been tightened too much.

2) This boat does not back well at all.

most boats don’t. Simple solution is to gain some speed quickly and then idle allowing the rudder to do the work
[

3) The engine is a Yanmar 4jh3e. I replaced the impeller and discovered the P.O. had broke off one of the small bolts holding the cover on the impeller housing. Has anyone experienced and remedied this?

can you not drill out what’s left or reverse unscrew the bolt to replace?

4) When I was changing the impeller, I had shut the raw water sea cock, but a small but significant amount of water still flowed into the bilge through the impeller housing. Is my sea cock failing, or was there a siphon effect through exhaust elbow or something?

all the water trapped in the heat exchanger will gravity flow to the open impeller housing

5) The water that flowed into the bilge under the engine did not quickly drain away. I pumped as much out as I could. Do I have a plugged drain limber, (hole) or something?

that bilge area under the engine is supposed to be isolated so as to prevent oil getting into and pumped overboard by a bilge pump.

 

[Mike H.]

Thank you Don.
Getting that scgrew out would be easier if I pulled the whole pump and removed the screw on a work bench. There is simply no room to work.

 

[DRhoads]

Welcome to the 420 CC I have the same year and love the vessel. Don hit all the right answers. steering is stiffer than most but NOT what you described. might check the lub nubs may not have been lubed in a while. 3 blade fixed prop walked very badly replaced it with a Gory 3 blade folding. almost no prop walk unless you goose it which is useful in some cases. when you get up to 6.5 -7 kts the back squats and the ladder is underwater. apparently normal for the 420

 

[JamesG161]

My H430 is only slightly bigger, but same for the most part.

Jim...

 

[Mike H.]

Welcome to the 420 CC I have the same year and love the vessel. Don hit all the right answers. steering is stiffer than most but NOT what you described. might check the lub nubs may not have been lubed in a while. 3 blade fixed prop walked very badly replaced it with a Gory 3 blade folding. almost no prop walk unless you goose it which is useful in some cases. when you get up to 6.5 -7 kts the back squats and the ladder is underwater. apparently normal for the 420

Thanks for the response. I may have exaggerated the effort to turn the wheel. I'll get to know the prop walk and use it to my advantage.

 

[Mike H.]

My H430 is only slightly bigger, but same for the most part.

Jim...

Thanks Jim!

 

[Sailgunner]

If your pedestal is an Edson you may have TWO grease fittings on the pedestal. The bottom one is hard to get to. Make sure you get grease in them.