240 Centerboard Woes

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Mark Cooper

Since getting my 240 three weeks ago, I've had major difficulties raising the centerboard. From reading a few posts here, I thought this might be normal; then I took the opportunity to investigate everything this weekend. It turns out that the nylon pulley beneath the mast is broken and the pin holding it in place is pulled from its retaining bracket. I'm planning to contact Hunter today to see if it's possible for me to replace this myself (I'm not sure if the screws holding the mast step plate have a backing plate or bolts and there's no access port beneath the mast). My main reason for writing this is to (a) see if anyone else has encountered this (b) see if anyone knows whethere there is a backing plate beneath the mast step and (c) to alert others to the possibility of this defect. The pulley is obviously in a recess beneath the mast on the starboard side of the boat.
 
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Ron Fraboni

Same Problem With H26

When I bought my 1995 H26, I had about the same problem where the pulley system was not in place. The Hunter dealer under warranty fixed the pulley system and I have not had a problem since. Contact your dealer or any dealer near you and Hunter should cover any and all expenses in fixing your problem. Boat will have to go into a sling to fix the problem. Suggest you call Hunter directly if you have trouble. Good Luck
 
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Ron Baer

cENTERBOARD pROBLEMS

I had a lot of problems with the centerboard. It would not go down, until it sat in the water for a few hours , to a few days. I returned to the dealer, and he did not fix it. Next year, I called Hunter and took it to anothe rdealer. I will know in a few days if it is finially corrected.
 
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Sean Coerse

screws

The screws that hold the mast plate on the deck are threaded into a backing plate. Just make sure you seal everything back up after the repair.
 
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Mark Cooper

Thanks, guys

I appreciate the feedback. I contacted Hunter about sending the pulley (can't remember the correct nautical term) and one should be on the way. Especially thanks to you, Sean, about the backing plate info. It ought to be an easy repair if that's the case. Yes, I bought a tube of superduper marine silicone to seal it back up. I'll let ya'll know if it goes as easy as it sounds. As for a centerboard that doesn't go down, that's odd... My only guess on that would be 1) the centerboard is cocked and actually rubbing against one side or the other; or 2) the pivot bearing is compressed. Good luck and hope it's fixed.
 
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Big T

Same Prob. Different reason

On mine, the puller wheel was too large dia. and wouldn't turn. Was pinched between bottom of the mast and puller well. Others had this problem. I manually reduced the diameter of the wheel. All is fine now. Hunter knows of this problem. This occured to me when I bought it in June of 99.
 
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Mark Cooper

A 20 minute fix

Got the sheave Friday and installed it Sat. Took about 20 minutes. The interesting thing is, I also noticed- after install- that the sheave is too large and bound in place against the mast and the deck. How did you reduce it's size? Sand? File? Did it drastically improve performance?
 
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Big T

20 Min. Fix

We filed it late at night while it was at the slip (with mast laid back) being eaten by mosquitos. Not a memorable night. Yes, it drastically improved performance. We leave ours in the water all the time and I've yet to ask Hunter for a proper replacement.
 
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