'88 Legend 35 transom question

Jun 13, 2017
17
Hunter 35 Legend Mobile, AL
Our girl is on the hard having repairs made to her drive train. She sat down when Hurricane Sally blew all the water out of the marina and this damaged the shaft tube and log ( log weakened by corrosion). We are doing some cosmetic work while she is on stands. The transom has some old poorly repaired dock rash and while addressing that, we studied the gap where the upper deck joins the lower portion of the hull. Should there be visible sealant there? I will go below to check for any light showing through, as i know there are leaks somewhere in the aft sections of the boat (bulkheads rotten at the bottom), but I wanted to know how this seam was sealed. There is no rub rail.
Thanks,
Carmen
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Carmen. No the joint between the deck (upper) and the hull (lower)) is supposed to be sealed. No Gap. There is a possibility that the boat received a bump and that a gap appeared. Sealing it with 5200 is feasible. You can also fiberglass the inside of the joint. This is a bit tedious but is an effective way of assuring the joint stays connected. It may solve any joint leaking problems you might be experiencing.
 
Jun 13, 2017
17
Hunter 35 Legend Mobile, AL
These show the stern area that I am talking about. I went below and saw no gap in the interior Nor was there any light showing along this line. I tried to look at other Legend 35s online- one showed the gap open and another showed it caulked (badly).
 

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splax

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Nov 12, 2012
692
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
those are finished edges and the gap may be a design issue, maybe where the cockpit/transom were fit to the hull
it is quite possible when the boat squatted in the mud it shifted, it may be fine when the boat is back out on the water
 
Feb 2, 2006
464
Hunter Legend 35 Kingston
I have an 1987.

That joint, on my boat at least, is entirely glassed on the inside from the factory. If you explore down inside on both sides (crawl back in the lazzarette, and behind the access panel in the aft cabin, you should see that it is solid glass on the inside. This is where you "should" look for possible damage. If you see any cracks or separation from the inside, then you could have a problem and the repair would be done on the inside (not fun, but entirely doable).

On my exterior of this joint, the gap has been filled white sealant. I have redone this once, and mine needs doing again (dry, cracking and mildew staining). If the inside of the joint is sound, then the exterior gap is cosmetic. I do note that your exterior gap is noticeably bigger that what I have, perhaps twice as big. Also, a bit hard to tell in your pictures, but the two surfaces look offset. On my boat, the transom and the hull molds are pretty close to level (if you put a stick across them, it would touch each side of the joint equally)

It was a big job for me to scrape out the old sealant, clean it all up, and tape it to re-apply new sealant. I use 3M 4200 I think, and was displeased at how quickly it went dirty and mildewy.

Cheers
Chris
 
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Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
You could call Marlow-Hunter and see what they suggest. They may sealed or not sealed this for a particular reason. 3M makes black 4200 as well
 
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Jun 13, 2017
17
Hunter 35 Legend Mobile, AL
It does look like there was caulk in the gap at some point. Black is an interesting idea.
I have heard that M-H is not helpful when questions concern Hunters.
My previous boat was an O'Day 25: fun boat! We might still have her if we could have stood up inside.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
It does look like there was caulk in the gap at some point.
Or could that be accumulated dirt and boat grime?
In my experience most hull to deck joints are sealed and all excess adhesive caulk is removed so that the shine of the hull can show true. When I find excessive caulk around things it is because an owner tried to patch a leak.

If you are leaking along the seam you need to find and try to isolate that leak. When seams open or begin to leak the boat has most often experienced strong torsional movements that caused the seam to be stressed beyond the ability of the adhesive caulk to maintain seal. This can but most often does not happen with 5200 a common hull to deck adhesive caulk.
 
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Jun 13, 2017
17
Hunter 35 Legend Mobile, AL
Maybe we will try a strong hose spray to check for leaks along the line. We know most of the water was coming from the stern log, which had crumbled from corrosion. The yard is also putting in a new stuffing box replacing the original nylon one which was leaking some,too.
 
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Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
It does look like there was caulk in the gap at some point. Black is an interesting idea.
I have heard that M-H is not helpful when questions concern Hunters.
My previous boat was an O'Day 25: fun boat! We might still have her if we could have stood up inside.
If it's dirt you could probably poke through it with a stick as a test.

I was fed up with the never ending list of repairs on my 25. Then we took it out in 5' waves and 25-30knt winds with no reefing. It was amazing! I couldnt believe how well it handled those conditions!
 
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