H-25 inspection points
My boat is a 1974 (Mk 1). Had it about a month. A '76 may have similar hassles to these: Chainplate attaching points need to be backed up. This is merely for redundancy-- they are simply a plate under flange and bolted through toerail. I will be laying up new glass here, just because. Rudder post is parted from the underside of the cockpit seat; leaks rainwater. Needs minor glass job to remedy. Cockpit seat-locker drains are rotted and leaking. Grind out, clean, and lay up with new glass. Very simple (but gooky) job. Fuzzy foam-backed carpet against hull is dry-rotted. Merely due to age, not quality. Cabin sole is rotten. Using lauan plywood (varnished) as replacement. One piece- 3 x 7 ft. Screw down and trim access panels with holly or beech. Topsides have gelcoat crazing just about everywhere. Probably mostly cosmetic but should be done to avoid water saturation in long run. Will lay up new glass inside hull at chainplate area and fair in new gelcoat outside as needed. Standing and running rigging all 28 years old. Say no more. Underside of cabintop/deck is cracked and coring was once wet in places. Will fix ONLY as needed (not critical enough to care about). One fixed window leaked; caulking it stopped leak. Wiring in mast is dodgy. Mast will come down to do it over (has probably never been off boat anyway). Sliding doors jammed from swelling. Took them all out-- replacing head door with conventional hinged door (using motor-box hinges to make it removable). Foredeck hatch is homemade and rotting. Making a new one using woodshop tools at school (wink). Making new handrails too. Ditto hatch weatherboards. Using mahogany, not teak. Minor hassles such as too much hardware on boom, galley counter needing replacement, deck needing repaint, electrical system needing rewire (Prior Owners botched it all up), a few thruhulls to be relocated (ditto). Making new lav sink for head compartment (kids insisted). Very little of this stuff keeps us from going sailing. I am also adding a bridge deck and traveller for the mainsheet. To me this is necessary improvement to this boat for any serious performance. My boat also needs the keel re-set which is an oddball problem because of the Prior Owners' botch. It's a bear of a job but the yard will assist here and it'll only take one day. On the PLUS side: Motor mount is solid. Toerail is solid, not leaking, still looks good. Glassed-in bulkheads are solid. Thru-hulls are solid, do not leak. Bulkhead holding up mast is solid. Compression post may get replaced/beefed up but stick is still tuned and deck is NOT depressed. Cockpit pan is solid. 1970s Lewmar winches work terrifically (as expected). Head is Raritan Compact CP, about the easiest thing to rebuild in the world; rebuild kits are available everywhere. Whole hull is solid as a rock, no soft spots or delamination anywhere. You could hold a dance on the deck. The original Hunter 25 is NO mere daysailer but was designed as a mini ocean-racing yacht (MORC 18.2) and will take anything you dare dish out. I believe it to be a very sound buy from a design/performance standpoint and passed up many cheaper boats, some in better condition, because I knew what I was looking for and found it in this boat. I got this boat for nearly nothing and don't care if I blow 5 or 6 grand on it because it'll be worth it. I have a boat I can trust and semi-abuse without worrying about it. Try that in other newer, similar-sized boats. Good luck with your purchase! JC 2 JComet@aol.com
