Mr. Cherebuni and others, Please list your comments on the blue water ability of the late 70's H30'S please. Thanks, Pat McCartin 1979 H30 "Therepy" Lake Lanier, GA
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Hunter 30 offshore.
Pat, I don't know because I've never taken a Hunter 30 offshore. However I've made many comments about the general 'blue-water ability' of production sailboats. The secret to success lies in PREPARATION. What I can tell you is that the boat was indeed designed to handle open-water sailing in proportion to what the average, well-rounded sailor who might own one would encounter. I do know many people have done well with the boat from lakes to open oceans and there is no reason for any of us to think the boat is potentially or thoroughly inadequate for what you want. Beyond the normal concerns like uprating portlights and cockpit scuppers or having extra reef points put in, I will wait to endorse any specific changes before consulting with those who hav tried them. And of course any modifications to the rig, hull, running rigging, and sail plan that materially alter the sailing characteristics of the boat will nullify any claims I could make on behalf of my dad as to the boat's seaworthiness. I hope you will be monitoring these boards just as I'll be to find others who have properly prepared this type for ocean sailing. JC
Pat, I don't know because I've never taken a Hunter 30 offshore. However I've made many comments about the general 'blue-water ability' of production sailboats. The secret to success lies in PREPARATION. What I can tell you is that the boat was indeed designed to handle open-water sailing in proportion to what the average, well-rounded sailor who might own one would encounter. I do know many people have done well with the boat from lakes to open oceans and there is no reason for any of us to think the boat is potentially or thoroughly inadequate for what you want. Beyond the normal concerns like uprating portlights and cockpit scuppers or having extra reef points put in, I will wait to endorse any specific changes before consulting with those who hav tried them. And of course any modifications to the rig, hull, running rigging, and sail plan that materially alter the sailing characteristics of the boat will nullify any claims I could make on behalf of my dad as to the boat's seaworthiness. I hope you will be monitoring these boards just as I'll be to find others who have properly prepared this type for ocean sailing. JC
Classic plastic and the ravages of time.....
Since there are few (if any) systems on board of a vessel that can be counted upon to keep functioning reliably for more than 20 years (or even 10...) NO 1979 vessel is inherently seaworthy; unless practically every appendage, component, accessory and -- yes -- even the hull itself has undergone regular inspection, maintenance and upkeep.The latter may involve complete replacement, e.g. when involving standing and running rigging. However, after 20 years even the chainplates are suspect. Also, don't forget that none of the sealants, caulks and glues available in the late seventies (with the possible exception of PDMS) compares favorably to the superglues and supersealants of today. However, even todays polymeric materials are unlikely to last 20 years without degradation of many mechanical and chemical properties. In other words, pretty much any seam, joint or frame that is glued or sealed may have to come off and be redone with fresh sealant, caulk or glue. The fact that the fiberglass hull may (notice: MAY) still be in a good enough shape is one of those incredible strokes of luck. Off all the materials the first builders of "plastic composite" boats could have chosen, they just happened to chose the one that was able to withstand the marine environment better than nearly any other material known to man today (if taken care of properly). If not for that lucky choice older plastic boats all around us might be falling apart faster than termite-infested wood! In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with planning to cross oceans in 20-year, or even 30-year old fiberglass boats. Just don't expect all 20-year old vessels of any given brand to pass inspection anymore than all 50-year old men and women can run the marathon...... So, John Cherubini is absolutely right: PREPARATION is the key. As long as you do realize that preparation of a 20+ years old vessel may sometimes require almost as much work as building a new vessel from scratch. Good luck!
Since there are few (if any) systems on board of a vessel that can be counted upon to keep functioning reliably for more than 20 years (or even 10...) NO 1979 vessel is inherently seaworthy; unless practically every appendage, component, accessory and -- yes -- even the hull itself has undergone regular inspection, maintenance and upkeep.The latter may involve complete replacement, e.g. when involving standing and running rigging. However, after 20 years even the chainplates are suspect. Also, don't forget that none of the sealants, caulks and glues available in the late seventies (with the possible exception of PDMS) compares favorably to the superglues and supersealants of today. However, even todays polymeric materials are unlikely to last 20 years without degradation of many mechanical and chemical properties. In other words, pretty much any seam, joint or frame that is glued or sealed may have to come off and be redone with fresh sealant, caulk or glue. The fact that the fiberglass hull may (notice: MAY) still be in a good enough shape is one of those incredible strokes of luck. Off all the materials the first builders of "plastic composite" boats could have chosen, they just happened to chose the one that was able to withstand the marine environment better than nearly any other material known to man today (if taken care of properly). If not for that lucky choice older plastic boats all around us might be falling apart faster than termite-infested wood! In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with planning to cross oceans in 20-year, or even 30-year old fiberglass boats. Just don't expect all 20-year old vessels of any given brand to pass inspection anymore than all 50-year old men and women can run the marathon...... So, John Cherubini is absolutely right: PREPARATION is the key. As long as you do realize that preparation of a 20+ years old vessel may sometimes require almost as much work as building a new vessel from scratch. Good luck!
A quick observation
I owned (and lived on) a hunter 30 of about this vintage for about 4 years. I was learning to sail and so I beat it up quite a bit. I didn't do any long ocean cruises but I sail on SanFrancisco bay - and we get a lot of wind. I also took to boat out around the Farralon Islands a few time. Bottom line is that the boatoften saw the same conditions I would expect you should be ready for on an ocean cruise. The only serious problem I had was the forward shroud Bulkheads pulled loss from the hull !!! Its been a long time - So it may have been the uppers - but if I remember the boat design correctly the uppers are bolted to the main shear wall - so they were o.k. Anyway - after inspecting the area - I believe the failure was due to poor wetting when Hunter laminated the bulkheads. I'm not an expert but I have done quite a bit of fiberglass work - So I'll bet I'm right. There was a layer in the lamination which split and I could see that the individual fibers were "loss" where the layer separated. I removed the bulkheads and ground away all the poor layers - then I glassed them back in. I beat the boat up for several more years before I sold it and didn't have any more serious problems. Note that this was hidden behind a glued on carpet layer - so visual inspection would not have cought it. A good thumping on the area revealed a hollow sound - but this was after serious damage had been done. After finding serious failure on stbd - I thumped on the port side and found that it was starting to come loss also. Well I don't know if this helps at all but it is a real observation of what can go wrong on hunter 30's from this era. I believe they are good boats but I would make sure I looked at all critical stress areas before leaving on a long trip. I'm also a believer in pounding boats near port a few times before heading out on a long trip - no matter how well you try to prepair - a good pounding near home almost always reveals something I missed.
I owned (and lived on) a hunter 30 of about this vintage for about 4 years. I was learning to sail and so I beat it up quite a bit. I didn't do any long ocean cruises but I sail on SanFrancisco bay - and we get a lot of wind. I also took to boat out around the Farralon Islands a few time. Bottom line is that the boatoften saw the same conditions I would expect you should be ready for on an ocean cruise. The only serious problem I had was the forward shroud Bulkheads pulled loss from the hull !!! Its been a long time - So it may have been the uppers - but if I remember the boat design correctly the uppers are bolted to the main shear wall - so they were o.k. Anyway - after inspecting the area - I believe the failure was due to poor wetting when Hunter laminated the bulkheads. I'm not an expert but I have done quite a bit of fiberglass work - So I'll bet I'm right. There was a layer in the lamination which split and I could see that the individual fibers were "loss" where the layer separated. I removed the bulkheads and ground away all the poor layers - then I glassed them back in. I beat the boat up for several more years before I sold it and didn't have any more serious problems. Note that this was hidden behind a glued on carpet layer - so visual inspection would not have cought it. A good thumping on the area revealed a hollow sound - but this was after serious damage had been done. After finding serious failure on stbd - I thumped on the port side and found that it was starting to come loss also. Well I don't know if this helps at all but it is a real observation of what can go wrong on hunter 30's from this era. I believe they are good boats but I would make sure I looked at all critical stress areas before leaving on a long trip. I'm also a believer in pounding boats near port a few times before heading out on a long trip - no matter how well you try to prepair - a good pounding near home almost always reveals something I missed.
1981 H30 (same boat as 76-83)
Offshore Pluses: External lead ballast. Strong keel bolting with heavy hull reinforcing around keel. Strong through bolted hull-deck joint. High bridge deck. Strong shroud attachments through rod to the the hull (not the bulkhead. Chuck's boat apparently is quite different.) Storm hood for hatchway. Good, dry cockpit. Strong Bomar hatches. Good sized standing rigging. Skeg protected rudder. Reasonable sea-berths. Offshore Minuses: Poor rudder skeg attachment. (Rebolt it, bed in 5200, and glass over the joint.) Weak plastic portholes w/o covers. (I live with it. They're relatively small.) Gate valves on throughhulls. (Replace 'em.) As far as seakeeping ability, its better than most 30 footers; it does very well in most conditions. The only time its less desirable is in 6-8 foot steep stuff when the relatively flat bottom forward of the keel will slam when falling off a wave; bigger stuff it rides over and smaller stuff it carves through. But this is a characteristic of just about any boat this size without a full keel. Its a rational compromise for less wetted surface. I like the boat a lot. I've been putting 600-1000 nm per season on mine for the last 11 years. I'm buying bigger now but I know I'll miss this boat.
Offshore Pluses: External lead ballast. Strong keel bolting with heavy hull reinforcing around keel. Strong through bolted hull-deck joint. High bridge deck. Strong shroud attachments through rod to the the hull (not the bulkhead. Chuck's boat apparently is quite different.) Storm hood for hatchway. Good, dry cockpit. Strong Bomar hatches. Good sized standing rigging. Skeg protected rudder. Reasonable sea-berths. Offshore Minuses: Poor rudder skeg attachment. (Rebolt it, bed in 5200, and glass over the joint.) Weak plastic portholes w/o covers. (I live with it. They're relatively small.) Gate valves on throughhulls. (Replace 'em.) As far as seakeeping ability, its better than most 30 footers; it does very well in most conditions. The only time its less desirable is in 6-8 foot steep stuff when the relatively flat bottom forward of the keel will slam when falling off a wave; bigger stuff it rides over and smaller stuff it carves through. But this is a characteristic of just about any boat this size without a full keel. Its a rational compromise for less wetted surface. I like the boat a lot. I've been putting 600-1000 nm per season on mine for the last 11 years. I'm buying bigger now but I know I'll miss this boat.
Thanks,
Thanks alot, You've all reinforced my hopes. It took 2 years to find this boat and she was in good shape when I purchased her. I've already hauled and redone the bottom, replaced the thru hulls and valves. I used Delrin for backing plates instead of plywood, for all thru hulls and the strut mount. Wish I'd have thought to rebed the skeg. Has anyone pulled and rebed the keel? should I worry about the keel bed? I still have about 3-5 years to fix all the nick-knack problems. As soon as the weather breaks I'm laying stringers to mount ash planking over, with insulation behind. Luckily I don't have a week deck. I appreciate all the input. Pat McCartin 1979 H30 "Therapy" Lake Lanier, GA
Thanks alot, You've all reinforced my hopes. It took 2 years to find this boat and she was in good shape when I purchased her. I've already hauled and redone the bottom, replaced the thru hulls and valves. I used Delrin for backing plates instead of plywood, for all thru hulls and the strut mount. Wish I'd have thought to rebed the skeg. Has anyone pulled and rebed the keel? should I worry about the keel bed? I still have about 3-5 years to fix all the nick-knack problems. As soon as the weather breaks I'm laying stringers to mount ash planking over, with insulation behind. Luckily I don't have a week deck. I appreciate all the input. Pat McCartin 1979 H30 "Therapy" Lake Lanier, GA
Skeg
I have a 76 h30 and I dropped the skeg to remove the rudder. The skeg had already been glassed over at the seam. There are only about 6 lag bolts holding the skeg on. After reinstalling the rudder/skeg I reglassed over the seam and extended the glass perhaps a foot past the seam with a build up of alternating woven and mat. It really wasn't that hard to do and it seem to really stiffin up the whole area. Good luck with your boat. Royce
I have a 76 h30 and I dropped the skeg to remove the rudder. The skeg had already been glassed over at the seam. There are only about 6 lag bolts holding the skeg on. After reinstalling the rudder/skeg I reglassed over the seam and extended the glass perhaps a foot past the seam with a build up of alternating woven and mat. It really wasn't that hard to do and it seem to really stiffin up the whole area. Good luck with your boat. Royce
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