M
Merrill Mant
Four weeks ago on launch day I discovered a one foot long crack and two smaller cracks in the hull as the boat hung in the travelift slings. The cracks had been hidden by the forward starboard cradle pad. After a poke around by the yard we decided to abort the launch and take her back into the yard. A few days later the yard ground the hull down to determine the severity of the cracks ... they went entirely through the hull. They found that the 2 foot by one foot area had completely delaminated. I know that the boat had never been hit and I had witnessed all launches and placements of the boat into the cradle. I suspected that the boat was in the incorrect location in the cradle. I hunted through the owners manual and found no instructions. The customer service folks at Hunter told me that 60% to 70% of the weight of the boat should be resting on her keel and at most 30% to 40% on the pads. In the case of the 33.5, the fore pads and the aft support beam are to support the boat and the center pads are virually only for stability. The other important fact they passed along was that the pads should always be aligned with the bulkheads inside the boat. In my case the pads were perfectly alingned to fall between the two bulkheads in the front and in the hollow area under the aft berth.... hardly what was being recommended. The cradle that I have was supplied with the boat from Hunter.At some point, someone had put markers along the waterline that aligned with the pads and I followed those marks without ever giving it any thought. The estimates have now been completed .... since the hole is so large, the hull needs to be patched from the interior and the exterior. To get at the inside, they are required to cut the floor out of the shower / head fiberglass unit, patch the hull then rebuild the floor. We will launch 8 weeks late into an already short season. One word of caution ... verify not only the pad location but watch very carefully as the boat is placed in the cradle and how the cradle is blocked in the yard so that the keel is fully supported and that there is not too much weight on the hull pads. In no way do I hold the yard responsible as they also followed the markers. In hindsight, perhaps Hunter should indicate not only sling points but also cradle / jackstand points. Reference in the owners manual would also be helpful.