Hi everyone, I'm hoping I might be able to get some opinions from the Hunter crowd here! My wife and I are looking to buy our first sailboat, we've got a good bit of sailing experience under our belts, but this will be the first boat that we've bought. We're limited on price because we're both starving (but happy!) marine biologists living in Miami, but we finally found a boat that satisfies our needs for sailing and living aboard. We're looking at a Hunter 34, 1984, and it has most of the qualities and amenities we've been looking for. There are issues of course, it's 32 years old, and anytime your price range desn't break $15K I imagine that's the norm. The issues are mostly aesthetic and we're handy enough to fix those. The one we want advice on is the compression post. We finally got it open today, the fiberglass on the top and the bottom of the post are compressed slightly so the cover for the post was trapped in that tight space making removing it more difficult. The wood inside appears dry and sturdy, except near the base where there are 2-3 inches of moist and soft wood. Now having read lots of the forum postings about replacing the compression post I know it's a decent size job. Does anyone here with knowledge of Hunter 34's or compression posts think this is a deal breaker? The teak cover looks good, there is what looks like a compression fold/crack on the bulkead between the salon and head and some water damage below that. It is unlikely we'll fix the post right away outside of maybe using resin to help solidify the interior post base and of course making sure we seal the heck out of the mast base and wire conduit so more water doesn't get in from outside (not certain some of this isn't getting in from the head shower too). If anyone has any input I'd really appreciate it!
Boat purchase deal breaker?
- Thread starter Natedogg
- Start date
get quotes on repair by independent contractors and then negotiate with the seller on price or require the repairs as part of the deal if that is the major issue you might aswell get a survey so if you plan on insurance for replacement value ...so you will already have one when and if you insure the boat.......
We're getting a surveyor to take a peak to see what he thinks about the post, if he doesn't think it's a lost cause we'll get the whole survey done (like you said Woody, at least for insurance purposes, but also in case we missed something else). I'll try calling around to see if I can find someone who can quote me a price here (boatyard I was talking with said they could do it but couldn't say how much, so not very helpful there).
if they can't give you a high and a low estimate be very careful about using them make everything perfectly clear about your money and the work to be done
Here's a pic of our compression post when I bought the boat last June. The bottom was crumbled to pieces - there essentially was no post.
One thing to realize is that the bottom of the head bulkhead was rotted out also and we had to cut the bottom 30% out and fit a new piece of plywood with the white laminate (shipyard did this); the seam is hidden by a decorative teak strip. The cabin sole just behind the holding tank and under the head was also rotted but salvageable with penetrating epoxy.
It took me an entire day with a jigsaw and many blades to cut out the remaining compression post which was bonded to the post cover. This can be easily removed so it can be done off the boat on a workbench. The wiring was crap and had to be replaced, and above all, the culprit for all the above was the seal at the mast step where the wiring goes through the deck and into the mast. The wiring was replaced with wire cable as you can't bond 10 wires effectively so they don't leak, and a gland was used to effect the seal. The mast step was of course re-bedded.
Finally, the wood compression post was replaced with a stainless steel post with square flanges welded to each end. The deck was jacked up from the cabin sole with a bottle jack and a piece of 4x4 by an inch or so so that when the new post was fitted and the jack let down there was compression on the new post.
Have a good day. Ilan
One thing to realize is that the bottom of the head bulkhead was rotted out also and we had to cut the bottom 30% out and fit a new piece of plywood with the white laminate (shipyard did this); the seam is hidden by a decorative teak strip. The cabin sole just behind the holding tank and under the head was also rotted but salvageable with penetrating epoxy.
It took me an entire day with a jigsaw and many blades to cut out the remaining compression post which was bonded to the post cover. This can be easily removed so it can be done off the boat on a workbench. The wiring was crap and had to be replaced, and above all, the culprit for all the above was the seal at the mast step where the wiring goes through the deck and into the mast. The wiring was replaced with wire cable as you can't bond 10 wires effectively so they don't leak, and a gland was used to effect the seal. The mast step was of course re-bedded.
Finally, the wood compression post was replaced with a stainless steel post with square flanges welded to each end. The deck was jacked up from the cabin sole with a bottle jack and a piece of 4x4 by an inch or so so that when the new post was fitted and the jack let down there was compression on the new post.
Have a good day. Ilan
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The real problem is replacing the rotted/crushed wood inside the cross beam with something that won't rot or crush and is dimensionally stable. Check out the posts and links #3 and #8 of this thread:
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/compression-post-design-flaw.171280/#post-1208014
When this gets spongy, the rigging goes slack under load and the sail shape goes wonky and the boat gets cranky ..
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/compression-post-design-flaw.171280/#post-1208014
When this gets spongy, the rigging goes slack under load and the sail shape goes wonky and the boat gets cranky ..
I have a 1984 hunter 34 its a great boat but my compression post is still in great shape. at 15K id say go for it and fix it as you can and enjoy it otherwise
Nate,
My previous boat was a 1988 H33.5. Had a completely rotted compression post. You cant really determine the complete extent of damage until the teak cover is completely dismantled. Had the yard remove the mast. We removed the rotted compression post in entirety. Thankfully, the core beneath the deck was in good shape as was the underlying support beam at the bilge level. The yard had an aluminum beam with an upper & lower plate fabricated. Wooden stringers were attached to the post to facilitate reattachment of the teak covering. The deck was jacked up from inside the boat and the new aluminum post was secured Finally, the teak covering was replaced and the mast restepped. The approximate price that I paid about 13 years ago was $1200.00, which at the time, I considered to be a bargain. I would guesstimate that the cost of the repair would be in the $3000 range at current yard rates. This could be a do it yourself project if you are so inclined and have wood working skills and equipment. You can get a fabrication shop to weld up a post for you. Years ago, when I was dealing with this problem, there were detailed instructions posted on the Hunter Owners site for the repair procedure.
One other thing to look for, Hunters of this vintage were know to have extensive blistering/ boat pox problems, especially ones like mine that were located in warm Southern waters year round.
Would definitely have a surveyor completely inspect the boat in water & hauled out. The surveyor should be able to give you a detailed itemization of the problems and ball park estimates for current repair costs. If you decide to proceed with the purchase, the survey will give you legitimate bargaining power to renegotiate the sales price to compensate for any major repairs. Hope it all works out!
My previous boat was a 1988 H33.5. Had a completely rotted compression post. You cant really determine the complete extent of damage until the teak cover is completely dismantled. Had the yard remove the mast. We removed the rotted compression post in entirety. Thankfully, the core beneath the deck was in good shape as was the underlying support beam at the bilge level. The yard had an aluminum beam with an upper & lower plate fabricated. Wooden stringers were attached to the post to facilitate reattachment of the teak covering. The deck was jacked up from inside the boat and the new aluminum post was secured Finally, the teak covering was replaced and the mast restepped. The approximate price that I paid about 13 years ago was $1200.00, which at the time, I considered to be a bargain. I would guesstimate that the cost of the repair would be in the $3000 range at current yard rates. This could be a do it yourself project if you are so inclined and have wood working skills and equipment. You can get a fabrication shop to weld up a post for you. Years ago, when I was dealing with this problem, there were detailed instructions posted on the Hunter Owners site for the repair procedure.
One other thing to look for, Hunters of this vintage were know to have extensive blistering/ boat pox problems, especially ones like mine that were located in warm Southern waters year round.
Would definitely have a surveyor completely inspect the boat in water & hauled out. The surveyor should be able to give you a detailed itemization of the problems and ball park estimates for current repair costs. If you decide to proceed with the purchase, the survey will give you legitimate bargaining power to renegotiate the sales price to compensate for any major repairs. Hope it all works out!
The Hunter 34 is a good boat for the money and she is a good boat for Florida (light wind). I have done the compression post repair and I did it myself. It is not a deal breaker since it can be fixed. There is lots of info about how you can do that on this sight. I have not had any other major issues with mine but lots of little things. The construction of the boat is not the best but it's adequate for coastal cruising. The Maxwell winches ain't that great (ebay is a beautiful thing). It only holds 65 gallons of water. There is not much storage. The aft birth is claustrophobic. She is fast and points well and sails well in light air overall. She gets a little squirrely above 15 knots but if you learn how to handle her you will be a better sailor for it. She has wide decks so it's easy to move around on deck. She has a large wheel which makes steering easier and more precise. The Yanmar 3GMF is solid. The ice box is large and well insulated so adding a refrigeration kit is a great option. She is a great looking boat! You will not find a better boat for the money in the size range.
Thanks for all the quick and detailed responses everyone, super helpful! We had a surveyor take a peek at the post and the mast and they were pretty much the same conclusion: Fix it or don't buy it. If you buy it, realize there could be other hidden issues as this boat has various spots of water damage (sole, bulkhead, cabinet) and there's no certainty what it's insides look like, even with the moisture meter giving dry readings. So the worth of the boat has dropped a lot, but we're going to get a quote for the post replacement anyway and move on from there. Again, thanks for all the input!!
I do not know how much research you have done regarding other boats in the size range but I doubt you will find much for that price. $15K is very low for a 34 ft boat. It sounds like it is priced right.
that may be in line this day and time Maybe get a quote on the work first and use that as a bargaining chip in you r negotiations if you buy.