I bought a 1983 Hunter 27 in 9 years ago. My thought is that the integrity of the starboard salon bulkhead was comprimised and 'bowed out' , maybe 1", due to taking on water in the salon following a hurricane (wicking up water..that's my thought, maybe I'm wrong)). 3 years ago the salon took on more snow and rain water while being stored 'upland'. Since then the salon bulkhead has significantly 'bowed out'--now it's at least 3". The salon door leading to the head does not slide or close properly, the screw fastening the wood trim to the bulkhead in the head area has snapped in two. I can fit my fingers between the bulkhead and the top of the boat on the starboard side. The compression post feels and appears to be solid with no water damage evident. The forward bilge plate shows small signs of cracking. Is this normal wear and tear? My marina mechanic says replacing the bulkhead will solve this problem and restore the boat to it's normal shape, at a cost of $2,500. However, I'm not so sure if it is the bulkhead, or the core below the mast step plate that is rotted, and causing the top of the boat to compress...or is it the floor? The area surrounding the mast plate show a slight symmetrical indentation. Is this the normal design of the boat, or should this area be completely flat. My concern is that my boat is compressing from the top down, and or, the bottom up. I don't want to put a 'band aid' on this. Should I be follow my mechanic's advice, or is there something more sinister at work here?
- Status
bulkhead problems
My 1982 h27 was definitely compressing from the top down.
The top rail for the bulkhead door was bowed enough to pull out the
screws on port. On starboard there was (and is) a gap of about 1/2 inch. There is a noticeable indentation of the area around the base of the compression post. The deck, however, does not show any obvious indentation. My bulkhead does remain vertical.
My problem was due to the lack of a through-hull for the wires
underneath the mast. Water in the mast-step seeped down,
rotted the wood in the mast plate, ran down the compression post
(underneath the teak cover) and rotted the wood in the floor of the
head.
I cut a hole in the floor in front of the head to look at what is
underneath the compression post and found that the supporting
(flimsy) stringer was cracked.
My fix: I completely sealed the hole under the mast with fiberglass.
The masthead wires are run through a through-hull next to the mast
and connect in the head to the old wires going to the main panel.
The compression post was replaced and the stringer on which it sits was sistered to provide a firm support resting on the hull.
A removable board on the floor of the head allows me to check
that the foot of the compression post does not move.
I also have a 1X8 board resting on the shelf above the head
support the top piece into which the door track is screwed. The support of this board on the sink side seems firm.
I found that with the mast off it is easy to move things around with (cheap) hydraulic 1-4 ton automotive jacks.
I hope you are lucky and only have water damage to the bulkhead.
My 1982 h27 was definitely compressing from the top down.
The top rail for the bulkhead door was bowed enough to pull out the
screws on port. On starboard there was (and is) a gap of about 1/2 inch. There is a noticeable indentation of the area around the base of the compression post. The deck, however, does not show any obvious indentation. My bulkhead does remain vertical.
My problem was due to the lack of a through-hull for the wires
underneath the mast. Water in the mast-step seeped down,
rotted the wood in the mast plate, ran down the compression post
(underneath the teak cover) and rotted the wood in the floor of the
head.
I cut a hole in the floor in front of the head to look at what is
underneath the compression post and found that the supporting
(flimsy) stringer was cracked.
My fix: I completely sealed the hole under the mast with fiberglass.
The masthead wires are run through a through-hull next to the mast
and connect in the head to the old wires going to the main panel.
The compression post was replaced and the stringer on which it sits was sistered to provide a firm support resting on the hull.
A removable board on the floor of the head allows me to check
that the foot of the compression post does not move.
I also have a 1X8 board resting on the shelf above the head
support the top piece into which the door track is screwed. The support of this board on the sink side seems firm.
I found that with the mast off it is easy to move things around with (cheap) hydraulic 1-4 ton automotive jacks.
I hope you are lucky and only have water damage to the bulkhead.
Thank you for your reply. You mentioned your deck does not show any obvious indentation. Does that mean the area around the step plate should be at a completely flat horizontal dimension? Mine shows a slight symmetrical indentation around the mast plate. So, I'm not sure if it is simply the design of the boat, or if it indeed is compressing. Also, I would probably pay the marina to do the work you are describing. Any idea what to expect in terms of scope and cost of the job? Thanks again for your input....very valuable information and I do greatly appreciate it!
I am reasonably sure that the plate under the mast was flat
initially. When water got into the wood in the mast plate and rotted it out the top layer compressed.
I did not notice a compression on my boat, but I scraped out as much of the rotted balsa as I could get to, plugged the hole from underneath in the cabin roof and poured West fiberglass into the hole on top to backfill the hole and the scraped out space. My mast step now sits on a pretty solid glass plug. I would not worry about any indentation now. If the deck were still sinking
the problem would have to be at the base of the compression post.
I have no idea what a yard would recommend or charge.
initially. When water got into the wood in the mast plate and rotted it out the top layer compressed.
I did not notice a compression on my boat, but I scraped out as much of the rotted balsa as I could get to, plugged the hole from underneath in the cabin roof and poured West fiberglass into the hole on top to backfill the hole and the scraped out space. My mast step now sits on a pretty solid glass plug. I would not worry about any indentation now. If the deck were still sinking
the problem would have to be at the base of the compression post.
I have no idea what a yard would recommend or charge.
Take a screwdriver with a plastic handle and tap the handle in the compressed area. If you hear a dull thud you lilkely have wet core and need to look further into it. If you heard a sharp rap (try tapping in areas far from deck perforations, such as the middle of the cabin top) then it is probably the block under the compression post instead. It could also be that your shrouds are WAY too tight.
If you have the wires running from a plug besides the mast step unscrew the pklug fitting from the deck and you will be able to poke around with a small screwdrive or awl. If you note any wet wood the problem is the balsa under the mast step is wet and probably rotten. This allows it to compress. You could also remove the mast step fitting and drill a small hole to see if the core is wet. This way if it's not just fill the small hole with resin and it will be covered with the mast step fitting when you're done.
The deck under the mast step should be flat not concave. If you have a wet core you could cut out a small section slightly smaller than the raised portion of the step, clean it out and refill it with glass and resin. Then you could cover it with an aluminum plate the size of the bump up of the step. I did this on my old H-27 so I would not have to do fancy fibergalss work. It came out really nice.
The deck under the mast step should be flat not concave. If you have a wet core you could cut out a small section slightly smaller than the raised portion of the step, clean it out and refill it with glass and resin. Then you could cover it with an aluminum plate the size of the bump up of the step. I did this on my old H-27 so I would not have to do fancy fibergalss work. It came out really nice.
- Status