Centerboard Stress

[Dean Eiland]

Has anyone noticed stress cracks in the gel coat around the front of the centerboard well of their H26? How about chips it the fiberglass in and around the recess area of the centerboard well?Just wonderingDean Eiland“Chateau de Vent”

 

[Steve]

YES

I've had a few small cracks just 3" or so foward of the trunk, about 3 to 4" long. Seems the annual bottom paint covers up and doesn't appear, but you can tell if you look just right. I believe they to be surface cracks and not in the fiberglass structure, even so it would be into the tank area. I think there is a lot of stress in this area due to the compression post and the 6 foot board that has a tremendous amount of forces reacting. A downwind run in swells can really put back and forth pressures on the board, enough that once I believe I observed movement movement (1/8") between the compression post bottom and the surrounding finshed trunk. No chips in the well, but you bet I'll be looking closer this spring! good luck

 

[Alan Long]

Sort of

I had to have the centerboard removed from my 23.5 for repair. I didn't notice cracks around the trunk, but the centerboard itself had a split in it almost a foot long. It had to be repaired using West System epoxy. The boat yard that did the repairs said they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen again due to the design of the centerboard system. Seems that there are huge stresses on the board and its mounting system. I'm going to check mine at least yearly.Good luckAlan LongS/V Random Access

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

centerboard

Sometimes if looking up in the centerboard well housing, you might see an area of extra gel, do not worry about this. If the centerboard is split, then it needs to be repaired no if ands or buts.Crazy Dave Codnon

 

[Walr Remele]

Stress Cracks

Dean,Bought a H26 new in 1994. In '95 when looking things over I noticed there were gelcoat cracks emanating from the corners of the centreboard well. Extended out 3 to 4 inches if I remember correctly. Additionally, there was a substantial leak around the compression post area that manifested itself when the boat was heavily loaded. I explored the problem with a local fiberglass repair outfit, contacted Hunter, and told them what was suspected.The fiberglass outfit fixed the leak and reinforced the bottom in front of the centreboard well. Hunter went good for the repair to the tune of $700+.Subsequent seasons have shown no sign of cracking or leaks.The problem seems to be repairable.WaltJ Shammah