Planning to cross the Atlantic with a Hunter 54' from Connecticut to the Balears (Mediterranean). We are seeking suggestions on routes, best time of the year to travel and descriptions of similar experiences.
- Status
The dinghy garage
My very strong suggestion for you is to fibreglass over the dinghy garage!!! This was NEVER a good idea from a seaworthiness standpoint and in my estimation– though I have never sailed a 54 through any weather– you ought not to run the risk of getting pooped and letting that hole flood. I had a conversation/debate with the Annapolis sales reps when the 54 first came out, asking if that dinghy door were watertight. The reps all chimed in that it was. Seeing only a handle there I asked what kept it closed (none of this was under my father's auspices as designer and so I had no clue as to how they had done it). They said it was 'spring-loaded'. I turned to my then-amused neophyte girlfriend and said, 'In my experience, nothing "spring-loaded" is ever "watertight".' Those two adjectives must be considered by the prudent yachtsman as mutually exclusive. Please, Andrea, solve the potental catastrophe of the dinghy garage before leaving port. Use a very reliable weatherstripping, put duct tape over the door seam, even screw the bloody thing shut– and don't complain about having the dinghy in the way till you are in protected waters. No pram stored on deck could ever be more of an inconvenience than 80-odd cubic feet of water-tank waiting to be filled by an angry following sea in the north 40s. That dinghy garage idea was born and bred on the lee shore of the Gulf of Mexico and never intended to cross entire oceans. However I am sure that once you are rid of this worry you will have a very fast if somewhat bumpy trip, and be able to enjoy the Med in a very roomy, cool-looking boat. Say hello to the Gib for me! JC
My very strong suggestion for you is to fibreglass over the dinghy garage!!! This was NEVER a good idea from a seaworthiness standpoint and in my estimation– though I have never sailed a 54 through any weather– you ought not to run the risk of getting pooped and letting that hole flood. I had a conversation/debate with the Annapolis sales reps when the 54 first came out, asking if that dinghy door were watertight. The reps all chimed in that it was. Seeing only a handle there I asked what kept it closed (none of this was under my father's auspices as designer and so I had no clue as to how they had done it). They said it was 'spring-loaded'. I turned to my then-amused neophyte girlfriend and said, 'In my experience, nothing "spring-loaded" is ever "watertight".' Those two adjectives must be considered by the prudent yachtsman as mutually exclusive. Please, Andrea, solve the potental catastrophe of the dinghy garage before leaving port. Use a very reliable weatherstripping, put duct tape over the door seam, even screw the bloody thing shut– and don't complain about having the dinghy in the way till you are in protected waters. No pram stored on deck could ever be more of an inconvenience than 80-odd cubic feet of water-tank waiting to be filled by an angry following sea in the north 40s. That dinghy garage idea was born and bred on the lee shore of the Gulf of Mexico and never intended to cross entire oceans. However I am sure that once you are rid of this worry you will have a very fast if somewhat bumpy trip, and be able to enjoy the Med in a very roomy, cool-looking boat. Say hello to the Gib for me! JC
A modest proposal
Might I make a modest proposal: Why not take a practice run down the Atlantic coast before going across the big pond. I worry that if you have to ask advice about when to leave, you might not know how to avoid that winter storm. You should get some books about sailing directions and pilot charts (the square-rigged ship Captains used them and they are still valid today), read all of them and then make your own informed decision. It sounds like you just bought your 54 and may not know much about the boat let alone what the short "jump" across the Atlantic will bring. Go see "Perfect Storm" and understand that we are all humbled before Mother Nature. Sail safe but go sailing, DJ P.S. I think it would be good to screw the garage door closed.
Might I make a modest proposal: Why not take a practice run down the Atlantic coast before going across the big pond. I worry that if you have to ask advice about when to leave, you might not know how to avoid that winter storm. You should get some books about sailing directions and pilot charts (the square-rigged ship Captains used them and they are still valid today), read all of them and then make your own informed decision. It sounds like you just bought your 54 and may not know much about the boat let alone what the short "jump" across the Atlantic will bring. Go see "Perfect Storm" and understand that we are all humbled before Mother Nature. Sail safe but go sailing, DJ P.S. I think it would be good to screw the garage door closed.
Cruising World Article
A recent (I believe October) issue of Cruising World had an extensive article on crossing the Atlantic, covering routes, timing, and weather. If CW isn't the right magazine check Sail or Blue Water Sailor.
A recent (I believe October) issue of Cruising World had an extensive article on crossing the Atlantic, covering routes, timing, and weather. If CW isn't the right magazine check Sail or Blue Water Sailor.
H54 Dinghy Garage Door
J Cherubini brings up a good point, but I don't think it's necessary to either fiberglass over the garage, nor screw the door shut. The design of the door is to be watertight, but not airtight. There is a lip around the garage opening, and the door closes around this lip. On my H54, the door is kept closed mostly by its weight. There is a hasp on one side for a padlock. The dinghy compartment is small and watertight. Were it to be "pooped" it would just as quickly unpoop. I'd agree that the door itself could benefit from a sturdier method of securing it, and there must be a number of ways to accomplish that, short of permanently closing it. Eric Lorgus s/v Impulse 83H54
J Cherubini brings up a good point, but I don't think it's necessary to either fiberglass over the garage, nor screw the door shut. The design of the door is to be watertight, but not airtight. There is a lip around the garage opening, and the door closes around this lip. On my H54, the door is kept closed mostly by its weight. There is a hasp on one side for a padlock. The dinghy compartment is small and watertight. Were it to be "pooped" it would just as quickly unpoop. I'd agree that the door itself could benefit from a sturdier method of securing it, and there must be a number of ways to accomplish that, short of permanently closing it. Eric Lorgus s/v Impulse 83H54
watertight door?
It's not necessary to permanently close the garage door on the 54 for open-water sailing. Fibreglassing may be a bit too drastic but I would definitely, at the very least, apply some very good (and thick) closed-cell-foam weatherstripping and then run a dozen fat SS sheet-metal screws through the door into whatever will hold them. Caulk the screwholes with 5200 too. This could be reverted back to stock with a bit of scraping and putty later. Otherwise you are sailing with about 80 cubic ft of space waiting to flood under the unpredictable conditions of the open ocean. This will weigh about 5000 lbs, or as much as my '68 Buick. I don't know about you but on a boat designed to have all the benefits of ultralight displacement I don't want this kind of burden anywhere close. I wrote in these boards once that I'd worry this could snap half the boat off– and yes, that would include the backstay (BTW– if your 54 has a standing backstay it is NOT a true Bergstrom rig, but my dad's interpretation of it, which is what I believe was really used). I also don't know about the so-called 'watertight' door allowing the water to run out just as fast. Seems to me the greater likelihood in weather that might poop it full of water is that the next wave will do it again before the first garageful has fully drained– and perhaps take the door off while it's at it, leaving you fully exposed to a stern-heavy condition whilst the following seas keep the garage full. You've got to admit that having that door simply bang closed is not anywhere CLOSE to being seaworthy. When going to sea in a small ship EVERY prudence which manifests itself in taking actual physical safety precautions may still not be enough. Why take chances? JC
It's not necessary to permanently close the garage door on the 54 for open-water sailing. Fibreglassing may be a bit too drastic but I would definitely, at the very least, apply some very good (and thick) closed-cell-foam weatherstripping and then run a dozen fat SS sheet-metal screws through the door into whatever will hold them. Caulk the screwholes with 5200 too. This could be reverted back to stock with a bit of scraping and putty later. Otherwise you are sailing with about 80 cubic ft of space waiting to flood under the unpredictable conditions of the open ocean. This will weigh about 5000 lbs, or as much as my '68 Buick. I don't know about you but on a boat designed to have all the benefits of ultralight displacement I don't want this kind of burden anywhere close. I wrote in these boards once that I'd worry this could snap half the boat off– and yes, that would include the backstay (BTW– if your 54 has a standing backstay it is NOT a true Bergstrom rig, but my dad's interpretation of it, which is what I believe was really used). I also don't know about the so-called 'watertight' door allowing the water to run out just as fast. Seems to me the greater likelihood in weather that might poop it full of water is that the next wave will do it again before the first garageful has fully drained– and perhaps take the door off while it's at it, leaving you fully exposed to a stern-heavy condition whilst the following seas keep the garage full. You've got to admit that having that door simply bang closed is not anywhere CLOSE to being seaworthy. When going to sea in a small ship EVERY prudence which manifests itself in taking actual physical safety precautions may still not be enough. Why take chances? JC
airtight door?
By the way if the 54's garage door were truly AIRTIGHT it would only help buoyancy in a seaway. My suggestion of fixing it closed could only help attain that. (FYI– One scheme that came up during the original 1977 design of Warren Luhrs' Tuesday's Child was to include 2500 lbs of closed-cell foam throughout which would ensure the boat a Boston-Whaler-like unsinkable buoyancy. I wrote in some article at the time that the Observer Transatlantic did, after all, traverse the route of the Titanic! –including the one hazard which alone might have necessitated that kind of impact insurance. But when the 2500 lbs of foam was weighed against the installation of an engine, tankage, controls, etc., the result of this debate was to do without BOTH the foam AND the engine, saving the whole 2500 lbs –typical of my dad and Warren's thinking together!) JC
By the way if the 54's garage door were truly AIRTIGHT it would only help buoyancy in a seaway. My suggestion of fixing it closed could only help attain that. (FYI– One scheme that came up during the original 1977 design of Warren Luhrs' Tuesday's Child was to include 2500 lbs of closed-cell foam throughout which would ensure the boat a Boston-Whaler-like unsinkable buoyancy. I wrote in some article at the time that the Observer Transatlantic did, after all, traverse the route of the Titanic! –including the one hazard which alone might have necessitated that kind of impact insurance. But when the 2500 lbs of foam was weighed against the installation of an engine, tankage, controls, etc., the result of this debate was to do without BOTH the foam AND the engine, saving the whole 2500 lbs –typical of my dad and Warren's thinking together!) JC
not 2500
(Sorry, all– now that I think on it, it must have been closer to 1500 lbs of foam in Tuesday's Child, or even less. Sorry but I guess I forget. The boat was FAR lighter that the stock 20-21,000-lb version, maybe even down around 10-12,000. The hull was almost unacceptably light due to the use of a full tube frame, like that in a drag-racing funny car, which bore all the stresses and loads. The skin only kept water out, as my dad said.) JC
(Sorry, all– now that I think on it, it must have been closer to 1500 lbs of foam in Tuesday's Child, or even less. Sorry but I guess I forget. The boat was FAR lighter that the stock 20-21,000-lb version, maybe even down around 10-12,000. The hull was almost unacceptably light due to the use of a full tube frame, like that in a drag-racing funny car, which bore all the stresses and loads. The skin only kept water out, as my dad said.) JC
Garadge Door reality
I have done the transpac 2 times now in my hunter 54 - I was also concerned about this. I have a hasp on both sides of the door and I kept them both of them closed for the trips. Several times I took substaintail waves over the stern - But none of them Filled the cockpit. Even though I took several good hits I never noticed the back of the boat dragging so I don't beileve the back filled. On the first trip I had an inflatable dingy in the garadge and it was not filled with water when I got to Hawaii. If I were headed into really nasty weather I would make sure both hasps are closed and duct tape the edges. I would use a generous width of tape becuase there will be flexing which could make the duct tape come loose. But before I worried about this there are 2 more important problem to consider if your headed into rough weather. The first thing to check is the bow. Maybe my boat was not constructed as well as other - but the first time I hit nasty weather on the bow I was shocked to see how much the sides of the bow oil can. The sides of the boat between the bow and the first bulkhead are quite flat and there are no stiffeners. When I got in to port I inspected the area and found stress cracks and some minor delamination near the bulkhead. The previous owener only used the boat for cocktail cruises - so I doubt if he stressed the boat much. I laminated stiffeners into the bow - and there is now very little oil canning. I believe that if I had not done this I would have experienced serious delamination in the bow. Problem #2 is the cockpit drains - It looks like there are 2 - .75" (visible) drains and 2 - 1.5" drains (in the life raft storage locker in the floor). But I noticed the my cockpit did not drain very well - so I pulled the Raft and inspected the drains. Hunter had done all the right stuff for 2 big drains but then they only cut a .75" hole at the inlet. To make matters worse - they put a grate over this hole. The grate cut the effective drain size significantly and quickly plugs stuff becuase this is where "stuff" tends to go when your cleaning the boat. The solution is not fun but does not take long. Get a dremle tool and cut the opening in the bottom of the locker to match the pipe size which is attached. Be careful not to over drill this. Its easy to feel the opening and the area cuts away quickly becuase its just filler material. Back on the Rear door subject - Not to scare you but - There is no way this area will actually support the weight if it actually fills with water. Crawl in there and you will see that fiber glass is very thin and it is unsupported in the middle. Also the seal at the door end was not very well laminated (on my boat anyway). I used to use this area to store stuff like extra fuel and garbage. After doing this on a few cruises the seal started to crack and then developed a significant leak. I had to reglass this seal to reseal it - and to make sure I didn't have to worry about structural failure of the seals.
I have done the transpac 2 times now in my hunter 54 - I was also concerned about this. I have a hasp on both sides of the door and I kept them both of them closed for the trips. Several times I took substaintail waves over the stern - But none of them Filled the cockpit. Even though I took several good hits I never noticed the back of the boat dragging so I don't beileve the back filled. On the first trip I had an inflatable dingy in the garadge and it was not filled with water when I got to Hawaii. If I were headed into really nasty weather I would make sure both hasps are closed and duct tape the edges. I would use a generous width of tape becuase there will be flexing which could make the duct tape come loose. But before I worried about this there are 2 more important problem to consider if your headed into rough weather. The first thing to check is the bow. Maybe my boat was not constructed as well as other - but the first time I hit nasty weather on the bow I was shocked to see how much the sides of the bow oil can. The sides of the boat between the bow and the first bulkhead are quite flat and there are no stiffeners. When I got in to port I inspected the area and found stress cracks and some minor delamination near the bulkhead. The previous owener only used the boat for cocktail cruises - so I doubt if he stressed the boat much. I laminated stiffeners into the bow - and there is now very little oil canning. I believe that if I had not done this I would have experienced serious delamination in the bow. Problem #2 is the cockpit drains - It looks like there are 2 - .75" (visible) drains and 2 - 1.5" drains (in the life raft storage locker in the floor). But I noticed the my cockpit did not drain very well - so I pulled the Raft and inspected the drains. Hunter had done all the right stuff for 2 big drains but then they only cut a .75" hole at the inlet. To make matters worse - they put a grate over this hole. The grate cut the effective drain size significantly and quickly plugs stuff becuase this is where "stuff" tends to go when your cleaning the boat. The solution is not fun but does not take long. Get a dremle tool and cut the opening in the bottom of the locker to match the pipe size which is attached. Be careful not to over drill this. Its easy to feel the opening and the area cuts away quickly becuase its just filler material. Back on the Rear door subject - Not to scare you but - There is no way this area will actually support the weight if it actually fills with water. Crawl in there and you will see that fiber glass is very thin and it is unsupported in the middle. Also the seal at the door end was not very well laminated (on my boat anyway). I used to use this area to store stuff like extra fuel and garbage. After doing this on a few cruises the seal started to crack and then developed a significant leak. I had to reglass this seal to reseal it - and to make sure I didn't have to worry about structural failure of the seals.
Duct Tape and Feathers
Boat designers and blue water cruisers have more experience than I in some areas but when it comes to duct tape, the hardware store variety, well, I'd like to add my experience. The stuff doesn't stick in wet conditions. I've tried several brands, both domestic and imported, and it doesn't hold up, at least not on our Hunter. The first several (8) years our '88 H-35 had leaky skylights and ports. In '91 we circumnavigated Vancouver Island and duct-taped the skylight joints and taped Safeway plastic bags over the ports. When things got wet the tape pealed off. Our pictures rounding Cape Scott really show the duct tape well. Warranty? Don't ask! With regard to feathers and scupper drains, where the scupper has the metal strainer, feathers will plug them easily. The walk-through stern is really nice for the elimination of water accumulation in the cockpit. And the water leaks? It's been over 3 years now and not a single leak. Finally!
Boat designers and blue water cruisers have more experience than I in some areas but when it comes to duct tape, the hardware store variety, well, I'd like to add my experience. The stuff doesn't stick in wet conditions. I've tried several brands, both domestic and imported, and it doesn't hold up, at least not on our Hunter. The first several (8) years our '88 H-35 had leaky skylights and ports. In '91 we circumnavigated Vancouver Island and duct-taped the skylight joints and taped Safeway plastic bags over the ports. When things got wet the tape pealed off. Our pictures rounding Cape Scott really show the duct tape well. Warranty? Don't ask! With regard to feathers and scupper drains, where the scupper has the metal strainer, feathers will plug them easily. The walk-through stern is really nice for the elimination of water accumulation in the cockpit. And the water leaks? It's been over 3 years now and not a single leak. Finally!
Duct tape
At times I think my boat is held together with duct tape - A few helpfull hints on getting it to work. The surface must be clean, dry and have no wax on it. This pretty much rules out using it once you leave port if the weather is bad. I clean the area with water and let it dry - then do a quick wipe with acetone - This removes any wax. Note that seriously chalked surfaces will also have problems with Duct tape because the tape will simply be sticking to the flacky chalk on the surface. My boat still has its original gel coat layer - but tape sticks well as long as I use a little rubbing compound to remove the worst of the chalking. Some rubbing compounds have wax in them so remember to remove the remove the wax after using rubbing compound. Let the area dry for a few Min. then put the tape on. Letting the area back in the sun for a day really gives good adhesion. Sun is really tough on duct tape so don't expect it to work for more than about 1 month. After a month in the sun the adhesive will be backed on pretty well but the backing will start comming off so the tape will not be water tight. I use a good paste wax scrub to remove the residue. If I add up all the time I have spent applying duct tape and cleaning up the mess it makes - It is probably 3X the time it would have taken to properly fix the areas - But this weekend I will once again have to decied if I will fix the leaky areas properly or slap some duct tape on them and go sailing.
At times I think my boat is held together with duct tape - A few helpfull hints on getting it to work. The surface must be clean, dry and have no wax on it. This pretty much rules out using it once you leave port if the weather is bad. I clean the area with water and let it dry - then do a quick wipe with acetone - This removes any wax. Note that seriously chalked surfaces will also have problems with Duct tape because the tape will simply be sticking to the flacky chalk on the surface. My boat still has its original gel coat layer - but tape sticks well as long as I use a little rubbing compound to remove the worst of the chalking. Some rubbing compounds have wax in them so remember to remove the remove the wax after using rubbing compound. Let the area dry for a few Min. then put the tape on. Letting the area back in the sun for a day really gives good adhesion. Sun is really tough on duct tape so don't expect it to work for more than about 1 month. After a month in the sun the adhesive will be backed on pretty well but the backing will start comming off so the tape will not be water tight. I use a good paste wax scrub to remove the residue. If I add up all the time I have spent applying duct tape and cleaning up the mess it makes - It is probably 3X the time it would have taken to properly fix the areas - But this weekend I will once again have to decied if I will fix the leaky areas properly or slap some duct tape on them and go sailing.
54 Problems
Despite my knowing better I bought a Hunter 54 recently and also plan on making distance trips with it. But I am not going to do so without a major overhaul. Dont get defensive other H 54 owners, I think the boat has some positive points. Its just that Hunter over looked some basic boat building rules. I could go into this in great detail, but I will just quickly mention 5 points, some already mentioned in the previous replys. 1. Laminate thickness is low even in high stress areas 2. Secondary bonds were not preped correctly 3. Drains all need to be bigger 4. Secure the garage door so that it will not open in a large following seaway 5. Check every piece of deck hardware. Hunter is notorious for not using a backing plate and locking nuts. In fact my all of the winches on the cabin top were installed without nuts-just tapped into the fiberglass of the deck. In a few months I hope to share the work I have done on my 54 in a web site. Back to your original question Andrea, read everything you can and ask questions. I dont mean to make this sound like a lecture from your father, but remember too, nothing can replace experience. Maybe starting with smaller trips first is the way to go. If you still feel hesitant or unsure of where to start, email or call me. I have worked as a captain, boat builder and weather router. Maybe I can steer you in the right direction. Joe Thomas jtweather@hotmail.com 419 578 5321 work
Despite my knowing better I bought a Hunter 54 recently and also plan on making distance trips with it. But I am not going to do so without a major overhaul. Dont get defensive other H 54 owners, I think the boat has some positive points. Its just that Hunter over looked some basic boat building rules. I could go into this in great detail, but I will just quickly mention 5 points, some already mentioned in the previous replys. 1. Laminate thickness is low even in high stress areas 2. Secondary bonds were not preped correctly 3. Drains all need to be bigger 4. Secure the garage door so that it will not open in a large following seaway 5. Check every piece of deck hardware. Hunter is notorious for not using a backing plate and locking nuts. In fact my all of the winches on the cabin top were installed without nuts-just tapped into the fiberglass of the deck. In a few months I hope to share the work I have done on my 54 in a web site. Back to your original question Andrea, read everything you can and ask questions. I dont mean to make this sound like a lecture from your father, but remember too, nothing can replace experience. Maybe starting with smaller trips first is the way to go. If you still feel hesitant or unsure of where to start, email or call me. I have worked as a captain, boat builder and weather router. Maybe I can steer you in the right direction. Joe Thomas jtweather@hotmail.com 419 578 5321 work
The garage
Thanks to Mr Beazell for his insightful and knowledgeable comments! And how appropriate that he uses the 'garage' for storing the garbage prior to taking it out to the street! [laugh] The oil-canning is perfectly typical of taking mid-range production sailboats to sea– and Mr Beazell's solution is textbook. I'm not sure it would actually delam but I can't imagine it would make you feel good to see it. Consider also ensuring, whatever drain modifications are made, that they are fully fibreglassed (no use of hose, pipe, and associated fittings, etc., especially not PVC!). Use woven roving or Fabmat but NOT merely cloth and definitely not mat alone. Once they are glassed between hull and cockpit pan they essentially become structural. Let them only add rigidity– do not attempt to 'fix' any shape or add strength to anything by altering the drain pipes as they will transmit the stress (and shape change) directly to the hull. People may be interested to know that the area eventually used for the dinghy garage on the 54 was originally considered for: 1. big motorboat-type cockpit fitted with transom doors for freestanding deck chairs. etc., creating a sort of sailing SUV (my dad's idea); 2. open-transom steering cockpit for racing version fitted with big wheel, leaving a 'passenger'/jib handling cockpit forward of the mizzen (in fact Warren L. favoured the ketch version); 3. after 'master suite' with head, bathtub, etc. making the boat ideal for Caribbean/Keys chartering (my idea). Shows you what marketing hath wrought in the end. You got a garage. [sigh] JC
Thanks to Mr Beazell for his insightful and knowledgeable comments! And how appropriate that he uses the 'garage' for storing the garbage prior to taking it out to the street! [laugh] The oil-canning is perfectly typical of taking mid-range production sailboats to sea– and Mr Beazell's solution is textbook. I'm not sure it would actually delam but I can't imagine it would make you feel good to see it. Consider also ensuring, whatever drain modifications are made, that they are fully fibreglassed (no use of hose, pipe, and associated fittings, etc., especially not PVC!). Use woven roving or Fabmat but NOT merely cloth and definitely not mat alone. Once they are glassed between hull and cockpit pan they essentially become structural. Let them only add rigidity– do not attempt to 'fix' any shape or add strength to anything by altering the drain pipes as they will transmit the stress (and shape change) directly to the hull. People may be interested to know that the area eventually used for the dinghy garage on the 54 was originally considered for: 1. big motorboat-type cockpit fitted with transom doors for freestanding deck chairs. etc., creating a sort of sailing SUV (my dad's idea); 2. open-transom steering cockpit for racing version fitted with big wheel, leaving a 'passenger'/jib handling cockpit forward of the mizzen (in fact Warren L. favoured the ketch version); 3. after 'master suite' with head, bathtub, etc. making the boat ideal for Caribbean/Keys chartering (my idea). Shows you what marketing hath wrought in the end. You got a garage. [sigh] JC
Duct tape on the garage door
Despite many temporary successes and its apparent convenience, avoid all use of standard duct tape outdoors. After a short while in the sun the silvery stuff will flake off the adhesive, leaving a chalky, gummy, nearly indestructible substance that does nothing but look ugly and come off on your pants. I don't think paint thinner or even acetone will get this off– you will have to go to some EPA-hating heavy-duty chemical like MEK or methalene chloride. There are countries on the globe which might not even let you into port with a can of that stuff on board! I am glad that Mr Beazell's had success using hasps to keep the door closed but I reiterate my suggestion of screwing it down over weatherstripping and sealing the screw holes with 5200 for a one-time trip offshore. This is MUCH more easily reverted to 'clean' condition than you may think. The antidote for cured 5200 on finished fibreglass is an X-acto blade and a bit of acetone applied with a common a scrub brush. Putty the holes again with white-pigmented 5-minute epoxy and sand gently till you like it again (did this moving dodger mounts on the 25 and you could scarcely even see it). JC
Despite many temporary successes and its apparent convenience, avoid all use of standard duct tape outdoors. After a short while in the sun the silvery stuff will flake off the adhesive, leaving a chalky, gummy, nearly indestructible substance that does nothing but look ugly and come off on your pants. I don't think paint thinner or even acetone will get this off– you will have to go to some EPA-hating heavy-duty chemical like MEK or methalene chloride. There are countries on the globe which might not even let you into port with a can of that stuff on board! I am glad that Mr Beazell's had success using hasps to keep the door closed but I reiterate my suggestion of screwing it down over weatherstripping and sealing the screw holes with 5200 for a one-time trip offshore. This is MUCH more easily reverted to 'clean' condition than you may think. The antidote for cured 5200 on finished fibreglass is an X-acto blade and a bit of acetone applied with a common a scrub brush. Putty the holes again with white-pigmented 5-minute epoxy and sand gently till you like it again (did this moving dodger mounts on the 25 and you could scarcely even see it). JC
Duct tape goo cleaning
John, I have had great success cleaning messy duct tape goo with just plain old regular gasoline. Of course surface to be cleaned must be taken in consideration. Well ventilated area. Basically same type of carefulness you would exercize with acetone.
John, I have had great success cleaning messy duct tape goo with just plain old regular gasoline. Of course surface to be cleaned must be taken in consideration. Well ventilated area. Basically same type of carefulness you would exercize with acetone.
Duct tape
Peggy's right---WD40 works. So does a product called adhesive remover (I think by 3M). It Comes in a quart can like acetone and is a similar consistancy but much less harmful to fiberglass
Peggy's right---WD40 works. So does a product called adhesive remover (I think by 3M). It Comes in a quart can like acetone and is a similar consistancy but much less harmful to fiberglass
Hunter 54 problems
I'm a little late on this reply - but I just saw Joe Thomas' notes and wanted to comment. I agree on the backing plate observations - In fact I still believe that hasps on the garge door are adequate - but I completelt agree that they need to have backing plates. I put them on a long time ago. On my hunter 54 there are no backing plates on any of the winches (including the primaries in the cockpit). I was amazed that they had not pulled out of their mounts until I realized that hunter laminated aluminum plates into the decks in several locations. So all of the deck hardware is not simply taped into fiberglass. It is tapped into a thick aluminum plate. I have put my deck hardware through some pretty tough use and I have never had anything pull out of these plates. The locations I know of for these plates are: On the cabin top under the Winches and stoppers On the top of the cockpit combing where the primary winches are mounted Under the main traveler on the cabin top Under the mast step area. There may be more that I have not found yet. Note that I have removed the screws from most of thes plates and they are not badly corroded - which indicates that they must not have been leaking. But a few were - so I wouldn't trust a critical screw that has been in place for 10 years. Having said this I still recommend backing plates for all High load hardware. When I install High load hardware I drill and tape the deck - and I put a backing plate under the hardware. For non-critical hardware - I just tap into these plates. Me deck organizers (which are loaded in sheer rather than tension) do not have backing plates - but all the winches do. After tapping the Hole I also clean it up with alcohal to remove the cutting oil (usually wd-40) and let it dry before using a good sealer on the threads and under the hardware. If anyone knows where all the these plates are located and what Hunter was thinking when they did this I would be interested in knowing.
I'm a little late on this reply - but I just saw Joe Thomas' notes and wanted to comment. I agree on the backing plate observations - In fact I still believe that hasps on the garge door are adequate - but I completelt agree that they need to have backing plates. I put them on a long time ago. On my hunter 54 there are no backing plates on any of the winches (including the primaries in the cockpit). I was amazed that they had not pulled out of their mounts until I realized that hunter laminated aluminum plates into the decks in several locations. So all of the deck hardware is not simply taped into fiberglass. It is tapped into a thick aluminum plate. I have put my deck hardware through some pretty tough use and I have never had anything pull out of these plates. The locations I know of for these plates are: On the cabin top under the Winches and stoppers On the top of the cockpit combing where the primary winches are mounted Under the main traveler on the cabin top Under the mast step area. There may be more that I have not found yet. Note that I have removed the screws from most of thes plates and they are not badly corroded - which indicates that they must not have been leaking. But a few were - so I wouldn't trust a critical screw that has been in place for 10 years. Having said this I still recommend backing plates for all High load hardware. When I install High load hardware I drill and tape the deck - and I put a backing plate under the hardware. For non-critical hardware - I just tap into these plates. Me deck organizers (which are loaded in sheer rather than tension) do not have backing plates - but all the winches do. After tapping the Hole I also clean it up with alcohal to remove the cutting oil (usually wd-40) and let it dry before using a good sealer on the threads and under the hardware. If anyone knows where all the these plates are located and what Hunter was thinking when they did this I would be interested in knowing.
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