As a reference for those of you that have Hunter's built recently. I don't have exact dates but hopefully I have enough information for you to figure your boat out. We have had issues with our fresh water system since we took possession of the boat at the end of last August. Some were due to parts that were broken by the mechanic that did the winterizing for the previous owner..........OK, a lot had to do with that. The PO really did not use it a lot so there is a huge sanitizing project that is going to happen with spring commissioning. What I would like to share with you is information I had to learn along the way.
Our boat is plumbed entirely with PEX tubing, red for hot water, blue for cold. Having used household PEX I can tell you that it is a strong product that resists freeze damage which is important up north. The PEX used on our Hunter's is the Sea Tech brand, along with their own line of plastic PEX fittings. There are similar products out there but OEM is Sea Tech and the only place I could find it is Hamilton Marine in Maine (disclaimer, I have no relationship with them). The tubing is 15mm in size if you want to add or replace. The beauty of the product is you only need to make a clean cut on the tubing using tubing cutters (NO hack saws or utility knives!!!), insert the tubing into the fitting until it seats and gently pull out to set the seal. There is an inner sleeve that pulls out of the fitting about 1/8". The fittings and tubing can also be disconnected and reused many times. I have added a photo of a Sea Tech fitting for reference. The second image is of the locking clip that SHOULD be inserted in each fitting to keep it engaged with the tubing. Once you gently pull out on the tubing and the inner sleeve slides out to engage the tubing, one of these clips need to be inserted to lock everything in place. When our Hunter was plumbed they only installed a few clips, the rest of the fittings can still move around and therefore LEAK. If you have pesky fresh water leaks into the bilge of your newer Hunter I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes and look over your plumbing fittings. (for example, I have a hot water connection that leaks under the galley and sprays everywhere when you pressurize the system.....sometimes, depending if the sleeve has moved in our out). My weekend project is to take my new bag of clips and start at the fresh water tank in the bow, tracing each PEX tube to each fitting and inserting clips where they are missing, all the way back to the transom shower. I hope my experience is helpful.
Our boat is plumbed entirely with PEX tubing, red for hot water, blue for cold. Having used household PEX I can tell you that it is a strong product that resists freeze damage which is important up north. The PEX used on our Hunter's is the Sea Tech brand, along with their own line of plastic PEX fittings. There are similar products out there but OEM is Sea Tech and the only place I could find it is Hamilton Marine in Maine (disclaimer, I have no relationship with them). The tubing is 15mm in size if you want to add or replace. The beauty of the product is you only need to make a clean cut on the tubing using tubing cutters (NO hack saws or utility knives!!!), insert the tubing into the fitting until it seats and gently pull out to set the seal. There is an inner sleeve that pulls out of the fitting about 1/8". The fittings and tubing can also be disconnected and reused many times. I have added a photo of a Sea Tech fitting for reference. The second image is of the locking clip that SHOULD be inserted in each fitting to keep it engaged with the tubing. Once you gently pull out on the tubing and the inner sleeve slides out to engage the tubing, one of these clips need to be inserted to lock everything in place. When our Hunter was plumbed they only installed a few clips, the rest of the fittings can still move around and therefore LEAK. If you have pesky fresh water leaks into the bilge of your newer Hunter I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes and look over your plumbing fittings. (for example, I have a hot water connection that leaks under the galley and sprays everywhere when you pressurize the system.....sometimes, depending if the sleeve has moved in our out). My weekend project is to take my new bag of clips and start at the fresh water tank in the bow, tracing each PEX tube to each fitting and inserting clips where they are missing, all the way back to the transom shower. I hope my experience is helpful.
