I am considering the purchase of a 1985 Hunter 28.5. I have seen conflicting information that claims the keel on a 28.5 is of iron OR lead construction. I have two questions, first, what material is used? The second, are there any particular hull problems on these boats that I should watch out for under the waterline (ie: like the Catalina Smile). Thanks, Lee
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Boat info
On this web page on boat spec's The keel is listed as Iron. I had my boat out in 2002 for a bottom job. We re faired the keel by grinding then eboxy barrer coat then bottom paint. Hope this helps.
On this web page on boat spec's The keel is listed as Iron. I had my boat out in 2002 for a bottom job. We re faired the keel by grinding then eboxy barrer coat then bottom paint. Hope this helps.
When it's in the water...
Lee, As you can see from the recent photo of my 285, the keel does rust. But it's a very big hunk of iron and just a bit of care when it's out of the water is all you need. When it's in the water any rust can't be seen anyway. It's going to take a long time for the keel to rust to the point of being a problem. Still, I grin down the rust and bottom coat with the rest of the hull. You'll also see cracks where the keel meets the fiberglass hull. This, I'm told is normal to a point. If there are gaps then a check of the keeel bolts are in order. Other wise the keel does flex at the joint a bit and will crack the bottom paint or epoxy filler that you might have there. When you bottom paint don't use Interlux Micron CSC! I've tried it for two years and it flakes off my hull. It's suppose to be a multi-season paint but of course you have to keep it on the boat to work. I'll be removing the paint this spring and painting with something else.
Lee, As you can see from the recent photo of my 285, the keel does rust. But it's a very big hunk of iron and just a bit of care when it's out of the water is all you need. When it's in the water any rust can't be seen anyway. It's going to take a long time for the keel to rust to the point of being a problem. Still, I grin down the rust and bottom coat with the rest of the hull. You'll also see cracks where the keel meets the fiberglass hull. This, I'm told is normal to a point. If there are gaps then a check of the keeel bolts are in order. Other wise the keel does flex at the joint a bit and will crack the bottom paint or epoxy filler that you might have there. When you bottom paint don't use Interlux Micron CSC! I've tried it for two years and it flakes off my hull. It's suppose to be a multi-season paint but of course you have to keep it on the boat to work. I'll be removing the paint this spring and painting with something else.
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H28.5 Keel
I recently bought a 1986 H28.5. It has an iron keel, and did have a few rust spots. The surveyor suggested just wire brushing and light grinding to get rid of the rust and to fair the keel. He thought that barrier coating the keel was overkill and could potentially make things worse if any water ever wicked its way under the barrier coat. He suggested coating the cleaned up keel with something like Petit Rustlok and then applying bottom paint. I followed his advice and the it took less than an hour. Boat goes into the water next week. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how it works out next fall....
I recently bought a 1986 H28.5. It has an iron keel, and did have a few rust spots. The surveyor suggested just wire brushing and light grinding to get rid of the rust and to fair the keel. He thought that barrier coating the keel was overkill and could potentially make things worse if any water ever wicked its way under the barrier coat. He suggested coating the cleaned up keel with something like Petit Rustlok and then applying bottom paint. I followed his advice and the it took less than an hour. Boat goes into the water next week. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how it works out next fall....
28.5 keels
I bought a 285 last spring. My keel is iron, every year we grind down any rust "pops" and rust lines. Usually this occures in the joint between hull & keel. Its a regular thing, if you do a little correct maintenance every year you'l be fine. Grind out rust, put on primer, then fill in any "valleys" with ferring compound, then paint with epoxie primer, then bottom paint! Last year due to prior owners, it was a 2 day project, but this year it was 2 hours, (not includung drying time!) Any questions email at kjjeferg@aol.com Kevin
I bought a 285 last spring. My keel is iron, every year we grind down any rust "pops" and rust lines. Usually this occures in the joint between hull & keel. Its a regular thing, if you do a little correct maintenance every year you'l be fine. Grind out rust, put on primer, then fill in any "valleys" with ferring compound, then paint with epoxie primer, then bottom paint! Last year due to prior owners, it was a 2 day project, but this year it was 2 hours, (not includung drying time!) Any questions email at kjjeferg@aol.com Kevin
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