Help me!

[Pierluigi]

we are evaluating to buy an hunter 23.5 sloop year 1993.We don't know water ballast system. So we ask you for tecnical plan abaut sailing with the water ballast.Then I ask you if the hunter 23.5 is provided with poliuretan foam tanks so to make it unsinkable, tank you,best regards

 

[Alan Long]

1994 23.5

I've owned a 1994 Hunter 23.5 since new. The water ballast system works fine. My ballast tank developed a leak in the top of the tank due to an error in the boats construction, but I think this is very unusual. The water ballast makes the boat a little more prone to lean over (heel) in strong winds, and it can be sort of scary at first. Soon you realize that it is not going to turn over and you start to enjoy the heeling. I find the water ballast to be an excellent compromise between big boat sailing characteristics and ease of trailering. Speaking of the trailer...I had lots of problems with mine, I would suggest that you check it carefully. The boat does have foam flotation and I believe that it will float even if swamped. If you have any further questions I'll be glad attempt to answer them. My E-Mail address is long@tecinc.comAlan LongS/V Random Access (1994 Hunter 23.5)

 

[Steven Bott]

Higher center of gravity

My first sail boat was a Catalina 18 with a leaded keel, I traded up to a Hunter 260 with water balast and it has taken some getting used to. The center of gravity is higher because the weight is carried higher. This dynamic causes the boat to begin to heel quicker then leaded keel boats but the balast does kick in and stablize the boat, just 5 - 8 degrees later. Depending on the type of sailing your doing, some people don't appreciate a good 25 degree heel, I find that I must pay more attention to the amount of sail I put up.

 

[Ken Shubert]

A Higher Degree

Us WBs seem to acquire a higher degree of heel for the same wind puffs. I have the 1993 H23.5 and when we sail along with similar size keel boats,we do seem to heel a little more and a little sooner. They say that we are "tender"! The boat will take a lot more abuse than the crew however, so there's not much to worry about. Only two things cause concern here: You have to secure things better or they slide all over the place and there is a very real possiblity in gusty winds that someone could get caught off balance and go for a swim. I single hand quite a bit and another post here that has pointed out the necessity of wearing a PFD and perhaps a life-line would be smart. It's just a minor penalty that we pay for not hauling a half ton of metal around on the trailer.KenS/V Wouff Hong

 

[Carol Morrissette]

Water Ballast & Physics 101

I have a '93 Hunter 23.5 and have learned to love the added heel. It will also keep guests from complaining of a lack of excitement. I have an old article from Hunter regarding why and how water ballast works. If you're interested, I'll email it to you. yorkstreetstudio@hotmail.comCarolHunter 23.5 - Freestyle