Recently acquired a 1988 Hunter 26.5 which has been sitting on its trailer for 23 years. The sole in the cabin is bulging up a couple of inches - no cracks or soft spots. I am wondering if when the boat gets into the water if the hull will eventually return to its normal shape.
Hull sag problem
- Thread starter seadreamers2
- Start date
Wooden boats do hog - even while floating. It is repairable, but pricey. Mystic Seaport is currently working on this issue with the Gloucester fishing schooner L.A.Dunton. The US Navy has spent considerable sums on the USS Constitution to remedy its hogging problems. She was originally built with angled straps in her framing to slow the process down but installing tons of cannons in the ends of a wooden boat will tend to bend it.
I've found a good way to reduce, if not repair, hogging in a wooden boat, is to bolt a railroad iron to the keel. Starting from amidships with tighter bolts, slowly drawing up the ends, over a number of weeks or even months. Of course, many of the frames and stringers will need to be repaired, but she'll never hog again, lol.
I haven't noticed hogging in glass boats, even when the yard has not supported the bow during storage.
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Fiberglass boats "banana" from having the backstay pumped tight. This drives the mast down and pulls the ends of the boat up. Cracks show up in assorted places as the strain breaks down the fiberglass.
Indeed, and true of carbon fiber too. Sometimes the cracks can be, shall we say, substantial.
Presumably the OP’s 26.5 wasn’t exposed to quite the same amount of loading.
I do wonder what the bulging looks like, and if that would provide any clues on which way the hull may have moved. Any pictures @seadreamers2?
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Sitting on a trailer for that long may also cause, what a lot of people refer to as, oil canning. Although I don't think that is technically what oil canning is either. The trailer's ways will indent into the hull. I wouldn't expect to be able to put the boat in the water for a few months and it will all be better. You are likely to suffer from a little permanent distortion that just won't return to its original form without attention.
You'll also suffer tuning problems. The fore and aft stays may appear too short. Even the shrouds could have trouble if the trailer allowed the hull to sag beam-to-beam with the keel pushing up on the mast step via the compression post. You may need turn buckle extentions and every few days you'll have to re-tune as the hull relaxes back into shape. Constant, balanced, and tight tuning should help encourage the process.
Be careful though. Over tuning is the cause of many hogged sheer lines.
-Will
You'll also suffer tuning problems. The fore and aft stays may appear too short. Even the shrouds could have trouble if the trailer allowed the hull to sag beam-to-beam with the keel pushing up on the mast step via the compression post. You may need turn buckle extentions and every few days you'll have to re-tune as the hull relaxes back into shape. Constant, balanced, and tight tuning should help encourage the process.
Be careful though. Over tuning is the cause of many hogged sheer lines.
-Will
First heard from the crew: “RELEASE THE BACKSTAY!!!"Indeed, and true of carbon fiber too. Sometimes the cracks can be, shall we say, substantial.
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Does that mean that the owners who live in the north east should ease their stays and shrouds when storing the boat ashore? Another job on the commissioning list for spring.
"Bananaing"happens more in boats that are raced with hydraulic backstays. A hyped gorilla crew honks on the adjuster until the forestay is good and tight. The hydraulics provide enough power to actually torque the hull. Of course downwind the backstay gets eased again. Doing this repeatedly weakens the fiberglass the same way fiberglass skis get worn out. If your rig isn't super tight when you haul for the winter it probably doesn't have to be eased but it probably wouldn't hurt.