Hunter 216 - New Owner swing keel

Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
Just bought this Hunter 216 last weekend. It is a 2004 model, but has not been in the water for more than 10 years. I pulled the hydraulic cylinder and load tested it by squeezing some wood blocks, however some oil has dripped from the bottom of the cylinder. Do I need to get this rebuilt with new seals?

Thoughts?

Glenn
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
Just bought this Hunter 216 last weekend. It is a 2004 model, but has not been in the water for more than 10 years. I pulled the hydraulic cylinder and load tested it by squeezing some wood blocks, however some oil has dripped from the bottom of the cylinder. Do I need to get this rebuilt with new seals?

Thoughts?

Glenn
You likely already know about these documents within Boat info but will post for reference

https://hunter.sailboatowners.com/dl/downloads.php?task=model&mid=68&model=216

I’ve not had a problem with my Sailtec unit so can’t provide first hand knowledge however it’s been stated by others that the lifespan of the oil and service interval is about 10 yrs. As your boat has been sitting “idle”for that long I’m not sure what that means in your case. The fact that it’s dripping oil doesn’t sound good but you didn’t define how much. Did you cycle the ram in and out multiple times? Also a photo of the drip location might help.
 
Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
No pic sorry, probably about 15 ml or a tablespoon of oil leaked.

I sent Sailtec an email and they called me within 15 min. Yes they recommend new seals at least every 10 years. So I will send it to them for servicing.... but not before I give the boat a trial sail maybe next weekend.

Thanks for the link to the documents they will be useful. I also have to repair a crack on the cabin top.

Is there a list of running rigging sizes and lengths of line required for Main sheet and halyards?
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
No problem, just paying it forward. Lots of good info in the Hunter - Day Sailer forum as well.
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
I would advise you have your mainsail reefing figured out before your initial “flight”. Lot of power in the big roachy main!

The boat is a lot of fun to sail. Very lively but stable at the same time.
 
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Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
Looking forward to the "sea trial", I sold my Hunter 33.5 in May and I was "boatless" for the first time in 30 years. I lasted a week before I started looking for the next one. I really loved my big boat, the fractional rig on the H33.5 could really power up in big winds and was very stable...
... but the kids are at uni. now and don't have the same time to spend sailing with us anymore so we started looking for a boat that could move around from lake to lake. The H216 caught my eye as a modern design, light weight, big enough to take friends for a ride and more stable than a dinghy. Looking forward to see how it performs. I will make sure I have the reefing set up.
 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Suggest that you have the hydraulic cylinder fixed first before sailing. Anything could happen and you could be stuck if you could not get the keel back up thus making it difficult to put onto trailer.
 
Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
Agreed, probably a prudent decision, looking into sending it away this weekend and hopefully back from sailtec by end of August.
 
Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
No spinnaker, it was only sailed for a few seasons, so there are no owner modifications. Hope to set up a spinnaker once I a comfortable with sailing the boat.
I think I need to adjust the bunks on the trailer, even with the hydraulic ram all the way in the keel still rests on the trailer, is this normal?
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
No spinnaker, it was only sailed for a few seasons, so there are no owner modifications. Hope to set up a spinnaker once I a comfortable with sailing the boat.
I think I need to adjust the bunks on the trailer, even with the hydraulic ram all the way in the keel still rests on the trailer, is this normal?
The spin adds a lot of fun to the boat so worth considering. They sell the whole kit in the SBO store.

I don’t know about adjusting bunks as they should have been correct at point of sale?
Possibly the board isn't retracting fully due to the Sailtec issue however Henderson the designer was quoted as saying part of his design was to leave some board showing to help guide it onto the trailer. When fully retracted the trailing edge of the board is almost parallel to the body of the ram. I will try to take a measurement today if I can get out to our mooring.

There is also a big caution in the manual about opening the valve on the Sailtec once the boat is in position on the trailer so the weight is born by the trailer not the ram.

I’m third owner of our boat and know that the PO put a roller on the rear of the trailer in the event of Sailtec failure. His theory was if he couldn’t retract the board he could put the trailer in as deep as he could and then winch it onto the trailer. The roller would create less friction on the board as the boat moved forward. I don’t have a photo but could get one if this isn’t clear.
 
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Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
Yes there is a keel tray on the trailer and the keel is resting on it. This is what is intended for storage and travel, it takes all the stress off the keel frame and boat bottom. Because how my bunks are setup, even with the sailtec in the full retracted position the cable doesn't take any load. This will cause the keel to slide on the tray during launch, but I guess if I go deep enough the boat will float off regardless. I will send some pictures later today.
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
Glenn

I intend to document this a little better but for now:

My trailer is made by Venture so if yours is different these dimensions may be off:

The distance between the u bolts forward is 38 - 1/2", Rear is 42", u bolt to outside of frame forward is 13" and rear 11"

The bunks are 2X6 carpeted and if I flip them parallel to the road surface the vertical distance between trailer frame and bottom of the bunk is about 4 1/2 - 5 " at the front and 6 1/2 - 7" at the rear.

The length of the exposed ram (measured from end of cylinder to base of fitting on end of ram) when all the way up is 1 5/8" and all the way down is 13"

EDIT: When board is all the way up there is 8 1/2" from the "trailing" edge of the end tip of the foil to the top of the frame. (aft most point in the slot).

A couple of photos for reference.
216 rear bunk mount.JPG
Trailer roller.JPG
216 ram exposed board down.JPG
 
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Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
I’m great at spending other people’s $$$ so here is a pic of two items you might want to consider getting from the SBO store.

The canvas helps keep out the bulk of rainwater. Note I also siliconed the mast slot full to keep water running down through there. It’s not a perfect seal but better than having it open.

The black plastic mast “wedge” really stiffens up the mast.

72366BCE-B5CE-4E9B-9428-4234157C78A8.jpeg
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
On a different topic, I don’t know if you know anyone with influence but the bottles I’ve been purchasing must have a hole in the bottom as they frequently look like this!;)
000F1CA3-26FD-4161-BC59-0D8A9FE035F4.jpeg
 
Mar 27, 2007
35
Hunter 216 Gimli on Lake Winnipeg
Thanks for the trailer dimensions, mine is a Venture as well, so I will compare them and make adjustments if required. The mast boot is on my list, and I will need to keep water out with mast down as well. I see you discovered that I sail out of Gimli, aka home of Seagrams, and the only place in the world Crown Royal is made. Funny how the bottle keeps getting empty. must be gremlins.
 
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