Hunter 23.5 Hulu/deck/rudder cored?
- Thread starter travelingjerryb
- Start date
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Haar - welcome aboard TR. Search on Hunter 23.5 hull construction. I think you will get close to the answer. I did seem to get a bunch of hits just now.
My belief is that the hull is cored with foam, not balsa, but that might vary between model years. I've read Sir Dave's posts on this matter, and also that of an owner with a damaged hull, and if I may, there was a bit of...uncertainty. One thing for certain, it can all be fixed. The original captain of my ship suffered a cannon ball or some grape shot through the hull in the port quarter, on the blue part, below the water line (no doubt running away from the action, ugh). Whether it was that or a bit too much rum, anyway, all was repaired good as new! As for the deck (and inner liner), I have to believe these are solid plastic (polyester? 1/8" or so?) with foam between. You can find the parting line on the inside lip of the hatch if you look close, and around the inside edges of the windows. I believe the keel and rudder are basically steel plates sandwiched between fiberglass. Thankfully, the items are available right from the H-SBO store. Good luck!
My belief is that the hull is cored with foam, not balsa, but that might vary between model years. I've read Sir Dave's posts on this matter, and also that of an owner with a damaged hull, and if I may, there was a bit of...uncertainty. One thing for certain, it can all be fixed. The original captain of my ship suffered a cannon ball or some grape shot through the hull in the port quarter, on the blue part, below the water line (no doubt running away from the action, ugh). Whether it was that or a bit too much rum, anyway, all was repaired good as new! As for the deck (and inner liner), I have to believe these are solid plastic (polyester? 1/8" or so?) with foam between. You can find the parting line on the inside lip of the hatch if you look close, and around the inside edges of the windows. I believe the keel and rudder are basically steel plates sandwiched between fiberglass. Thankfully, the items are available right from the H-SBO store. Good luck!
TR
You are dealing with fiberglass with dyvancell (not sure about the spelling) used in the hull and deck. Since this is a trailerable sailboat and weight is a factor, dyvancell was used which is a foam layer encapsulated in the fiberglass that gives the fiberglass added strength and allows it to be flexible so if hit, the hull and deck to some degree will flex and I saw that in an accident with a H 23 once when the hull of the boat was pushed in and popped back out after being struck by a sleeping driver in a tractor trailer that came left of center in my lane. When the resin hits it during construction, the dyvancell shrinks and is light weight.
As for the rudder, it is two halves of fiberglass foam filled married together and sometimes depending on the boat will have a steel frame encapsulated but not sure of this with the 23.5 rudder. Easy to fix as I fixed many boats over the years as a dealer but now retired. Not bragging but just wanted to let you know of my experience.
You are dealing with fiberglass with dyvancell (not sure about the spelling) used in the hull and deck. Since this is a trailerable sailboat and weight is a factor, dyvancell was used which is a foam layer encapsulated in the fiberglass that gives the fiberglass added strength and allows it to be flexible so if hit, the hull and deck to some degree will flex and I saw that in an accident with a H 23 once when the hull of the boat was pushed in and popped back out after being struck by a sleeping driver in a tractor trailer that came left of center in my lane. When the resin hits it during construction, the dyvancell shrinks and is light weight.
As for the rudder, it is two halves of fiberglass foam filled married together and sometimes depending on the boat will have a steel frame encapsulated but not sure of this with the 23.5 rudder. Easy to fix as I fixed many boats over the years as a dealer but now retired. Not bragging but just wanted to let you know of my experience.
I think it floats not, but I'm certain mine is cored with hernias! Might be only 100lbs, but enough for a rupture if you lift it wrong. The ship is very light and I suspect she needs every ounce of rudder to keep from rounding up.
Lets hope there is no water damage to the foam core in case of water intrusion and cannot be fixed
None yet, that I'm aware of. Just wondering because I am in need of a small fiberglass repair on the deck, just to starboard of the halyard sheaves at the base of the mast, and was wondering how concerned I should be about a wet deck core.
Good. You don't want to expose the wound to rain, and you don't want to further stress the area. I think you're looking at a simple repair. It doesn't sound like a structural issue. I don't believe the mast cares much about the deck. The sheaves and organizer might be involved, but I'm not sure how large the affected area is. However, if it violates the integrity of the nearby stanchion, that is of considerably more concern, since the baby stays connect there during the mast raising and lowering ceremony.
I'll bet Sir Dave will want pics of this before he weighs in...
I'll bet Sir Dave will want pics of this before he weighs in...
Ouch! Excellent photo. Not as bad as I envisioned. You'll need a bit fiberglass and gelcoat - or something. There are experts on this forum that can help you with this - all you need to do is attract them (CloudDiver comes to mind). I would repost this with a title like, "Need help with deck repair on H23.5". You're bound to hit gold. Good luck.
EDIT: keep the covers on those electrical connections - they will corrode, might even leak.
EDIT: keep the covers on those electrical connections - they will corrode, might even leak.
Yeah, just received a new one from SO today. Lol It's never ending, this boat ownership thing. Pun intended.
Two part epoxy as that was a void which I saw in the past. Wet sand to shape it and then paint. Gel coat of that era is too hard to match so I suggest masking off and spray paint with the closest Krylon plastic paint. The snap to the left where the gel coat popped off was due to whoever put the snap in did not predrill correctly and take a bigger bit to peel back in a ssense the outer layer of gel coat and that happens a lot.
So it's as simple as that? I can just fill the void with two part epoxy, sand it off and paint? I was planing on finding a shop but I think I have enough skill for that. Hmmmmmm...
You may want to put something in there as backing/support, like cut up pieces of the pink foam insulation, and then use a few layers of glass cloth. It would not be that hard, unless you want it to look really smooth/professional. I have done some repairs with glass cloth (West Systems epoxy) and it is not that hard, particularly where the repair is not structural and not below the waterline. If it were me, I'd put some cloth behind the crack and use a rotary tool to cut out the edges of the hole to make it easier to get some cloth behind it. All you need to do is get a support layer of glassed cloth that is a bit "depressed" compared to the molded surface, and then I'd use epoxy with a thickening powder, mixed to peanut butter consistency, to build it up enough so you can use a palm sander to shape it as best as possible to the prior contours.
The materials may be a bit pricey, especially if you have to buy the metered resin and hardener pumps, and a container of the thickener. That might be $50 to $100. But I have to believe it'd be much less than paying for the labor.
The materials may be a bit pricey, especially if you have to buy the metered resin and hardener pumps, and a container of the thickener. That might be $50 to $100. But I have to believe it'd be much less than paying for the labor.