Hunter 26 deck & cabin stiffness

[Paulistano]

Fellow sailors, I am looking at some of the used Hunter 26 boats on the market and inspected one. Checking the deck for core problems, the one boat I have seen showed some noticeable but not severe flexibility in the cabin top about 1 foot forward of the winches on both the port and starboard sides. There is no evidence of glass skin damage and the flexy spots do not have any through holes in the area for water to enter (unless it is wicking from a foot away). In general the deck, cabin and cockpit is very stiff and solid; more so than these two areas.

Can any other owners of these boats indicate if they notice a moderate flex in these areas a foot forward of the winches, or do these areas normally feel as stiff as any other area on the boat?

Does anyone notice any other less stiff but not damaged areas of the cabin or deck on their H26s or H260s?

 

[lnikl]

Firstly, I would recommend that you have a surveyor go over your boat. They will let you know what it is. It sounds like what you are describing is some minor delamination. If there is no water under it, then it is not that big a deal. Boats can come out of the factory with some delamination. Tap out your deck with a very small hammer and look for bounce back in the spot you are fussed about. If it sounds spongy then you will need to replace the deck core in that area and that is a big deal. Tough to say from a narrative post but again, I would very much recommend having a surveyor (or someone from the local shipyard) look at it before you buy. You could end up buying someone else's expensive problem (or a good boat with a bit of delam that can be repaired).

 

[Juice6576]

Never noticed any cabin flex in our Hunter 26 or 23.5. We sold our 26 after 15 years and never had a problem with deck flex or core leakage. Areas to watch out are the transom near the outboatd bracket and soem folks have developed cracks near the front of the centerboard trunk - improper grounding could cause this. Wear in the tiller handle (holes open up) and corrosion on the centerboard pin (salt water boats).