Hunter 33.5 - new owner questions

Robert580 · Apr 8, 2012

Is the water tank full???
Is there a reserve tank, and if so is the valve in position for the full tank.

2) Are you suggesting that you are not getting full throttle which is approx. 3400 RPM

3) Simple look at the tank and some measurments will allow you to calculate volume. ( MFG will most likely be correct)

4)Check all the simple things first, fuse, power a connectors where wires go aloft etc.

5) I assume you mean reefing system. This allows you to have less sail area during increased winds. What type do you have?
6) Review of base would reveal the fix required, is there noticable damage to surrounding area, keel stepped or deck stepped???

WestCoastMike · Apr 8, 2012

1. My 88 does not have a reserve water tank. The tank and pump are under the v-berth. When you turn on the water pressure do you hear the pump cycle? If my tank runs dry the pump will cycle trying to build pressure every time I open a tap. I haven't got a FW feed to the marine head.

3. The fuel tank is in the lazerette. 22-25 gal sounds about right. My clever way to test would be to sight the tank and get a rough idea of the level then go fill the tank with and see how many gals it takes.

Have fun

Mike

Barnacle Bill · Apr 9, 2012

1. Where can I find the shutoff valve for the water system? I turned the water pressure on and am getting nothing at the faucets and can't pump the marine head.

A: The fresh water system and the marine head are two different water sources.
The marine head has a seacock in the hull that takes water in from the lake or sea and flushes out your bowl as long as you have moved the switch or valve on the head to wet intake and not dry intake. The seacock is what shuts off the water supply if you want to do that. You have a dry flush or a wet flush option. The seacock must be open for the head to function. You may not have a shut off valve for the fresh water system unless you have more than one tank and then you might have to open a valve to each tank to get water from it. If you have one tank, you fill it and use it. If you have a pressure water system, then you cannot have any air leaks in the system or your demand pump will not quit. Ask more questions if this doesn't make sense to you.
2. The 2GM20F throttle control at the helm wants to "pull" to 2000 RPMs, but continuous on this diesel is 3400 RPMs. Does it make sense to adjust this up higher and can I do this myself?
A: Not exactly sure what you are asking. Perhaps the adjustment in the cable or for some other reason the throttle will not go as high as it should, or perhaps you are saying that the throttle handle falls back to a lower RPM when you release it. If the latter, then you might need a cable brake which will add pressure to the cable so the return spring doesn't bring the RPM's down when you release it. If it is the former, then you have to get down in there as see what is going on.

3. Where is the fuel tank located? What is the typical capacity? The owner told me 11gal but online sources indicate 22gal. Is there a clever way to test?
A: I do not have a 33.5 owner's manual on hand, so I don't know for sure, but usually the fuel tank is located behind the engine under the cockpit. I would start there first.

4. My steaming light and anchor light are not working; anything I should check before send someone up in a chair?
A: The first thing you check is a breaker or fuse at the switches on the panel (and sometimes switches can go bad). If they are ok, then the next cultprit could be the plug connections at the mast where they have to be disconnected should you remove the mast from the boat. If deck stepped, that could be inside the mast or under the mast step in the headliner, if removeable. If keel stepped, then that could be down in the bilge where the mast rests on the base. If these are corroded or a wire is loose, this could be the reason. If not that, then check the bulb itself on each light.

5. Can anyone give me a quick explanation of how the reeding system works?
A: Not sure what a "Reeding" System is, but I assume you mean Reefing system. If so, then I assume you are talking about the mainsail. There are a number of ways this can be done based on the hardware used, but the principle is the same. Basically you have a few rows of reef cringles above and perpendicular to the boom. If the wind pipes up and you wish to shorten the mainsail, then you ease off on the main halyard and pull the reefing lines (usually two for near the front and the other in the back). They could be inside the boom and led after to the cockpit or at the mast. But basically you drop the mainsail to the level of the reef row you wish to use so that is at the boom. Then you pull on the two lines that tighten up the sail fore and aft and cleat them in and then raise the main halyard again so that is tight. You might have smaller lines in between the luff and leach of the sail where you can tie the middle of the main down around the boom.

6. I think some water is leaking in through the mast, has anyone had success sealing the plate or is it more common to unstep the mast and rebed the plate?
A: This suggests you have a deck stepped mast. Water could be getting under the mast step, in which case, the best thing to do is remove it, caulk it up after cleaning the area and then screwing/bolting it back down. Or, if you have wires feeding through the deck to the inside of the mast, that hole to accommodate the wires could be letting water below too. It must be siliconed up. Otherwise, sometimes the leak can come from a hatch or handrail on the outside, and enter inside at the mast, which can fool you.

JST123 · Apr 10, 2012

Good answer Bill, l have an 88 33.5 which is the same so I will give a little more detail;

1. water tank is under the vberth lift up cushion and there should be a access panel, lift it up and you will be looking at the aft part of the tank the supply comes from the center aft and my shutoff valve is right there.

The seacock for the head is located under the starboard forward cushion of the dinette group it is the inboard access panel, it is forward of the holding tank and it is the small seacock, the large one is for the overboard discharge.
2. Nothing to add, sounds like it needs to be rigged.
3. Open the starboard lazerette it is in the back of the hole and is approx 20gal.
4. None of mine work either and found alot of issue, bad wire splice steaming light, bad bulb deck light, bad fixture anchor light, bad bulb stern light, graounded wires nav lights, , good luck. All can be different depending on the Brand used also. Just got to start chasing the problems down
5. Nothing to add, its depends on your mailsail and rigging set up.
6. Mast is deck stepped and the wiring goes through the deck plate. The plate has a two inch lip that the mast slips over and that will hold water, you need to seal this very good. The only way to do it is lift the mast. While there drill a drain hole through the lip of the deck plate so it will not hold water. Somewhere on this site is a good picture of this mod. Not sure where but I saw it before I bought my boat and did this while setting the mast.

Good luck!

Hunter 33.5 - new owner questions

bdeakin

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Robert580

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WestCoastMike

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Barnacle Bill

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JST123

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bdeakin

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