Hunter 37C 1980 vs 1984?

[Ed Schenck]

Sorry if this seems argumentative but why are you looking at a boat that has 1) no tiller, 2) a lousy cockpit, and 3) questionable quality control ? We agree that a lot of people prefer a tiller boat. Thus they go and find and buy a tiller boat. I would not want a wheel on my Highlander. I love hiking and steering with the tiller extension. But on my cruising boat I want to sit in the back and watch my instruments and telltales. I don't want to cross from side to side everytime I tack. If the H37C had been a tiller boat from the factory then I would not have purchased her.

 

[med2463]

why are you looking at a boat that has 1) no tiller, 2) a lousy cockpit, and 3) questionable quality control ?
Ed, I was wondering the same thing.

 

[ReadyAbout]

Sorry, I'm not here to ruffle feathers and I don't mean to sound like a jerk. The fact is I think the boat is great and that the cockpit can be modified to suit my tastes. Maybe because I am so enthusiastic I am come across like I have an attitude.

I am not here to Hunter bash but anyone knows what off-center looks like and I don't think anyone would agree the particular boat I looked at was of quality construction. I am also not some kind of stir crazy idiot here to talk down to anyone just for kicks. As stated before I am here to learn and share my experience with what I believe to be an incredible resource and one that I greatly appreciate.

Someone asked why really big racing boats don't have tillers since I seem to think they are so great, so I shared my beliefs. When someone makes a subjective statement like they think it's a bitch to motor with a tiller without explaining why, I can't help but ask the question.

 

[Ed Schenck]

I hope I didn't imply that you were anything but a serious and enthusiastic sailor. And I have enjoyed your analysis. But that said I still think you should walk away. For one thing you have not discovered a real shortcoming of the H37C. I'll get hell for pointing it out but it could be the reason for your offcenter discovery.

I have always felt that the rudder and stock with bearing is the weakest point of the boat. The upper bearing is supported by a weak plywood. My boat uses a 2x4 to support the lower shelf and is the rudder stop. Later boats used angle iron. In the picture you can see where a friend has tried to strengthen the upper shelf, the threaded rod. He also put the bearing surface under the shelf because his rudder floats. If it floats then it will rub on the hull. Ideally there would be a bearing top and bottom on that shelf. In another picture you can see spider cracks due to rudder grounding. That's on my boat. So before I worried about a tiller I would strengthen that entire area.

 

[ReadyAbout]

I really do love the design BTW and in my opinion the spacious and thoughtfully laid out interior more than makes up for my perceived shortcomings of the cockpit. Unfortunately, because we spent so much time enjoying the interior we didn't have much time in the cockpit and I didn't discover the rudder head until it was time to go.

At that point we had already decided that although the boat was very clean and had been well looked after it wasn't the boat for us so I didn't make the effort to figure out exactly what was wrong with it.

I did look in the locker at the upper bearing and was interested to see it looked like the support was stick-built lumber construction. On another thread someone suggested the rudder post was cocked because of a bad repair job to correct damage from a grounding. I saw no evidence of a repair and the paint on the lumber looked original so I just assumed the boat left the factory that way.

I didn't have time look too hard at it on the spot and I really wish now I had taken more photos. Can anybody confirm the rudder tube was installed during a secondary bonding operation as part of the interior outfitting? And that it was not a part of the hull mold?

 

[ReadyAbout]

I didn't see your pics before and was assuming this boat has a fiberglass tube bonded to the hull which cries the rudder shaft and bearings to a height above the waterline. Is this not the case?

 

[yuginot]

Hello all, from Portland, ME. I have not checked the sbo treads in a while. I have thought of removing the wheel steering system many times. This is the first wheeled boat I have owned and I don't really like the way it works. Our last boat was a double ender with an aft hung rudder with very heavy tiller loads. Even with the emergency tiller this 37 has a far lighter tiller load than the double ender. Also the rudder is more balanced on the 37. The tiller, to me, is better for sailing, and the wheel for under power. I have thought very hard about changing to tiller steering. I think those are right to say that a tiller would hurt resale value.