Hunter 41 Steering Quadrant Access?

[davespud]

On my recently acquired Hunter 41, I'm having a hard time removing the cockpit florboard that covers the rudder assembly. The floodboard that has the emergency tiller acces in it. It seems like it wants to slide out horizontally to the rear, but it is blocked by something...tabs, maybe?

Anyone know how to remove that panel?

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Sounds like the same layout as the H-310. There are four screws at the aft face of the floor panel which you may have missed.

 

[davespud]

Thanks for the reply, and for the picture. Yes, we found those 4 screws are removed them. There's still something interfering with sliding that panel back toward the stern. I"m wondering if the stern shower trim is the culprit? And it feel like the panel doesn't want to come straight back--it needs to lift as it is moved back, right?

Any chance you could take a picture of the bottom of that panel, and the space it comes from. so I can see what holds it in pace?

 

[ice breaker]

It should just slide out. The first time I pulled mine there was some calking attached to it from when the boat was built. There is no tabbing. you cannot lift it up or the shower box will stop it.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

-it needs to lift as it is moved back, right?

It's lifted maybe an inch but as @ice breaker says, there's no tabbing holding it back.

so I can see what holds it in pace?

Nothing there to hold it in place. If I ever forgot the screws, the panel would slowly work it's way back until I was in the drink while on the helm. The underside of the panel is flat.

Maybe remove the cover which leads to the temporary for the rudder. Maybe there's something in there holding it back.

Question for you : can you lift the panel up an inch or two with the screws removed ?

 

[davespud]

Nope--with the screws removed, cannot lift the panel more than about 3mm on either side. And it will slide about 1/2 back and forth, but no further. This with the access circle for the emergency tiller removed.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

That "IS" a head scratcher. You've tried everything I would have tried. Any chance you can get an inspection mirror under the access circle to see if there's anything funny going on under the panel ? My personal next step would be to use force. It may dent or bruise something but it's got to come off.

Unless you can see anything on the surface of the panel which may be binding on the edge, it may be time to apply some CONTROLLED brute force pulling straight back. Try to insert some 1X2 or 1X4 wood pieces at the rear vertical portion of the panel and SLOWLY apply force using more wood as a lever. Let us know what happens as this sounds like one SOB.

 

[dlochner]

Perhaps some well meaning soul decided to stop water from entering the well where the steering quadrant is and caulked the panel in place.

There was a recent thread about leaks where cables entered the cabin in the same area. Sealing the panel would be one poorly thought out solution.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

And it will slide about 1/2 back and forth, but no further.

Still a bit of fore and aft movement, so I'm praying some deranged PO didn't seal the panel in place. You wouldn't believe what grows under ours in only one season. Shower water washes down under the panel resulting in .

 

[davespud]

Yes, there is movement on all sides of the panel, so it is definitely not calked in place. And I can move it enough to see what appears to be the two tabs at the front that are retaining it.

Here's a new direction to take...

Anyone know who/how to contact Hunter directly to see if there is someone who can confirm we need to take off the stern shower trim, or whether there's some easier way to do this?

 

[Marmalade]

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[davespud]

Latest update--clicking on the one-to-one link in the previous post takes me to a page to schedule an appointment. CLicking the "schedule" link gives the message "One to One Support is offline"...several tries, same result.

However, we figured out the issue. There are 4 screws in the upper part of the cockpit panel, that were hidden under the flexi-teak that had been applied right over them. The only way we found them was that all our moving and wrenching the panel around eventually stripped them out.

Anyway, the panel is out, the rudder repaired, and the screw locations marked for next time.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Anyway, the panel is out, the rudder repaired, and the screw locations marked for next time.

Seek and ye shall find. Unless some idiot covered over the last four screws with flexi-teak .