Hunter quality is not my concern. We cruised for years and the Hunter Owners seemed satisfied. Although they were not real happy when they went aground. Of course nobody is. We go aground in or vessle quite a bit, only because we head way off the path and explore. So we expect to have groundings and often. It has not been a big deal for us. BUT we are considering buying a Hunter now, and are concerned with the keels. Please we need actual experiences and not theory of how the keel reacts to hard and soft groundings. We have always found that the owners are our greatest wealth of information Thanks in Advance Gill skipnstones@mindspring.com
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Regular event!
Gill: This is somewhat a regular event in our area too. We have a 1985 H'31 a deep (5'3") keel. We have hit rocks at the entrance to our harbor, have gone aground in soft mud doing 3-6 knots etc. We have not had any problems. We had a 1977 H'25 before this boat and hit a very large rock at full speed and it put a dent in the keel but never caused any other problems either.
Gill: This is somewhat a regular event in our area too. We have a 1985 H'31 a deep (5'3") keel. We have hit rocks at the entrance to our harbor, have gone aground in soft mud doing 3-6 knots etc. We have not had any problems. We had a 1977 H'25 before this boat and hit a very large rock at full speed and it put a dent in the keel but never caused any other problems either.
Speak to CYC
Canadian Yacht Charters (Tel(800) 565 - 0022) run a fleet of about 10 Hunters of varius sizes and vintages. These guys are well versed in the repurcushions of grounding the newer Hunters. I have a 1989 335 and I will be more cauious since talking to them.
Canadian Yacht Charters (Tel(800) 565 - 0022) run a fleet of about 10 Hunters of varius sizes and vintages. These guys are well versed in the repurcushions of grounding the newer Hunters. I have a 1989 335 and I will be more cauious since talking to them.
So far no problems
We've had a couple of grounding incidents in the 1 1/2 years we've had our '93 37.5. It has the 4'11" bulb-wing keel. In mud the boat just floats into the mud. To get off we back up, which causes the wings to plow and spin the boat. Then we just motor off in forward. In sand the boat tends to bounce on the keel and (so far!) we haven't got stuck. One time, right after we got the boat, we were in a narrow land cut on the ICW and some yahoo in a LARGE sportfish nails us with a 5' wake. We bounced HARD on rock and made a noise that I was for sure destroyed the boat. Other than a minor dig in the keel the boat was fine. The wings would probably bend a little if you landed hard on one. Hope this helps. Jim "Prospect"
We've had a couple of grounding incidents in the 1 1/2 years we've had our '93 37.5. It has the 4'11" bulb-wing keel. In mud the boat just floats into the mud. To get off we back up, which causes the wings to plow and spin the boat. Then we just motor off in forward. In sand the boat tends to bounce on the keel and (so far!) we haven't got stuck. One time, right after we got the boat, we were in a narrow land cut on the ICW and some yahoo in a LARGE sportfish nails us with a 5' wake. We bounced HARD on rock and made a noise that I was for sure destroyed the boat. Other than a minor dig in the keel the boat was fine. The wings would probably bend a little if you landed hard on one. Hope this helps. Jim "Prospect"
Check out this thread on mangled 420
There is a 420 that is for sale cheap, due to the extensive (excessive?) damage it suffered from a hard grounding. There was a recent thread on this boat: http://www.c-2.com/forums/pview.tpl?sku=2000291075006.75&forumabr=aao&fno=2
There is a 420 that is for sale cheap, due to the extensive (excessive?) damage it suffered from a hard grounding. There was a recent thread on this boat: http://www.c-2.com/forums/pview.tpl?sku=2000291075006.75&forumabr=aao&fno=2
Wing keel grounding
I have an '89 H30 with a large bulb/wing keel. Nominal draft is 4'3". The wings slant downward and the bottom of the keel looks a little like a giant suction cup. This summer, I grounded in soft mud (in Whitby Harbour for all you Lake Ontario sailors!). I thought I was really stuck -- couldn't make any progress in either forward or reverse with full power. Then I discovered that if I turned the rudder hard over and applied full power, the prop wash against the rudder would spin the boat around the grounded point. By doing a series of 360 degree "pirouettes" working my way toward deeper water, I was able to dance the boat off. This way, I got off easily without assistance.
I have an '89 H30 with a large bulb/wing keel. Nominal draft is 4'3". The wings slant downward and the bottom of the keel looks a little like a giant suction cup. This summer, I grounded in soft mud (in Whitby Harbour for all you Lake Ontario sailors!). I thought I was really stuck -- couldn't make any progress in either forward or reverse with full power. Then I discovered that if I turned the rudder hard over and applied full power, the prop wash against the rudder would spin the boat around the grounded point. By doing a series of 360 degree "pirouettes" working my way toward deeper water, I was able to dance the boat off. This way, I got off easily without assistance.
Grounding NEVER a laughing matter
In following this thread I could not help but notice a little levity creeping in. Some posters almost appear to vie for the title "master ship grounder". Now, if you happen to be sailing in one of these gorgeous places such as the Chesapeake Bay, with it's ever shifting mudbanks, you may well feel a bit cocky after your umpteenth grounding without damaging keel and rudder, or even overheating the engine. Been there; done that. However, if you ever sail the North or South American Pacific Coast, let alone the coral islands of the North and South Pacific, please ban all thoughts of grounding firmly out of your head. Even if you are lucky enough to hit a sandy spot, you don't want to be stuck there when out of the blue the whatchamacallits suddenly start blowing 30-40 knots and rapidly transform your cute little beachy into a worldclass surf zone. Grounding your boat in many areas of the world is very serious business indeed. In fact, I consider the warning "don't ground the ship" almost on a par with the well understood warning "don't fall off the ship". Flying Dutchman
In following this thread I could not help but notice a little levity creeping in. Some posters almost appear to vie for the title "master ship grounder". Now, if you happen to be sailing in one of these gorgeous places such as the Chesapeake Bay, with it's ever shifting mudbanks, you may well feel a bit cocky after your umpteenth grounding without damaging keel and rudder, or even overheating the engine. Been there; done that. However, if you ever sail the North or South American Pacific Coast, let alone the coral islands of the North and South Pacific, please ban all thoughts of grounding firmly out of your head. Even if you are lucky enough to hit a sandy spot, you don't want to be stuck there when out of the blue the whatchamacallits suddenly start blowing 30-40 knots and rapidly transform your cute little beachy into a worldclass surf zone. Grounding your boat in many areas of the world is very serious business indeed. In fact, I consider the warning "don't ground the ship" almost on a par with the well understood warning "don't fall off the ship". Flying Dutchman
Thanks Please More?
Thanks Gentlemen, I appreciate your candor. Backing seems to be the standard remedy for most of the groundings so far. We usually heel the boat over tying a halyard then line to tie to the dink pulling the mast. It is not a worry for us and it really should not be for any cruiser. Grounding is very serious and we do it intentionally but not without knowing the conditons for the next 4-5 hours. We cruise the Bahamas and there the bottoms vary. Reading the bottm is not difficult. So if you know you are very close and you know the bottom you know the weather and your boat..... grounding should not be considered a hazard. If done properly you should be off any grounding no more than an hour. I can see that in the Bahamas a hunter keel might pose a problem trying to back out and or rotate. The prop hydrolics by turning the rudder seems logical for mud but there is moostly deep sand in the Bahamas. Thanks again Please keep it going. It is valued info!!!!!!!!!!! Gill
Thanks Gentlemen, I appreciate your candor. Backing seems to be the standard remedy for most of the groundings so far. We usually heel the boat over tying a halyard then line to tie to the dink pulling the mast. It is not a worry for us and it really should not be for any cruiser. Grounding is very serious and we do it intentionally but not without knowing the conditons for the next 4-5 hours. We cruise the Bahamas and there the bottoms vary. Reading the bottm is not difficult. So if you know you are very close and you know the bottom you know the weather and your boat..... grounding should not be considered a hazard. If done properly you should be off any grounding no more than an hour. I can see that in the Bahamas a hunter keel might pose a problem trying to back out and or rotate. The prop hydrolics by turning the rudder seems logical for mud but there is moostly deep sand in the Bahamas. Thanks again Please keep it going. It is valued info!!!!!!!!!!! Gill
Waiting it out
Grounding in the Bahamas is pretty much a given if you are going to do any exploring at all. I recently ran aground with my 4'11" winged keel on flat, solid rock/sand in. It was 5pm on a falling tide. The electronic Maptech chart which was chosen automatically by the navigation software showed two contour lines, indicating a channel, which I followed. While waiting for midnight and the rising tide, I flipped to other electronic charts in the same series, all of which confirmed that we were in the middle of a minefield of +'s on a fair sized shoal. There was absolutely no hint of this shoal on the original chart (no, really). Fortunately, it was a calm evening, wave height was about 1 foot, and tides in the Bahamas are generally under 3 feet. The boat settled nicely on its keel, which acted as a pedestal, preventing any heeling. Low tide was about 12 inches below our water line. The most difficult part to take was when the boat was just barely floating on the falling and again on the rising tide. The waves, small as they were, would raise and drop the rudder, rocking the boat on its keel. What we probably should have done was move weight (bodies) to the bow to keep the rudder off the bottom, and then to the stern to firmly plant it. Strapping a life jacket under the rudder probably would have been useful too (didn't think of it till later). The result was some minor damage to the fiberglass bottom of the rudder. I have since met a skipper who was not as lucky, being caught in the same situation with higher wind and waves. He had to replace the entire rudder and post. Moral of the story: Avoid grounding at all costs, but be prepared to deal with it when it happens; and, always consult more than one chart, particularly in areas where chart accuracy may be weak.
Grounding in the Bahamas is pretty much a given if you are going to do any exploring at all. I recently ran aground with my 4'11" winged keel on flat, solid rock/sand in. It was 5pm on a falling tide. The electronic Maptech chart which was chosen automatically by the navigation software showed two contour lines, indicating a channel, which I followed. While waiting for midnight and the rising tide, I flipped to other electronic charts in the same series, all of which confirmed that we were in the middle of a minefield of +'s on a fair sized shoal. There was absolutely no hint of this shoal on the original chart (no, really). Fortunately, it was a calm evening, wave height was about 1 foot, and tides in the Bahamas are generally under 3 feet. The boat settled nicely on its keel, which acted as a pedestal, preventing any heeling. Low tide was about 12 inches below our water line. The most difficult part to take was when the boat was just barely floating on the falling and again on the rising tide. The waves, small as they were, would raise and drop the rudder, rocking the boat on its keel. What we probably should have done was move weight (bodies) to the bow to keep the rudder off the bottom, and then to the stern to firmly plant it. Strapping a life jacket under the rudder probably would have been useful too (didn't think of it till later). The result was some minor damage to the fiberglass bottom of the rudder. I have since met a skipper who was not as lucky, being caught in the same situation with higher wind and waves. He had to replace the entire rudder and post. Moral of the story: Avoid grounding at all costs, but be prepared to deal with it when it happens; and, always consult more than one chart, particularly in areas where chart accuracy may be weak.
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