I am looking into a 1989 Hunter Legend almost to the point where I will make an offer and get a survey done. I looked it over and it has no bells and whistles (Kind of a good thing in a way). No radar, no AIS, just basic electronics and only has 1 mainsail and 1 jib. The boat looks used but everything looks solid. I believe the deck might have some water in a few spots but not for sure. It probably does though. It is not in bad condition just what you would expect on an older boat. I looked at the keel bolts and they look great. I tried to look at the chainplates but cant get to them. It is and has been a freshwater boat all its life as far as I know. My plan was to play on it for a few days then get it hauled out and transported to my house and work on it for a year or so refitting. I have a big yard and was thinking of buying some boat jacks and pay someone that can haul it for me. Anyone with any advice?
Hunter Legend 37 advice?
- Thread starter Koltar
- Start date
Great boat to sail but I would find out the implications of the wet deck from extent to cost of fixing.
We’ve had our 1987 Legend 37 for just over a year and love the boat. Our family enjoys everything from lunch onboard to an afternoon cruise to swimming in the lake to a quiet sail. Although we haven’t raced as much this past year, it has proven very capable on the race course. Our Mackinac crew eas impressed with the stability and control during multiple storms. In short, I think it’s a great boat.
Ours is the deep draft keel, but there was a wing keel in our class on Mac, and seemed equally capable in all conditions as well.
My understanding from shopping for a Legend 35 or 37 (we would have considered either), was that water in the deck, especially near the furling-line thru deck, is the major concern with these boats. The second big area is water in the rudder. Extensive discussion can be found in these forum on both issues. We actually found on this forum that our rudder had been rebuilt several owners back, so never know what you’ll find in the archives!
Third issue is water leaks from the deck port lights… we need to rebed ours…
As for the your plan, don’t underestimate how expensively will be. A mast unstep, haul-out and transport will be, even local, into the thousands… and no use during that time. And the same costs when you’re all done with the retro and want to get it back into the water.
I’d encourage to either look at adding those costs to your initial purchase budget, or use them to pay someone to do the essential work, which will get you enjoying the boat sooner.
It depends on what you want, a project in your backyard or to go sailing. It’s your choice of course, but I’d at least double your expectation on how long you think the retrofit will take you… do you want a boat in your backyard that long? And really quote-out the yard fees for hauling and transport fees, and consider if you should spend that money on a different boat or on paid labor.
Ours is the deep draft keel, but there was a wing keel in our class on Mac, and seemed equally capable in all conditions as well.
My understanding from shopping for a Legend 35 or 37 (we would have considered either), was that water in the deck, especially near the furling-line thru deck, is the major concern with these boats. The second big area is water in the rudder. Extensive discussion can be found in these forum on both issues. We actually found on this forum that our rudder had been rebuilt several owners back, so never know what you’ll find in the archives!
Third issue is water leaks from the deck port lights… we need to rebed ours…
As for the your plan, don’t underestimate how expensively will be. A mast unstep, haul-out and transport will be, even local, into the thousands… and no use during that time. And the same costs when you’re all done with the retro and want to get it back into the water.
I’d encourage to either look at adding those costs to your initial purchase budget, or use them to pay someone to do the essential work, which will get you enjoying the boat sooner.
It depends on what you want, a project in your backyard or to go sailing. It’s your choice of course, but I’d at least double your expectation on how long you think the retrofit will take you… do you want a boat in your backyard that long? And really quote-out the yard fees for hauling and transport fees, and consider if you should spend that money on a different boat or on paid labor.
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jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,923
Well Dave, you have certainly had the adventure in finding a boat. To go from the 19 parking it on your sisters lake, to a 38ft monster to the Hunter 19 is a big step in the right direction for someone new to the sport.
The 19 is a great sized boat to explore sailing. It is trailerable so you can find a trailer and hsul it to your big yard and work on it on the trailer no jacks required.
Boat hulls on modern fiberglass boats do not enjoy long periods on jack stands. THTey are designed to be supported in the water. When standing a boat on the hard the jack stands are used for balance. The boat actually rests on it's keel. Cradles and bunkers that spread the weight out over a broad area of the hull are better than 12"x12" jack stand pads. Less chance of the pad imprinting on the hull.
A well designed trailer for your boat would be optimal. You can do 90% of any work you anticipate on the trailer which will hold the boat securely.
When painting the bottom there are ways you can temporarily lift the boat to get to all of the spots.
The 19 is a great sized boat to explore sailing. It is trailerable so you can find a trailer and hsul it to your big yard and work on it on the trailer no jacks required.
Boat hulls on modern fiberglass boats do not enjoy long periods on jack stands. THTey are designed to be supported in the water. When standing a boat on the hard the jack stands are used for balance. The boat actually rests on it's keel. Cradles and bunkers that spread the weight out over a broad area of the hull are better than 12"x12" jack stand pads. Less chance of the pad imprinting on the hull.
A well designed trailer for your boat would be optimal. You can do 90% of any work you anticipate on the trailer which will hold the boat securely.
When painting the bottom there are ways you can temporarily lift the boat to get to all of the spots.
Thank you everyone for your advice! Marmalade I think that is the exact spot where I was tapping and it sounded dead so I am betting it has soaked the core right in the spot you are talking about. I have no idea about the rudder yet.
I agree with the comment of first making sure of the deck issues before buying. But if you buy it
and the decking is ok, I'd work on it and sail at the same time. I bought a hurricane damaged
Hunter 28 years ago and had to pay a great deal to have it delivered and craned of the trailer.
Then time flew by and it was 7 years before we got it back in the water and another large
payout to have it hauled to the marina and launched.
and the decking is ok, I'd work on it and sail at the same time. I bought a hurricane damaged
Hunter 28 years ago and had to pay a great deal to have it delivered and craned of the trailer.
Then time flew by and it was 7 years before we got it back in the water and another large
payout to have it hauled to the marina and launched.
I am an owner of the Legend 37 (1986). Just few weeks ago I have done some work on mast. My advice is, if you do not have to take mast down for some important work, don't do it. In my case, I did not have much choice, as anything that was mounted on mast did not work and any attempt to do any replacements with mast standing proved impossible. I had to replace all wiring and I wanted to do add a radar. As I have started work using old cables as messengers, I have run into numerous obstacles that forced me to take boat to shipyard and de-step mast. Only then I have discovered that conduits inside mast are almost impossible to reach from top as well as from the deck level.
Generally, deck and hull are in great condition, but if you are planning to do some re-wiring then brace for a lot of pain, as conduits on the Legend are limited and difficult to reach and trace. If you seek any advice (I have worked on this boat for last two years installing instruments and improving electrical connections), contact me through private message.
Generally, deck and hull are in great condition, but if you are planning to do some re-wiring then brace for a lot of pain, as conduits on the Legend are limited and difficult to reach and trace. If you seek any advice (I have worked on this boat for last two years installing instruments and improving electrical connections), contact me through private message.
We've had our '87 Legend 37 since 2012 and love it. Room for the kids or friends to visit for a sail, a night or a weekend. We limit our week out to just one other couple.
Ours had water in the rudder with some thoughts of fixing it myself. Ha! I'm not a glasser. I had Foss Foam from Florida build a new one and had no downtime because I had it done over the winter. Took it off at haul out and put it back on at launch. Quadrant and rudder post are easy to get to and with it going in the sling for in and out, no extra expense (except for some beer for the yard guys to line it up while I did the install). Other wise, you'll have to dig about an 8 foot hole to drop it and reinstall it. And rent a gorilla to lift it into place.
With your location being St Jo, you have a haul and a launch on an annual basis. You also have almost 6 months on the hard with plenty of time to upgrade or repair. If you like it, buy it, (with an acceptable survey) but as was mentioned before, how many years do you want it in your backyard and that money could be put toward having it professionally repaired.
Marmalade mentioned a couple of items that appear to be typical on these boats. If yours still has the tape accents they are getting a bit tired by now. Pay attention under the tape around the ports. I had taken ours off with a heat gun and scraper only to discover minor cracking in the gel-coat. A fun repair
not! The taping on the hull leaves a lot to be desired also. Ours is now tape free. Another good thing about the Legend is it only has 3 teak accents to keep up with. Bow seat, main hatch trim and the grid work by the pedestal. I don't know what the PO did but the gel-coat in the cockpit has taken a beating, either by too much gritty elbow grease, or possibly slickery sunscreen. Possibility wasn't laid up with enough thickness??
Even with the outlook of some to a lot of work to do to it, it is a nice roomy 37 feet. Easy handling tendencies.Three to four footers with 20kts of breeze, our will handle full sail. Anything more, I evaluate the crew before clearing the breakwater and adjust.
Good luck.
Dave
Ours had water in the rudder with some thoughts of fixing it myself. Ha! I'm not a glasser. I had Foss Foam from Florida build a new one and had no downtime because I had it done over the winter. Took it off at haul out and put it back on at launch. Quadrant and rudder post are easy to get to and with it going in the sling for in and out, no extra expense (except for some beer for the yard guys to line it up while I did the install). Other wise, you'll have to dig about an 8 foot hole to drop it and reinstall it. And rent a gorilla to lift it into place.
With your location being St Jo, you have a haul and a launch on an annual basis. You also have almost 6 months on the hard with plenty of time to upgrade or repair. If you like it, buy it, (with an acceptable survey) but as was mentioned before, how many years do you want it in your backyard and that money could be put toward having it professionally repaired.
Marmalade mentioned a couple of items that appear to be typical on these boats. If yours still has the tape accents they are getting a bit tired by now. Pay attention under the tape around the ports. I had taken ours off with a heat gun and scraper only to discover minor cracking in the gel-coat. A fun repair
not! The taping on the hull leaves a lot to be desired also. Ours is now tape free. Another good thing about the Legend is it only has 3 teak accents to keep up with. Bow seat, main hatch trim and the grid work by the pedestal. I don't know what the PO did but the gel-coat in the cockpit has taken a beating, either by too much gritty elbow grease, or possibly slickery sunscreen. Possibility wasn't laid up with enough thickness??Even with the outlook of some to a lot of work to do to it, it is a nice roomy 37 feet. Easy handling tendencies.Three to four footers with 20kts of breeze, our will handle full sail. Anything more, I evaluate the crew before clearing the breakwater and adjust.
Good luck.
Dave
I really appreciate everyone taking their time out to give me their advice, thank you! I live a little over an hour from the boatyard so working on it would not be so simple but doable still. I am just thinking with the winters here I wont be able to just shoot over and do a few hours of work until the weekends and then it might be too nasty out anyways. I am a little concerned I would be paying just to keep the boat there and lose a season just because I did not get as much work on it done as I wanted but maybe I just need to focus on getting that stuff done that cant be done during the season and doing the rest while I use the boat! =)