Hurricane Sandy H37c

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Jan 7, 2012
112
Hunter 37C Lucaya, Grand Bahama
At best, and this is really being generous it's worth 8k. It wasn't worth much more before it got hit by the hurricane, in the state it was in.
 
May 27, 2012
1,152
Oday 222 Beaver Lake, Arkansas
No kidding. Thats the kind of boat scoundrels purposefully leave out in a hurricane, with a lot of insurance.
 
Apr 25, 2007
64
Hunter Cutter 37 Jacksonville, Florida
yea, I gotta admit, it's not worth much at all. Whomever buys it will need to strip everything out and start all over including engine, steering, EVERYTHING, and don't forget out everything it'd need in the way of outside the cabin, bimini, dodger, lines, bow roller, windlass, mast, etc, etc, etc. I thought I was getting a good bargain when I bought my h37c for 20g, it too was probably worth only 10. I should have stripped it and started all over again because after having worked on it for the past 11 years, I've pretty much replaced everything. That boat needs to be donated to Safe Harbour Boys Home here in JAX or boat angle, etc.
Kb
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,123
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
Sandy sagas --

That's kind of a shame to see it like that-- but being the eternal optimist that I am I would contend it's worth an effort if the buyer wanted to do all the work himself, say in his back yard. The storage would begin to eat up the 'savings' so you'd have to make a deal with someone to allow you to keep it for a time, say a year or two.

The boat does appear to be mostly complete, so anything that has to be replaced has an example to copy from. The seams around the keel are probably pretty normal. Apparently this boat was in the water during the storm and did not go aground, which is fortunate (fin-keel boats all suffer terribly once they are dragged ashore).

It will, however, need to be covered-up lest it go worse with continuing weather.

At Cherubini right now we have a 1981 Raider and a 1959 Rhodes Swiftsure that survived the storm, with major damage, undergoing repairs in our shop. Like this H37, the biggest issue with the Raider (besides the hole in the side, which is a piece of cake for us to fix) will be the replacement of the black aluminum toerail, about which I have heard conflicting reports as to its availability. The Raider used the same piece as the Hunter 33. If we replace it with silver we'll have to replace both sides. We were lucky in that we have the original Raider plug in our backyard and could take a mold off it to repair the hull. We also have an original Raider rudder to replace the damaged one! (who'd've thunk it?)

I am always reluctant to give up on something that can be possibly fixed. After a certain point the monetary cost is meaningless. Imagine a man of no significant means with the yard to store this boat and where he can work on it. Given two years he will have a very nice 37-footer for the cost of parts, a boat he would know very well and be able to enjoy, whereas he might have taken a mortage for $25,000 or $30,000 for a boat that can be used *now* but still needs attention and constant repair and he'd be paying it off while fixing it at the same time. I elected to do that with Diana and make no apologies for the protracted period of time it's taken me. What I end up with is a totally handcrafted boat, fully restored, that bears my seal of approval and my hallmark in every piece of it. It's not a 'used' boat that came from some PO -- it's MY boat. ;)
 
Apr 25, 2007
64
Hunter Cutter 37 Jacksonville, Florida
I can relate and agree with you about the benefits of having a boat that is 'yours'. I think I did the right thing spending the last 10 years working on it like crazy, and I've enjoyed the hell-outta-it. However you can slice it, it's really nice when you get closer to finishing all of those large projects and it's your boat, you know it, and you love it, and you withstood the desire to take a chainsaw to it too.... ha ha.
Kb
 
May 27, 2012
1,152
Oday 222 Beaver Lake, Arkansas
Free would be one thing. Starting with an $18K deficit is another story. NADA shows a retail of $28K. Just the fact its salvage I would cut the price in half, $14K. The mast appears to be gone, I dont see any rigging, the sails are likely gone (dont see any sail bags in the pics), the interior needs a lot of work and the cockpit looks like hell. Add to that the hull has a lot of deep scrapes and gouges, and as someone pointed out, the fin is likely loose or at would need some good inspection. And unless you can see the engine run, after going through a hurricane I would consider it damaged and would value the engine and drive at $500. And that's about all I would be willing to pay. I think you could easily expend $27,500 fixing it.
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,123
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
The over-expenditure theory.

I agree that acquiring a fixable boat for no cash expenditure is always nice; but what costs next-to-nothing is just about the same thing. I got Diana (ex-Moonshine) by paying the PO's one season of delinquent yard fee at a yard that was going through transition and so their rates were cheap. Upon bringing home the title I concluded, 'When a boat costs the same as a guitar amplifier, you buy it.' No regrets there-- no matter how much work it needed (and I estimate I have rebuilt about 85-90% of the 85-90% of the boat that needed it) it has received that work.

Peter Egan, writing in Road & Track, once 'boasted' he had the 'world's only $25,000 MGB'. By comparison I may have the only $12,000 Hunter 25; but spread over the time it's taken me it's a very simple and easy investment.
 
Jan 13, 2011
94
Hunter 33 (78 Cherubini) Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
Money Well Spent..

Six years ago I began my search for a boat. I used every resource recommended here. After looking all over, I drove to a yard to look at yet another boat simply because it was on my way home. How could I not buy a boat named "Dunlook'n."

Like all things in my life she came to me "perfect." After five years (including time as a liveaboard) I am pampering her a little and upgrading systems, replacing worn-out parts, and adding a few new comforts.

The boat is sound, well founded, and a joy to sail. Everything is where I would put it and done just as I would have asked the yard to do it. Each year my girlfriend and I take in the Annapolis Boat Show. No boat to date has made me look at "Dunlook'n" as anything but a grand lady....occasionally in need of some new bling.

The yard called me yesterday and said she needs new motor mounts, the transmission is leaking, and they cannot replace the packless shaft seal because they cannot get the shaft disconnected from the coupling. Other than some minor upgrades she has cost me little and given me, and my family, much. Of course, I told the yard to do the work. She is my comfort, my refuge, my salvation. She knows my moods, keeps my secrets, and rocks me gently as I sleep. I pay more in child support to my ex-wife who was never any of those things to me.

I am 54. She will take me into retirement, and all of us on a hundred new courses yet to be charted. She is worth every penny I paid and priceless to me.

She is a 1978 Cheribini (SP) designed Hunter 33 and John's father's legacy will sail on....as, I am sure, he meant it to.

We buy a dream, and sail it to where the wind takes us. Work on a boat you sail. Do not work on a boat you dream of sailing.

Life is simply too short....IMHO.
 
Oct 1, 2012
25
Hunter 37 c Ventura
Dunlookin', I am happy for you and there is much in what you say I understand and appreciate. It happens that my story is very different. I'm a structural engineer, forced to retire at 62 due to a lousy economy and a bad heart. Throughout my career, everything I did was based on logic, economy, and rational decisions based on sound engineering principles. It worked for my clients and employers, but in the end, not for me. I decided when I retired that I would try a completely different approach.
There is nothing logical about owning a sailboat. It is a love affair, pure and simple. Walk through any marina and you can tell the boats that are loved, and those whose owner's have fallen out of love. I may have paid too much for my 37c- 20 grand, but in five months of owning it I've spent another 30 grand and most of my time. No regrets! As a newbie to sailing, but no stranger to study, I've soaked up everything I can from the inestimable Nigel Calder, Maine Sail, and the Hunter site with special Thanks and a Hat Tip to Mathurin II, Jose Guidera, "the one wearing the hat" and all the other 37c owners who showed me the way and the benefit of sticking with it.
I agree: "We buy a dream, and sail it to where the wind takes us." I must disagree with "Do not work on a boat you dream of sailing", because that's what I'm doing right now. The way I look at it is: I am earning my boat. I want to know everything there is to know about it, the strengths and weaknesses, every compartment and component and detail. I don't want to be stuck in the middle of the ocean not knowing what's wrong or what to do about it. I want a seaworthy vessel and a competent, confident captain- me. The time I spend working on the boat is a joy, as well as an investment in knowledge and experience. As a financial investment? I'd be better off buying Betamax. That's not the point! You buy diamonds for your lady because you love her. And as I re-wire and re-plumb and re-rig my sweetheart, I also personalize her as others have done, making her my own personal and unique 37c. The Cherubini legend will live on, in new incarnations of a classic design. "Life is too short"- truer words have never been spoken. Love your work, and you will love your life. Good sailing!
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,123
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
Done looking.

Greg and Dunlookin', you guys say in your eloquent posts volumes about what we all think of sailing here in these boards. Don't defend your decisions and don't regret a thing. Well-- how could you? You've already got precisely what most people only dream of.

'Do not work on a boat you dream of sailing.' --but that's the only thing that keeps me working on it! :)

* * *
 
Jul 7, 2009
252
Beneteau First 405 Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Greg and Dunlookin - most beautifully written and expressed!
I must agree with both of you. Having spent the past 4 years enduring the worst economical situation, still paying for a house I no longer own and having a business that is still sucking wind, I must state that I have kept my sanity, hope and positive outlook on life thanks to all those hours spent working on my boat. I consider it cheap therapy. I have found many solutions to my problems after spending time alone working on my boat.
Things are looking up, we are hiring again and hope to splash in the next 60 days after 3 years of loving work.
Life is good.

www.Hunter37.com

Jose
 
Jul 28, 2013
56
Hunter 34 Lake Norman
Well I am the new owner of that 37c and did not pay anything like the 18K they were asking less than 2K. Now I have the fun part of putting it back together and getting her fixed up. I have been reading all the forms since I have purchased her and look forward to making her look as nice as some of the boats I have seen on this site. I know I have my work cut out for me but I look forward to the challange. I know I will be referencing these forums often as I proceed with my work.
 
Nov 24, 2012
7
Hunter 37c Rockford, MI
Help if needed

Well I am the new owner of that 37c and did not pay anything like the 18K they were asking less than 2K. Now I have the fun part of putting it back together and getting her fixed up. I have been reading all the forms since I have purchased her and look forward to making her look as nice as some of the boats I have seen on this site. I know I have my work cut out for me but I look forward to the challange. I know I will be referencing these forums often as I proceed with my work.
Hey Sailor 832,


We have a 1982 H37c so if you need any info or pics or what ever just send us an email. Good luck and she will be great again I am sure.

Ken
 
Jul 28, 2013
56
Hunter 34 Lake Norman
Hey Sailor 832,


We have a 1982 H37c so if you need any info or pics or what ever just send us an email. Good luck and she will be great again I am sure.

Ken
Thank you for the offer I am sure as I start getting to the inside I am sure I will have questions.
 
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