i put my deposit down today for hunter23

Fly_H23 · Sep 25, 2011

We bought a 87 Hunter 23 a few months ago, you'll enjoy this boat!

Items I found of concern:

Leaky drain hoses under the anchor locker and cockpit drain. Both are easy to replace but a common source of leaks. Look under the V berth with a flashlight for water damaged wood. Lift every cushion and look in every nook and cranny for standing water. If the boat is leak free after a good rain the owner has probably kept up with topside leaks but look for proper rebedding of hardware not just layers of silicone over top of everything.

A haul-out is always a good idea and will verify the trailer condition in case you haven't seen it yet.

Price is certainly depedant on condition and options. Especially new or old sails and the age of the outboard. I see H23's priced from under $2000 for fixer uppers to $6-7000 for nicely equipped excellant condition boats. I looked for well over a year and passed on the boat we eventually bought until the price came down to reflect it's condition.

Is the floor spongy or just the wood step? It's never a bad idea to hire a professional to survey a boat if you're not sure what to look for.

Good luck!

Fly_H23 · Sep 26, 2011

There is nothing below the cabin floor except the outer skin of the hull. The bilge where the keel bolts are under the 3 floor boards should be dry. If the boat is in salt water, I suppose you could test the water for salt to confirm if it's rainwater or sea water. Could be spongy from standing water??? Not sure what sort of core could be under there but drying it out would be a big plus. Any work needed should be negotiated into the final price.

My H23 had leaky windows (easy to pull off and reseal) and leaky drain hoses in both the anchor locker and cockpit. Both are easy to replace, just hose clamps on each end. The cockpit drain hose will require that you insert yourself inside the lazarette locker on the port side and reach under the cockpit floor. I am 6' and 200 lbs and still fit inside. Just be sure to secure the lid so it doesn't knock you in the head!

Kermit · Sep 26, 2011

We've had our '1986 Hunter 23 for just over a year. Negotiated the price down based partly on what we wanted to pay and partly on the surveyor's report. We ended up saving more money than the cost of the survey.

We love our boat and can't imagine ever selling it. Sometimes we want more room in the cabin, but dang it's a great boat.

I've finally found the source of water coming in while sailing. The seam where the deck meets the hull has water stains. Don't know what to use to seal it but it shouldn't be too hard to do once I buy the sealant.

I've been to Seneca Lake once and really would love to go back. First Mate is from Upstate New York. She and her sisters took me on a tour of The Finger Lakes Region in 2000. Dang it's beautiful up there. Wateree Lake in SC is great, too. Just love seeing other parts of the country and especially Upstate New York. Most of us Southerners think New York is nothing more than a huge city. Dang are we wrong!

Have fun on your boat!

Kermit

isaksp00 · Sep 26, 2011

Has this boat been on the Finger Lakes always - that is, in fresh water?

I have an H23 on Lake Wallenpaupack, bought it in May of 2010. Was just through Watkins Glen yesterday, on way back from Buffalo - looked like a great boating day!

I would ask the owner to pull it onto the trailer. It isn't super hard, but takes up to a few hours to step and unstep the mast, if you'd have to. If he can haul it onto the trailer and leave the mast up while you inspect the bottom, that should be easy. Do you leave boats in water all winter on Seneca Lake? If not, maybe have him haul it and leave on trailer rest of season.

Follow advice above. How deep was the water in the various bilge areas? Make sure to check in the lazarette, and also in the area under the starboard quarter berth, way back by the bulkhead - mine had about 3 inches of water in there when I bought it (that I missed inspecting) and the plywood bulkhead at the aft end was a bit rotted - not a big deal, but I probably could have used that to knock a few hundred off the price. Look at the keel bolts that are easily accessible under the 3 wood floorboards. Look in every hidden area for any significant cracking of inner hull glass. Mine did take on maybe a few inches of water in the recent big storms, and I know I have to rebed the chainplates and probably a few other deck fittings.

The floor below the companionway step is glass on mine, and isn't what I'd call spongy. It does flex a little, as it is glass with (I assume) nothing below it but some air. If that glass area is truly "spongy" it may mean a problem, but what could have happened to it, I don't know. Does the floor area from the back edge of the sternmost floorboard back to the bulkhead aft of the step look like it has been opened or repaired? It should be smooth glass all the way back.

Mine is a 91 hull, put in service in 94. No significant keel or transom cracking. Check the bow eye, and check the backside of it - you can see it if you slide all the way up to the front of the v berth. That can get a lot of stress from trailing or mooring.

My keel was pretty scaled up with rusty paint when I bought it (it was on a trailer, so I knew that). Should not be hard to fix, just a lot of labor with a good grinder, and awkward positions under the trailer, then paint with POR15 or an epoxy barrier, etc. Worth getting on trailer to estimate that - if bad, allow for that labor in price.

Good luck, Peter

taichi · Sep 27, 2011

I have a 1985 Hunter 23 and love it for my current sailing - I dry sail it off the trailer once or twice a month and it is all set up ready to go - I wouln'dt leave it in the water unatended for so long otherwise I'd have to drive to the marina after every storm to check on it so a small trailerable like the H23 is good for that. There is a small "bilge" under the cockpit sole that goes back underneath the steps - that's why it feels soft - no big deal but you need to get that water out befor it freezes if you live in the north - I use a small shop vac to dry up all the littel wet spots and that goofy billge.
Please have hime pull it up oin the trailer befor you pay for it - The Cast Iron keel can be a problem and if it needs to have the rust ground off and re-epoxied the cost and effort for that needs to come off the selling price.
From my experience with my H23 I know that you want good sails - if the sails are old and bagged out it will heel excessively and wont point at all -with newer sails it will do much better.
Any other questions please ask - Mike

isaksp00 · Sep 28, 2011

There is. Click on someone's name over to the left and there is a send private message link. Also under the quick links pull-down button at the top of any page. To see private messages sent to you, there's a "your control panel" link up top.

teacher63 · Oct 31, 2011

water in a 23

I bought my 23 a little over a year ago and thought it was dry. I had a major mast issue in which the mast and all rigging needed replaced not boat problem but might have been owner (me). ANyhow it sat at the marina for 6 months waiting for the mast etc. When I finally got it back I panicked as there was water in the bilge up to the boards and all four were full. IT turned out the hatch leaked. They power washed the boat and blew water in through the horizontal hatch meets the third hatch. I bought a couple yards of sunbrella sewed a hatch cover and that solved the entire thing. I drilled the snaps in the teak around the hatches on the side and not in the fiberglass. However, the 2 hoses are a issue that I have not dealt with.

SenecaDaze said:
settled on a boat after extensive shopping about,and have decided on pursuing a 1986 hunter23 viewed the boat at the marina with seller and even had my wife check it out the same day and she was ok with it and i am more than ok with it,and with all the rain we have had up here in new york,the skys cleared today with sunshine! So
we sailed about for two hours. 7mph winds beautiful day and sail.
Now i need advice on what to look for from other h23 owners.
have read of cracks in keel bolt area (yep this is a wing keel)and cracks in transom near bottom grugdeonbut this boat has no issues with either that i noticed.
noticed floor is soft where stepping down into cabin ,is this common?
slip rental is included for the rest of this season but i was wondering if i should ask him to get boat out on trailer so i can inspect the bottom.he says launch and retrival are easy so he shouldnt mind right? he is a nice easy going guy but i dont want to push my luck.
dont know if i should share the price i am going to pay here on the site,i know there are so many variables,inclding condition of cabin,sail inventory,outboard motor etc etc.
but please do share with me anything you know thanks

Fly_H23 · Oct 31, 2011

My Hunter 23 was leaking more from the anchor compartment and cockpit drain hoses than anything else. They are easy to replace if you can fit into tight spaces. My boat has had zero leaks since I replaced the hoses and fixed a window leak.

Get-r-done and go sail before its too cold!