keelconnection Hunter 27

[Jan van der Klooster]

Hello,

I'm from The Netherlands and I bought a brand new Hunter 27 on june 11th last year (2009) from a German dealer. After some months of sailing (without grounding) the boat came ashore on a craddle for the winter. In november 2009 I saw a horizontal tear between keel and hull on one side and rustwater was coming out. After some more months (on this craddle) also a tear appeared at the other side. I'm curious to know if another Hunterowner has met the same problem. If so, please give me an answer and advise.
Thanks!

Jan van der Klooster

 

[Honeyman]

If instead of "tear" you mean "crack"...it sounds alot like what some call the "Catalina smile" or in this case "Hunter smile"...where one experiences a small crack between hull and where keel is attached to it's base. This "crack" is usually at front edge of the keel and extends down both sides. On a new boat its usually not a big deal, unless you are the owner seeing it for the first time! Its caused by the flexing of the keel around its base attachment and usually start the 1st time the boat is put up "on the hard" for its 1st winter. Generally cosmetic, make sure keel bolts are tight, you can grind it out a bit and fill with someting like 3M 4000, 4200, or try and fill with epoxy, but more than likely it will come back.

http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=484959&highlight=catalina smile

http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=215663&highlight=catalina smile

Above are some old posts similar to your situation.