New Hunter 37-C Owner

[FredV]

Hi,

I've been lurking in these forums for quite a while and, based on years of research and so many positive comments here, started early last year to actively search for a 37-C that I could afford - and I finally found her. I'm now the proud new owner of Hull# HUN37011M79 A37, purchased last October and moved from Boston to a marina in NJ a month later. She's currently on stands at the marina as I get ready for what I suspect will be an extensive list of restoring/refitting projects.

Until the Hunter came along, I thoroughly enjoyed working on and sailing a 1979 Chrysler 26 - a wonderful trailer sailer bought on eBay about 4 years ago. Comparing the Chrysler to the Hunter is like comparing a Yugo to an Abrams tank, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge!

This is a great forum with an unusually large number of credible, experienced and friendly members, and I promise I will try very hard to add new posts only after reviewing all search results first, and to also make sure to title them as accurately as possible. That being said, I haven't had much luck finding a couple of things mentioned here (like where the heck is the Boat Reviews area that Blaise refers to in the "Blaise: Blue water H37c ?" post?), and all promises and good intentions may go out the window if I find myself just a step shy of panic with a specific problem!

So to all you terrific forum members, thanks in advance for your help!

Rainer

 

[Terry411]

Boat info/mods/owners is at top of main page under Boat Info. This will take you to a page of all models click the one you want.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Welcome aboard "Fred 5". Your hull #011 makes my #074 seem almost new. Where does a sailor in Newport, NJ, sail a Chrysler 26 and a Hunter 37C? Is the boat original with the 2QM20 and gate valves on the thru-hulls?

 

[guidera48]

Welcome to the club. Dont feel bad about not finding the searches. I also have a hard time getting results from the seach engine. Not very friendly. But eventually you will get answers.
Hope you enjoy your journey. Remember, it,s therapy. I am almost through on my refit from bow to stern after 20 months. I hope to splash soon.
Do not feel bad about asking any questions. Members have always helped me find the answer.
Jose

 

[FredV]

@Terry411 - I found the 37-C KnowledgeBase (been there many times, in fact) but can't find any mention of the work Blaise referred to about adding reinforcements to the forward cabin. Still searching, though!
@Ed - The marina is on the southwest side of NJ, on a creek a couple miles inland of the Delaware Bay. The boat came without a motor and yes, unfortunately, the thru-hulls I checked have the presumably original gate valves.
@Jose - Therapy - you got that right! I confess to spending many, many more hours working on the Chrysler than sailing her, and still having tons of fun!

Thanks to all for the welcome!

 

[Terry411]

Blaise doesnt have his mods on here . Search" Rainbow chaser " the guy did a lot of mods to his 37c.

 

[Steve Dion]

Rainer:

I think you will find that the H37C is anything other than an Abrams Tank. They are very nimble and anything but a slug. They are extremely solid and may suprise you.

I am sure you will enjoy the boat. Congratulations.

 

[Bill1565]

Congrats. Welcome

 

[Jim Legere]

Hi Fred and welcome.

As far as I know, no owner has ever posted pictures etc. about stiffening up the bow sections in an H37C. Its really not an issue. As my surveyor put it at the time of purchase "all these 70's boats with big v-berths and solid glass hulls exhibit some oil-canning up there". Just remember - your hull is made of PLASTIC, right? That said, many owners want to improve their boats and I myself have considered stiffening up the forward sections. I figure that I want that 'mouse fur' gone, so why not glass in some ribs, add some insulation, and cover the whole thing with some nice wood strips? Don't know if I'll get to it this year tho...if I do, I'll take pictures!

Dan Spurr has a good description of the process in his book called (I think) "Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat"

PS: if you post or PM me your boat's HIN, name and home port, I'll add you to the informal database of Hunter 37 Cutters that I maintain.

Best wishes,

 

[Bill Roosa]

I'd want to factor in the extra weight and what that might do to both the boat performance and fore/aft balance. I do not recall an oil-canning problem with my 37.

 

[emilbec]

Welcome

Welcome, you bought a good boat. What are your thoughts on repowering?

 

[H33CRich]

Welcome to the Cherubini fold. Sounds like you are in Greenwich, NJ. Been there on the motorcyclebut not in the boat. Best of luck to you and your crew.

 

[rivettw]

Fred,
Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll find like I did an awful lot of knowledge base here. How neat is this?: Your hull# HUN37011M79A37....my hull# HUN37010M79A.
Good boat...Enjoy.
Wally

 

[FredV]

@Steve - My reference to an Abrams tank was by no means meant to imply that she's a tank - just to point out the difference in size, weight, capabilities and complexities between the Chrysler and the Hunter. In fact, the many accolades I've read about the boat's exceptional sailing abilities is one of the primary reasons I wanted her!
@Jim & Bill - I'm not really seriously considering adding anything to the v-berth area as I have a too long list of projects already, but was curious to see what Blaise had done.
@emilbec - Don't know yet what I'm doing about new power, but am thinking along the lines of a 30-40hp diesel. Key requirements - reliable and affordable!
@H33CRich - The marina is in Newport Landing, about 12 miles SW from Millville, NJ.
@rivettw - Cool - sisters!!

And to all, thanks for the warm welcome!

 

[Ed Schenck]

Rainer, are you thinking used diesel? I did a new 3YM30 for about $8000. That was doing all the work myself. Anything newer than the old 3QM30 will be narrower and require either modified mounts as I did or widening the engine rails. Widening reduces the space around the lower part of the motor. I did not want to do that. Then there is the issue of access. Your boat might not have the "door" on the inside bulkhead of the quarterberth. It was added in '83 models I think. Many of us have done the mod.

 

[Blaise]

Welcome Fred,
All the mods I did are listed in the boat review. As the (probably) oldest original owner, I can assure you that you have purchased a most capable boat. As far as the bow re-enforcements, I have contacted a crew member and he will be emailing me pictures to post since I am presently in Ohio. All the owners on this forum are very easy to approach and ask for advice. once again, welcome.

 

[sandpiper10471]

Ed - one of the reasons I repowered with Nanni was because I DIDN'T need to modify the beds/stringers. The Beta marine engine will be the same - Kubota base. It also came with a 100 amp alternator. Big bonus for me in the charter business.

 

[guidera48]

Speaking of Ribs

When I remodeled my front cabin, I wanted to reinforce the hull. There is a thick fiberglass member just above the bunks that runs lenghtwise but I felt there was a lot of flat hull above that without any suport. I added 4 wood ribs and fiberglassed them to the hull. I filled the area with 2 layers of 1" foil backet insulation foam and covered the whole thing with a foil bubble blacket. To that I added a 1/4 plywood cover pinted white and installed teak battens.
I have pictures up in my unfinished web page. Go to front cabin page and see the pics.

www.hunter37.homestead.com

Jose

 

[emilbec]

I installed a universal M35B and it fit perfectly with no modifications. 35 HP and 4 cylinders. Also have door from the quarter berth on a 1981 model.

 

[FredV]

Yup, will definitely need to repower as I have no engine now. The guys at the marina keep pushing Yanmar as "super reliable" and easy to get parts, but I need to get more info before decision time. Money is a big factor, so will probably focus on used and/or rebuilt, and also thinking bigger (30-40hp) is better, but really don't know enough about any of this yet. I do know that reliability will be the key factor - in fact, reliability will be the key consideration in everything I do. I've read Ed's repower project notes several times and will probably have it in my back pocket as my "user manual" once I'm ready to go!

I really like what Jose did to his forward cabin - seems easy enough to do and really looks great! - but am still interested to see what others have done.

I bought Fred V thinking I was basically getting a bare (but wonderful!) hull, so already figured I'd have to add another terabyte or 2 of disk space to my laptop just to store my huge project list! Although I've been pleasantly surprised with what I've found on the boat so far, I'm still trying to research as much as I can on just about everything in case I decide it needs replacing/upgrading, like fuel, water and waste tanks, AC/DC wiring, heat systems, plumbing, ports and ventilation, and ... well, you get the idea. I have no doubt that I'm looking at years rather than months, and $1000's rather than $100's before I get anywhere close to completion, but my starting point for every project is always this forum, so thanks to all of you for being here!