New member

[shoestring]

Greetings all! Just joined the group. I currently have an 81 Hunter 25 "ShoeString." I sold a rotten wood 33 foot Hogdon Brothers Rex 33 pilothouse, as I am in graduate school, (I finish this Dec.) and decided I could not afford a boat. Then I made the mistake of looking at ShoeString (my name for the boat as the PO was calling her the "sailing turd"). The owner was going to have it cut up because he could not find any takers. I bought it for $500, it did have 5 good sails and a few other goodies, and sailed it home with a hole in the hull big enough to to put a fist through. Pulled it out of the water and parked it in the yard next to my shop. I am doing a complete rebuild and hope to sell the house and leave with the wife on an extended cruise of Florida's forgotten coast, Dry Tortugas, Keys, Bahamas, wherever the wind blows us, ect., ect.

The boat is amazingly solid. I must confess to being a former Hunter basher and never thought I would fall in love with one. All of the bulkhead tabbing is sound and the liner is extremely well bonded to the hull. The rudder is junk but I will build a new one. I have cut the floor out and will thicken and stiffen the hull around the keel area, add additional keel floors, beef up the rudder tube and stiffen the bow with additional stringers. I am going to glass the bulkheads all the around the hull. She is going to get new standing rigging and new portholes to replace the econo ports Hunter put in back in the day. I intend to add an inner forestay and a set of swept intermediates to the rig. If any one part fails there should be enough redundancy to keep the rig from going over the side. I think I will go with 6 Trimatrix ports and 2 stainless ones from New Found Metals. All of this should make her as bullet proof as possible. I will be putting a new water tank under the V-berth and replacing the bladder under the cockpit. Other than a couple of fans, VHF, GPS and depth finder, the only luxuries I will add will be a SMALL fridge and a tiller pilot. Gots to have my iced tea and the occasional Boston Lager. The outboard and solar panels should keep the battery bank topped off. I think she will be the perfect simple mini-cruiser, capable of taking me almost anywhere I wish to go. I have owned bigger boats but I think this is my favorite so far. I have read many wonderful posts on the forum concerning the Cerubinis and am proud to own ShoeString. The boat is quite roomy since I am small in stature and I can be comfortable with far less than most folks. I guess my time in the Marine Corps and early career as a war photographer (Bosnia, Haiti, Gaza, Israel, Beruit) have taught me to do more with less. I like the intimacy of a small boat. Its a good thing as it's all I can currently afford. I have calculated the total cost of my mini cruiser to be about $6000. Not bad for what will essentially be a new boat complete and ready to cruise. Fair winds to all.

Quotes - "The brave may not live forever but cowards never live at all!"

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

"Never despise meager beginnings."

 

[navigator97]

Welcome to the forum Shoestring. Good luck with your rebuild project. This forum will serve you well as a source for info as your project progresses. There are lots of good knowledgeable sailors here who will be glad to help with good info. You will like it here.

Semper Fi (from am old Navy Tin Can Squid).

 

[shoestring]

Thanks navigator97! I have been lurking around the site for months and agree their is a wealth of knowledge here. I have learned much from members already. God bless the U.S. Navy. Finest on the planet. From an old "Jarhead."

"Non sibi sed patriae" (Not self but country) - the unofficial motto of the U.S. Navy

 

[Ed Schenck]

Yes, welcome aboard. You have probably discovered that you share a project with John Cherubini II. He has been restoring an H25 since forever it seems. But he is our resident H25 expert. And knows Cherubinis better than anyone. Haven't heard from him in awhile though. You probably also know about the "Hunter Owners Mods" under the "Boat Info" tab. Many of the Cherubini projects, not just for the H25, can be helpful. As for portlights a lot of guys are replacing with the originals. The thought being that they lasted thirty years and are an exact fit. I went the hard route and installed ten bronze NFMs. Every hole had to be "shrunk". Big job. But a labor of love going on thirteen years now. Be sure to post some before and after pictures.

 

[shoestring]

Many thanks Ed. I have read every post from JCII I could find. I wonder where he has been. Do you know if Diana of Burlington is finished? I hope he is well.

I know the original ports were great for a value priced boat but I would rather not have them in a boat I may do a bit of offshore work in (even with storm covers) and I just don't like the looks. I thought the Trimatrix ports were supposed to be, more or less, exact fits. I know they are plastic as well but with all the stainless backing plates on both sides I was thinking they might be better quality. I also like the looks. I have read some good stuff about them and they are attractively priced. Thought I might go with two of the stainless ports for the 7x15s. NFM's site says they are a "great size for Hunters..." I shall call and ask. This would mean all new ports for about $1250. Price is a consideration for me as I am a man of little financial potency. I have promised the old ports to another H25 owner on the forum. He will use the good ones as spares and replacements. I would welcome comments from anyone who knows differently. Won't be ordering ports until next week but I can't see staying with the originals.

The owner mods tab is great and I have indeed been looking at stuff done to boats other than the H25. Lots of good stuff!

KennyH, from the forums, has been super kind and we have exchanged emails. He has the same boat as mine and seems to have much experience with other great makes of boats and all things sailing.

I will post a few pics of the old girl naked soon. I have done this to a couple of boats before, and though I know first-hand it always takes longer than expected, hope to be finished before spring. Enjoy your posts. All the best, ShoeString.

 

[Blaise]

Welcom to the Cherubini Hunter Family. As one of the senior members in terms of longevity ( I bought Midnight Sun new almost 33 years ago) I assure you that you won't be sorry. If I may offer my opinion on changing the rig geometry, don't. I converted Midnight Sun from a cutter to a sloop. It was much more involved than just removing the baby stay and the runners. With the help of legendary Navel Architect Lars Bergstrom, it took discontinous rod rigging and intermediat stays in the top panel of the mast to compensate. If you add a babystay (inner forestay) and don't add running backstays, you mast will fail. If you go to swept back spreaders without moving your lowers, your mast will fail. Besides, sailing downwind with aft swept spreaders sucks. Unless you are doing your graduate work at West. I would advise against screwing around with John C's design. I know that you are working on a budget as we all have at one time or another, but if you want to speed the process up a bit, Foss Foam still has the rudder molds for all the Cheribuni's. Good luck with a great boat.

 

[shoestring]

Thanks for the welcome and tips. I did not intend to change the spreader configuration. I was going to add the inner forestay and a set of tanged swept intermediates. This would not change the perfect geometry of JC's design. It would only add some redundancy to the rig. However, after speaking with the folks at the "Rigging Loft," (use them for all standing rigging related items, they are great) and doing some calculations, I intend to leave the rig as it is. I am going to use mechanical fittings, as I like to do things myself. If I replace turnbuckles, toggles, wire and switch to mechanical fittings, the total cost will only be about a grand, give or take a little. $1000 for peace of mind. I intend to use this boat for more than weekend sailing and I like stuff a bit over strong. I don't feel I am screwing around with JC's wonderful design, just adding a bit of strength here and there. JCII has even added a bit of glass in spots to "Diana of Burlington." That said, I welcome all suggestions. Might not always heed them- but I am trying to increase my knowledge of all things sailing. Thanks again for the concern. Respectful regards, Rick Burres.