New to me purchase of Hunter 34

[Rkelly44]

Just purchased an 84 Hunter 34. Bones are good but quite a large list of to do’s. Any assistance is appreciated.

1.I’ll be going up the mast to replace bulbs. If anyone has a suggestion for LED please share- I’ve purchased some for auto in the past and the quality was quite poor.

2. Engine runs well (3gm)but has not had anyone tending to it for some time - any ideas on a yanmar tech in the GA/SC area? Oil, filters, tank polish, etc

3 prop slap??? At certain RPMs I get a knocking sound. It seems the prop gets a little out of kilter and the rubber engine mounts start to shake. Rpm down or up and seems to solve itself quickly - any thoughts?

3. Companionway door - has anyone replaced the companionway door with smoked acrylic? Good bad or otherwise?

4. Furler binds under load. I don’t see any grease access points -do I need to dismantle completely to grease bearings?

5. Fuel gauge - what has anyone done for an aftermarket fuel gauge?

6. Batons - where is a good place to find the right sized batons?

7. Leak on starboard side at midship. The shelves under sliding glass on the starboard side have gotten wet in the past. Any standard known leak points on this model?

8. Currently have Dometic portable toilet. Should I upgrade back to the original for day sailing with a couple boys on inland lake or leave it?

9. Does anyone have a good list of all the lightbulbs needed. I’d like to move it all over to Led.

10. Currently using navionics to navigate the inland lake it’s on. Need to purchase electronics. I’d like to spend the right amount to be able to continue to add to the system down the road. Any used units or deals known is appreciated.

Looking forward to the sailing and don’t mind the project aspect of it either.

 

[kappykaplan]

6. Batons - where is a good place to find the right sized batons?

You can purchase battens at your local WM and cut to size. You can also check with your local sail loft.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Congratulations on your purchase!

1.I’ll be going up the mast to replace bulbs. If anyone has a suggestion for LED please share- I’ve purchased some for auto in the past and the quality was quite poor.

You can get a selection of LED bulbs right here on the site store. MarineBeam is also well regarded. I would also recommend closely inspecting or preferably replacing the halyards before going aloft on unknown rigging.

2. Engine runs well (3gm)but has not had anyone tending to it for some time - any ideas on a yanmar tech in the GA/SC area? Oil, filters, tank polish, etc

Definitely oil and filters. Try to look at the old fuel filter to get a sense for how clean it is or whether there might be any fuel contamination. I’d also replace the impeller.

5. Fuel gauge - what has anyone done for an aftermarket fuel gauge?

Gauges are notoriously imprecise. Unless you have additional fuel consumers like diesel heat it’s probably best to just keep a log of engine hours vs gallons burned and track fuel available that way.

10. Currently using navionics to navigate the inland lake it’s on. Need to purchase electronics. I’d like to spend the right amount to be able to continue to add to the system down the road. Any used units or deals known is appreciated.

If you want more than what you’ve got now I’d consider a B&G Vulcan chartplotter. They’re well regarded and can be the base for a system of increasing complexity if you find you want to add depth, speed, wind, and autopilot down the road.

 

[kloudie1]

Congrats!!
Item 2 .. In addition, have the valve clearance checked and adjusted if out of spec.
Item 3 Could be that the prop shaft is not centered in the stern tube.. Have the shaft coupling alignment checked and the shaft centered.
The motor mounts are pretty soft and the three cylinder engine wiggles around a good bit.. The motor mounts may be bad, you can check that the clearance between the top and bottom plates is 3/8" or so.. If much less, new mounts might be in order.
Item 4 .... We need to know which brand of furler you have. Most furlers will bind under load and it is necessary to release the sheet tension
almost to the point of luffing to reef/furl the headsail. Most furlers have plastic bearings that only require a fresh water rinse.
Mud dauber and other bugs can be a problem in the bearings and drum.
Item 7.....Most 34's list a small amount to starboard..so leaks are more prevalent on that side.. Possible leak points would be any penetration
above the leak point.. Handrails, sea hood fasteners, fixed port plexiglass, genoa track, chainplate.

 

[Terry Cox]

Does anyone have a good list of all the lightbulbs needed. I’d like to move it all over to Led.

Purchased all of our LEDs from marine beam. Very pleased with the performance.

Furler binds under load. I don’t see any grease access points -do I need to dismantle completely to grease bearings?

What kind/brand of furler?

 

[Benny17441]

#3 definitely check the motor mounts. These engines have their rough spots which tend to show as the motor mounts weaken. Replacement would hinge on the severity of vibration and the use of the motor.

#4 Check the tension on the headstay as well as the headsail halyard. Start at the halyard tension.

#5 Like others have indicated the gauges are practically useless. Calculate the Average Burn Rate of your engine and create a log for the time the engine is ran and with a few in your head calculations you may be able to rather accurately know how much usable fuel is left on your tank. Plenty of info in the Archives.

#8 On a land locked lake keep the Porta Potty.

Congratulations, nice boat.

 

[jssailem]

1.I’ll be going up the mast to replace bulbs. If anyone has a suggestion for LED please share- I’ve purchased some for auto in the past and the quality was quite poor.
2. Oil, filters, tank polish, etc

MarineBeam. Cheap LED's often are not designed to reduce electromagnetic noise.

Some LED lighting products have been reported to emit noise, interfering with FM radio, VHF, and DAB signals. While the Light Emitting Diodes themselves do not generate any detectable noise, the switching power circuitry driving the LEDs operate at high frequencies, which, when not properly filtered can result in electromagnetic interference.​

Definitely change your Oil and Fuel filters. You need to have a clean starting place for your records. How often you change them will be a personal choice. Some boaters use a per so many hours engine run time. Some boaters do it on a seasonal cycle (at end of year use or every 2 years whether they need it our not). This is a personal choice. Decide on a schedule, then follow it and record your actions.
Fuel Polishing can have several solutions. There are a lot of written words about fuel polishing the pro's and con's. Practical Sailor magazine is one source.
Here is another. BAD FUEL can spoil your day
Good fuel filters, clean fuel filling source, the use of chemical additives can be a big help in keeping your engine running smoothly.

3 prop slap??? At certain RPMs I get a knocking sound. It seems the prop gets a little out of kilter and the rubber engine mounts start to shake. Rpm down or up and seems to solve itself quickly - any thoughts?

Your prop mayy be not properly fit to your shaft. Your prop shaft could be out of alignment. You could have a worn cutlass bearing. The coupler flange could be loose, or was not properly faced when installed. Inspect the system, Prop/Cutlass/Coupler/Shaft (in that order, as I think that would be the least expensive fix. Once you get to the coupler you might as well do the shaft as well.

4. Furler binds under load. I don’t see any grease access points -do I need to dismantle completely to grease bearings?

1. Inspect and assure you have a fairlead from furler to the cockpit. Could be when under pressure the line is binding somewhere between the furler and the cockpit.
2. Identify the furler.
   1. Some use sealed bearings like Profurl (you will need to need to remove the drum and gain access to the bearings which are steel - usually not easy as it requires opening the sealed drum. There may be a shop that can service the sealed drum).
   2. Furlers like Harkin use an open design. A little dish soap and water will clean out any accumulated garbage.
3. There may be too much slack in your forestay, that when under pressure the bend in the furler extrusion is causing the bind. If you have an adjustable back stay, you can tighten the back stay which will tighten the forestay. This last option would depend on if you have a mast head or fractional rig.

5. Fuel gauge - what has anyone done for an aftermarket fuel gauge?

Knowing when the tank is full or empty is convenient. Unfortunately the gauge will not be precise. You can open the tank and look or measure with a stick and then do estimates. You can fill the tank, power about the water consuming fuel and counting the hours of use, refill the tank, then calculate how much fuel you use per hour. Or you can use the gauge as an indicator of approximate storage and when it gets "low" (like 1/4 left in the tank) head to the nearest fueling station and replenish.

6. Batons - where is a good place to find the right sized batons?

Identify your sail manufacturer and check in with them for a good source and design to the batons.

7. Leak on starboard side at midship. The shelves under sliding glass on the starboard side have gotten wet in the past. Any standard known leak points on this model?

isolate the specific area of the leak. @kloudie1 identified the "Possible leak points would be any penetration". a very good place to start.

9. Does anyone have a good list of all the lightbulbs needed. I’d like to move it all over to Led.

Move over to all LED's. Good idea. You will want to make up your own list. You may find tthat some of he lights are not OEM. They may be sealed lights and you will need to replace the fixture not just a bulb.

Good luck with your new boat. and Welcome to the SBO and Boat Projects.

 

[Rkelly44]

What a great group of people. Thank you for the help and more questions to come I’m sure. Here is a little sample of what you helped to make happen.