Older Hunter 27s, ca. 1975

[Michael Shea]

Hello, Salty Folks -

I am contemplating buying a 1975 H27, Hull # HUN50235M75K. The owner wants $3000 plus $324 for winter storage. It is in delightful condition, well equipped, and including that the bulkheads are NOT bowed or warped, and the sliding doors are actually still there, work well, and look good. It has a bent rudder post, but I am a mechanical engineer and work in a shop where I can do stainless steel fabrication. But I need to know some facts:

1) Is there an auxiliary pump on that model allowing me to pump the waste tank out through a thru-hull into a bucket or something, or do I have to suck it out through the deck waste fitting (which would be kind of difficult because the boat is on the hard)?

Other than this, it still needs to be winterized, which I think I have under control but any suggestions or insights including rudder removal hints are certainly welcome. Thank you -

Michael

 

[dmc]

Ahoy Mike.....

I own a '78 27' Hunter. She seems sturdy and seaworthy. Yours should be as well. I just replaced my rudder this spring. Before you try to remove the rudder......measure...make sure you have the clearance. My cradle was two cement blocks off the ground and I still had to dig about 1/2 foot of gravel. Don't forget to think about an emergency tiller and a way to connect it. If you have wheel steering, watch the alignment of the quadrant. I polished the stainless rudder tube and used sand paper on plastic pipe to clean the rudder shaft tubes. It's really a simple job.

Peace

dmc

 

[Paul356]

A very nice boat for Lake Winnebago, and a very good bargain. Almost certainly there's no pump on the boat for the holding tank in an H27 of that vintage. The boatyard may have a septic pump. Otherwise you're probably going to have cobble something together.

 

[Michael Shea]

More questions

hey, DMC -

Thanks for the reply. I'm still hoping that someone tells me that there is a diverter valve to pump the waste out through a thru-hull. If the waste tank is nearly empty, perhaps just pouring in 2 gallons of non-toxic antifreeze would be enough to keep me good until spring. Then I could get it into the water and have it pumped out proper...

 

[Michael Shea]

Yes, thank you. And it's shoal draft, so it only draws 3 feet.

 

[dmc]

Ahoy Mike..........

Wow, looking at the pictures that rudder took a hit. I replaced my rudder because the PO had bent it and had it repaired. It never felt right, but it worked OK. There was no other damage at or near the rudder shaft. You should inspect that area very well. The rudder post itself is made of SS about 3/16th thick. I don't know for sure, but I think the shaft was made to bent first and prevent damage to the hull that could sink the boat. I would not replace it with a solid rudder post. You can buy a new rudder from a company in Fla. (can't remember the name right now) for about $1,000. I happened across a used one in Texas for $600. I found it on the net after 8 months of looking. The replacement rudder was from an 1980 Hunter '27. Take good measurement and things will work out.
I do not have any sort of alternate pump out for the waste holding tank. Winter in WI is a lot like winter in MI, maybe a bit colder. Anti-freeze may work, maybe a porta-john company could come by with a truck and pump out. Be careful of the anti-freeze some of that stuff is not good for the internal head parts. Peggy Hall (the head mistress on this site) may be able to help.

Peace

dmc

 

[David in Sandusky]

Different Hull Shape

The rudder and keel are different from later Hunter 27's. Our '77 h27 has a balanced rudder without the notch in the front, and without the shallow keel coming back to fit into the notch in the rudder.

In any case, you can figure out the waste system with careful inspection of the piping and through hulls on the boat. Our Lady Lillie has a Porta-potty with a ventilation line to the side through the toerail, and a deck pump out fitting. The other design I have seen is a holding tank with a similar ventilation line, and deck pump out fitting. Hunter or a PO may have fitted a Y-valve and a through-hull to allow pumping waste directly overboard from the head while beyond the three mile limit. But plumbing to pump the holding tank overboard would be unusual.

I concur that you need to have clearance below to drop the rudder. On the hard that almost always means digging a hole. And you do want to get it out now to get the repair/replacement started, and to be sure that the fiberglass tube that holds the rudder tube is in good shape before you splash the boat. It could easily be split or crushed if the rudder was bent that badly. Foss Foam is the leading rudder supplier - then and now as far as I know.

Your condition description indicates that this is a good boat in decent condition. If fiberglass repair and a new rudder are all you need, your cost will still be below the $7,000 to $10,000 value of the boat.