Hi, I hear some noise from the keel last year and decide to check it out before the sailing season starts in may this year. When i remove the keelbracket i discovered that the 3/4" screw that hold the bracket and the bolt that holds the keel was very bad spesially the bolt that the keel turns on. Has any one else experience this kind of problems? My Hunter is a 96 model. I also discover cracks in the hull in front of the keel. Is this a problem for this type of boat too? I can only have one picture in this article but can send the a picture of the bolts if anyone is interested. *yks Tom L Haaland
Problem with the keelbolts and crack in the hull
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Similar cracks
Tom I have just discovered the same type of cracks in the same location on my 1995 Hunter 26. We sanded the cracks out and epoxied them but they returned - and some water came out of them. The boat had been out of the water on the trailer for 5 months so this was a big surprise. I am going to call Hunter and see what they say. I have no idea what caused the cracks.
Tom I have just discovered the same type of cracks in the same location on my 1995 Hunter 26. We sanded the cracks out and epoxied them but they returned - and some water came out of them. The boat had been out of the water on the trailer for 5 months so this was a big surprise. I am going to call Hunter and see what they say. I have no idea what caused the cracks.
Those are stress cracks...
...and will probably spread. Is this close to the keel pivot bolt? If so, I would check for excess wear movement on the that pivot. As you tack the keel is forced from one side to the other. Movement laterelly can put a large excess force on the trunk and its attchment point to the hull. The repair will involve minimizing lateral movement and reinforcing the trunk/hull joint.
...and will probably spread. Is this close to the keel pivot bolt? If so, I would check for excess wear movement on the that pivot. As you tack the keel is forced from one side to the other. Movement laterelly can put a large excess force on the trunk and its attchment point to the hull. The repair will involve minimizing lateral movement and reinforcing the trunk/hull joint.
Movment in the keel
Hi and thank you for answer my article. I bought the boat in desember 2003 and when i used it last summer i heard noise from the keel spesially when i was i a habour and i didnt raise the keel. When i inspect the keel and the keel bracket i found out that the bolts were bad. When i now are going to repair it with new polyester an new bolts i would try to minimise the clearense between the bracket and the hull by welding on some distanseplates on the bracket. It seems to that the Pivot bolt was loose in the bracketholes so i was thinking of welding it together. Tom
Hi and thank you for answer my article. I bought the boat in desember 2003 and when i used it last summer i heard noise from the keel spesially when i was i a habour and i didnt raise the keel. When i inspect the keel and the keel bracket i found out that the bolts were bad. When i now are going to repair it with new polyester an new bolts i would try to minimise the clearense between the bracket and the hull by welding on some distanseplates on the bracket. It seems to that the Pivot bolt was loose in the bracketholes so i was thinking of welding it together. Tom
Check your keelbolts
I got a message from Hunter: "The cracks in the transom are non structural. It will not matter if you choose not to repair them. If you do I would recommend opening the crack and filling with epoxy or Sika Flex. The crack on the hull bottom needs to be opened and filled with Fiberglass and resin." My keel bolt was very bad (look for the picture in my article) so i will ask you to check this out. Send me and email with the answer you get from Hunter because you can explain the situation better than me (i am an norwegian that are not so good in english writing) Best regard Tom
I got a message from Hunter: "The cracks in the transom are non structural. It will not matter if you choose not to repair them. If you do I would recommend opening the crack and filling with epoxy or Sika Flex. The crack on the hull bottom needs to be opened and filled with Fiberglass and resin." My keel bolt was very bad (look for the picture in my article) so i will ask you to check this out. Send me and email with the answer you get from Hunter because you can explain the situation better than me (i am an norwegian that are not so good in english writing) Best regard Tom
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