I AM VERY CLOSE TO PURCASE ON A 81 25 ANY IDEAS ON MUST CHECK BEFORE I BUY? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
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Few areas
Bill, I've sailed a 1979 25' for 4 seasons - here's what I found to check: Mast step - check the deck for signs of compression, and if you can remove one of the through decks, look for water in the deck core there. Can be fixed, but is messy and no fun. Check for leaks in the cabin under the mast step - would indicate similar problem as above. Toe rail tends to leak, especially around the stanchion posts where water can gather. Look for stains on the cabin walls. If you can hose the boat down, dry out the bilge, wash the boat well with some pressure on deck and wait an hour and then check the bilge again. Some of this may also be coming in around the ports. Check the cockpit drain hose under the fuel locker - this is typically an L-shaped piece and if water freezes in it and the hose cracks, any cockpit water will drain into the bilge - eventually could cause a sinking if the transom drain hole submerges. Over the years we have also replaced the water bag under the cockpit - tough to do since there's hardly any room to get into the area, but luckily my partner is petite and could get in and out of the lazarette. Obviously, check for hull, deck and rigging integrity. Also check the play in the rudder post. On an older boat, chances are that there has been some modification to the electrical circuits to add other devices, so be sure you know how things run there too. I'm still tracing a couple of circuits. There's lots of other things you should check too - engine, stove, head, plumbing etc - but the above are where we found problems. Overall, we've loved sailing Windbreaker and cruising Lake Huron with her. She's a sturdy little boat and loves to sail. Good luck on your purchase. John s/v Windbreaker Saginaw Bay, Michigan
Bill, I've sailed a 1979 25' for 4 seasons - here's what I found to check: Mast step - check the deck for signs of compression, and if you can remove one of the through decks, look for water in the deck core there. Can be fixed, but is messy and no fun. Check for leaks in the cabin under the mast step - would indicate similar problem as above. Toe rail tends to leak, especially around the stanchion posts where water can gather. Look for stains on the cabin walls. If you can hose the boat down, dry out the bilge, wash the boat well with some pressure on deck and wait an hour and then check the bilge again. Some of this may also be coming in around the ports. Check the cockpit drain hose under the fuel locker - this is typically an L-shaped piece and if water freezes in it and the hose cracks, any cockpit water will drain into the bilge - eventually could cause a sinking if the transom drain hole submerges. Over the years we have also replaced the water bag under the cockpit - tough to do since there's hardly any room to get into the area, but luckily my partner is petite and could get in and out of the lazarette. Obviously, check for hull, deck and rigging integrity. Also check the play in the rudder post. On an older boat, chances are that there has been some modification to the electrical circuits to add other devices, so be sure you know how things run there too. I'm still tracing a couple of circuits. There's lots of other things you should check too - engine, stove, head, plumbing etc - but the above are where we found problems. Overall, we've loved sailing Windbreaker and cruising Lake Huron with her. She's a sturdy little boat and loves to sail. Good luck on your purchase. John s/v Windbreaker Saginaw Bay, Michigan
Big Cost Items
Ditto's on John's comments. Are you hiring the services of a surveyor? With these small, less expensive boats, it is natural to dodge that cost, but I certainly recommend it - even if you just consult a friend with a long history of sail boat ownership. Look at the big cost items - sails, bottom condition, motor. Sail replacement, bottom paint/condition, and motor overhaul/replacement can easily equal the price you pay for the boat! My '81 H25 came with a good main, a great spinnaker and a baggy genoa - replaced the genoa for $1200. The bottom had been painted so many times that it must have increased ballast by 20%!! I've had the paint stripped down to the gelcoat, put on new barrier coat and ablative paint - cost of $3500. She sails better, certainly, and the market value is a bit higher 'cause no future owner will have to go to that expense if they paint every three years or so. If you get the point of all that ("hole in the water into which you throw large sums of money"), you'll see the value of a surveyor. Think of it as a cheap insurance policy! Fair Winds! Michael O'
Ditto's on John's comments. Are you hiring the services of a surveyor? With these small, less expensive boats, it is natural to dodge that cost, but I certainly recommend it - even if you just consult a friend with a long history of sail boat ownership. Look at the big cost items - sails, bottom condition, motor. Sail replacement, bottom paint/condition, and motor overhaul/replacement can easily equal the price you pay for the boat! My '81 H25 came with a good main, a great spinnaker and a baggy genoa - replaced the genoa for $1200. The bottom had been painted so many times that it must have increased ballast by 20%!! I've had the paint stripped down to the gelcoat, put on new barrier coat and ablative paint - cost of $3500. She sails better, certainly, and the market value is a bit higher 'cause no future owner will have to go to that expense if they paint every three years or so. If you get the point of all that ("hole in the water into which you throw large sums of money"), you'll see the value of a surveyor. Think of it as a cheap insurance policy! Fair Winds! Michael O'
Deck Problems
My 1974 Hunter 25 had very serious problems with rotten balsa deck coring. The deck on your boat is different and I don't know if the same problem is likely. Pop rivits securing the seahood (what the main hatch slides into) appeared to be a big part of this problem. The mast step area was also a problem, consistent with prior respontants. I bought my boat as a project boat. If you want a boat ready to go get a survey. PS Michael's $1,200 for a new genoa might have been a high end racing type sail. I,m in the market and my quotes for a general duty 150 genoa are in the $600 range. I really like the boat. I had a tall rig Catalina 25 in my past life (pre-divorce) and I believe that my new/old Hunter is a much better sailing boat.
My 1974 Hunter 25 had very serious problems with rotten balsa deck coring. The deck on your boat is different and I don't know if the same problem is likely. Pop rivits securing the seahood (what the main hatch slides into) appeared to be a big part of this problem. The mast step area was also a problem, consistent with prior respontants. I bought my boat as a project boat. If you want a boat ready to go get a survey. PS Michael's $1,200 for a new genoa might have been a high end racing type sail. I,m in the market and my quotes for a general duty 150 genoa are in the $600 range. I really like the boat. I had a tall rig Catalina 25 in my past life (pre-divorce) and I believe that my new/old Hunter is a much better sailing boat.
good choice
We have an 81 H25 that we purchased in 1998. First and most important, look for blistering below the waterline. If it has it, be prepared to spend some money having someone repair it or some time doing it yourself. Our boat had it, but for the $4000 we paid for the boat it was rediculous to spend $3k or more to have it repaired. It can be done yourself for about$500 plus the price of a good sander. If you have the luxury of having a place to work on the boat you can save yourself some money and buy other useful things for the boat instead. Check out all of the other things people have told you in response to your listing. They are a very good boat. Most H25 boats have just been neglected. As with any boat, you get out what you put in. Enjoy.
We have an 81 H25 that we purchased in 1998. First and most important, look for blistering below the waterline. If it has it, be prepared to spend some money having someone repair it or some time doing it yourself. Our boat had it, but for the $4000 we paid for the boat it was rediculous to spend $3k or more to have it repaired. It can be done yourself for about$500 plus the price of a good sander. If you have the luxury of having a place to work on the boat you can save yourself some money and buy other useful things for the boat instead. Check out all of the other things people have told you in response to your listing. They are a very good boat. Most H25 boats have just been neglected. As with any boat, you get out what you put in. Enjoy.
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