Replacement B&R rig for mid eighties Hunter 31

[jmce1587]

lost my rig in recent offshore Gulf of Mexico regatta. Need to find a replacement rig for this vintage Hunter. Can anyone provide suggestions/contact details on possible boat salvagers or others that sell spars in the gulf coast area? Thanks, Jerry.

 

[rgranger]

I'm guessing that after all of the hurricanes that have come through... there will be lots of boat parts on the market soon. Put out some "wanted" ads on Craigs List. And crawl around the salvage yard websites... maybe even email a few.

 

[jmce1587]

Thanks. Didn't think about Craigs list. Agree that with all the boat carnage lately I am hoping to find what I need. Have been surfing web but nothing specific is coming for boat/rig type. Will keep trying. If anyone has known salvagers in these area handling insurance claims, I would appreciate contact details. Jerry

 

[Barnacle Bill]

The B&R rigs for Hunters (and any other design) are now being built and supplied by Selden Mast out of Charleston.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Barnacle Bill is correct about Selden now as they replaced Z Spar back in the 90's but they probably will not advise about salvage buyers but remember it will be difficult and you will have new rigging to think of as well.

 

[pateco]

lost my rig in recent offshore Gulf of Mexico regatta. Need to find a replacement rig for this vintage Hunter. Can anyone provide suggestions/contact details on possible boat salvagers or others that sell spars in the gulf coast area? Thanks, Jerry.

What Broke?

 

[jmce1587]

thanks Bill - will contact them for pricing if they will sell direct. and yes agree on new rigging. just had my stays replaced in April so I am very familiar with the costs and replacement.

Chip - port side chain plate and tie rod broke while under load in 18-20 knots winds and 5 ft swells on an upwind leg. working with boat yard to determine possible fix for chain plates in these model hunters (same for 34's). If I go forward with repairs I will document for forum.

 

[pateco]

Chip - port side chain plate and tie rod broke while under load in 18-20 knots winds and 5 ft swells on an upwind leg. working with boat yard to determine possible fix for chain plates in these model hunters (same for 34's). If I go forward with repairs I will document for forum.

Did it break at a weld, or somewhere in the middle of the rod?

 

[jmce1587]

Hard to tell. Rod looks as if it sheared off at the bolt connection into the iron.

 

[pateco]

Hard to tell. Rod looks as if it sheared off at the bolt connection into the iron.

So down under the berths?

 

[jmce1587]

yes rod where it enters the small opening at the connection point. rod broke at this point. attached are pics of deck damage when it pulled up and also in the cabin (the blurry one is where you can see a broken rod)

 

[kloudie1]

There have been several discussions on this failure and repair here on the forum.. You should be able to find them using search terms like "tie rod" .. Since the loads are high, and the stringer that it is enclosed within has unidirectional glass in its layup, Hunter recommended cutting a hole in the hull for access to the angle iron tie rod anchor.Seems like it should be accessible from inside after cutting a hole through one end of the big beam.. The angle irons were plain steel, so any long term leak of salt water onto the beam there would result in this failure.
Sorry to hear..

 

[pateco]

yes rod where it enters the small opening at the connection point. rod broke at this point. attached are pics of deck damage when it pulled up and also in the cabin (the blurry one is where you can see a broken rod)

Could you take a picture of the attachment point inside the storage compartment under the bench? I want to see how it compares to what I have there. Thanks in advance.

 

[jmce1587]

Kloudie. Agree on the salt water over time. These vintage hunters aren't spring chickens but they're still one heckuva boat. Still looking at possible fixes and I do have the pics and info off the forum from a H34 years back in the Caribbean and what he did for a fix. Really don't want to tackle this from the outside and will work some sort of internal fix with an access port for inspecting in the future. Will also add a stainless steel backing plate on the inside where the rod enters the interior and thru bolt that.

Chip - will be at the boat this weekend and take a few pics for you. We should have the same type of chain plate because this is what hunter used in the mid eighties

Jerry

 

[jmce1587]

Chip - addl photos for chain plate attachment - pics are of port side where it broke and also what is on the stbd side now. will be replacing this one as well once we come up with the repair method. will take photos of in work process and share.

 

[Pizzazz]

You may be better off just acquiring a new hull, putting together the best pieces (engine, etc. then selling off the high value items such as engine, winches, sails, etc). But if you are to repair this, my strong advice would be to reach for the chainplates from the outside of the hull. That is the only way to do it, especially since you are racing it offshore.

Pizzazz
1984 Hunter 31

 

[jmce1587]

Thanks. Reviewed prior posts on this forum and they went thru the interior. Will also add inspection port for future use to inspect the connection point between rid and steel bar. Thought about the exterior entry but from the outside I wouldn't be able to add inspection area.