H23 #335 has been recommissioned and stands ready for service at slip C54 in Mentor Lagoons off Lake Erie, 20 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. She has been rechristened "Orion." Minor fiberglass damage at the deck/rub rail joint was filled with West Marine Silicone (didn't know if rubber/epoxy contact was a good idea). A bead of clear West Marine Silicone was run the entire way around the boat at the rub-rail deck joint and also right on top of the hull deck joint existing caulk - and my leaks STOPPED as a result. I know this isn't the gold standard repair, but after about 200 man hours of other work, we really wanted to go sailing! Although we were experiencing water collecting in keel bolt bilges, and saw it running down the sides inside the cabin, the topsides didn't look bad enough to justify a big tear down and rebuild. The clear silicone is virtually invisible and the boat stayed dry following a major storm. The bow eye was replaced with an extension added to the backing plate - lots of 4200 here. The absolutely disgusting mold filled hull liner was completely ripped out. I tried every scrapping/sanding/solvent technique I could think of to remove the mastic and imbedded carpet fibers with very little luck. My son's buddy suggested I use a ligher and burn off the remaining "fuzzies." After much reluctance I tried it in a small area and the fibers shriveled down to the mastic, extinguished and left little smoke, fumes or burn marks. Five disposable grill lighters later, the job was done. A torch would have been faster and easier, but I didn't want to risk the higher heat. The remaining surface was washed with a clorox solution then sanded down with a disk attached to a drill then painted with 2 coats of Kilz White with mold inhibitor. Although it is not an absolutely fair surface, it looks terrific. All teak and plywood was thoroughly washed with a clorox solution (mostly the plywood) and/or teak cleaner or brightener. The teak got 2 coats of teak oil (Seabowld) followed by 2 coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane. The interior plywood got a coat of the oil which did not cover the mold discoloration very well. So, we applied red oak stain followed by a coat of the Spar Urethane and it is beautiful - closely matches the restored teak trim. We masked extensively inside and out when painting or oiling. This required a lot of time but made the painting and clean up much easier. A big mistake was made when we failed to remove the exterior masking for several days thinking we might add just one more coat. We ended up with a gooey mess that took several hours to clean up with Goo Gone. The companionway slider was replaced with new clear lexan. We saved about $100 by not using smoked. We covered it with the film that is used to darken windows. Looks great but cottonwood fuzz flying all of the Lagoons like to adhere to it for some reason. Cleans up easy, though. All wiring was replaced - wires routed in plactic 5/16" wire channels. Channels snugged into hull/deck crease or run along cabin roof. Held in place with hooks that come attached to a self-adhesive base (from ACE Hardware). They seem to be staying up and are very unobtrusive looking. Still to do - finish reconditioning the cushions and the galley. First sail was yesterday on Erie. 7 to 10 MPH winds, mild easterly chop. Hit 5.4 MPH of the Garmin on our best broad reach. We were absolutely delighted with the responsiveness, speed and handling of this boat. Very slight weather helm (which is my preference) and not at all tender - although this might be due to the very mild conditions. We returned through the Lagoons channel under sail and did not fire up the iron genoa until we were becalmed in the protected environment near the docks. When you go through an extensive refitting, you really get to see the small details of design and construction. This boat was well thought out and put together nicely. It really helped me appreciate what a fine job Hunter did at the factory on a very affordable production boat. Sorry for the long post. Hope I've added something to the reconditioning tips, which was my main intent. We've have benefitted tremendously from the input of dozens of you, and am so grateful. Best Regards, Mike and Julie S/V Orion
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H23 Regatta
Cool! Any chance you'll be bringin' her down to the H23 National Regatta on the weekend of August 27-28?
Cool! Any chance you'll be bringin' her down to the H23 National Regatta on the weekend of August 27-28?
Het Mike,
Great report! I couldn't agree more with your assesment on how well thought out the H23 is by the mfg. Love the boat, the way she is built, the way she handles, etc. Everytime I'm on mine I'm impressed. Would love to see some pictures, also, if possible. Also, would like to hear your report on sailing Lake Erie when the wind and waves are really crankin! I would like to go there sometime. Thanks, George
Great report! I couldn't agree more with your assesment on how well thought out the H23 is by the mfg. Love the boat, the way she is built, the way she handles, etc. Everytime I'm on mine I'm impressed. Would love to see some pictures, also, if possible. Also, would like to hear your report on sailing Lake Erie when the wind and waves are really crankin! I would like to go there sometime. Thanks, George
H23 Fans
Thanks for the replies, fellas. George - you are welcome to join us anytime, just give a little advance notice. Mike - we are very intersted in visiting so we can meet you folks and learn more about how to get the most out of this boat. We have some trailer issues to address before traveling again, and stepping/unstepping isn't a favorite activity, but we are seriously considering a road trip to the Nationals. All - I'll get some pictures up soon. Wanted to wait until the cushions were in, but we're having so much fun, they seem be be dropping in priority.
Thanks for the replies, fellas. George - you are welcome to join us anytime, just give a little advance notice. Mike - we are very intersted in visiting so we can meet you folks and learn more about how to get the most out of this boat. We have some trailer issues to address before traveling again, and stepping/unstepping isn't a favorite activity, but we are seriously considering a road trip to the Nationals. All - I'll get some pictures up soon. Wanted to wait until the cushions were in, but we're having so much fun, they seem be be dropping in priority.
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