Salvaging a 1986 Hunter 23

Kermit · Apr 27, 2011

I highly recommend you get some sort of bill of sale so you can transfer the title. In South Carolina it would be necessary to have one. Even $1 would suffice. Or love and affection or something. (Not that you asked for this sort of advice. Just thought it might give you one more thing to think about.)

Congratulations and have fun with the restoration!

Kermit

MrUnix · Apr 27, 2011

Wow.. seems like your situation could be both a blessing and a curse at the same time. It's great to get a boat for free.. but it can wind up consuming more time and money than you think, and quickly! Looks like at a minimum you will be needing a new mast, boom, rudder/tiller, standing rigging, running rigging, sails, small outboard motor and a trailer along with some serious fiberglass work to fix the hole in the hull. All of those are fairly big ticket items that will add up fast. How much damage has been done to the interior? Has it been sitting there all this time open to the elements and critters? Electrical will probably need to be redone as well. Cushions? Hardware (blocks, sheaves, cleats, etc..)? Quite a project you are taking on! Depending on your skill level, financial situation and work area availability, you might want to consider just parting it out and taking that cash to look for one in better condition.

As for the trailer.. you may or may not be able to modify the one you have to fit the H23 depending on what you got. If it's the trailer for your previous 18 footer, it most likely will be too small. I don't have any decent pictures of the trailer by itself, but you can find lots and lots of pictures of H23's sitting on trailers if you do a quick Google search.. you can start out by looking at the pictures of H23's over at http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats99hunter23.html (Sailing Texas web site). [warning: first picture in that list is actually a H22 :neutral: ]

I guess your first action would be like Kermit says and get a bill of sale and title transfered to your name. Then find someone with a trailer you can borrow to get the hull back to where you will be doing the work. Since it's already on the ground and missing all of the long pointy pieces, you could probably even get by using a flatbed trailer to move it if it's not being moved too far. Get it where you want it, block it up and start work on fixing the hull before you worry about buying/building a trailer for it.

If you decide to part it out though, I really could use that lexan slider!

Whatever you do, keep us informed as to your progress and take lots of pictures!

Cheers,
Brad

soling42 · Apr 27, 2011

Had to build a trailer for our 26. Yours will rest on its keel but propped up by screw stands or bunks where mine, with its swing keel, fully rests on bunks. Here's a diagram to use in capturing some hull curves from your boat when it's stood up that you can then transfer to your trailer.

That boat's a major re-build by the way and you might shop around to see what $5000+++ will buy. Someone here once said that the most expensive boat that they ever owned had been given to them. Saw a really sweet boat 4days ago for 5k that was ready to sail away.

Think it all the way through and price sails/rigging/tiller/motor/blocks n lines/interior/cushions/trailer/registration. Many would then multiply x 3.

Good luck

robertsapp · Apr 27, 2011

Sell the winches on ebay, sell the keel and stainless to a recycler, make a deal with MrUnix for the slider, then cut up the hull with a chainsaw and haul it to the landfill. Use the money to put down on a sailable boat. Otherwise she's going to break your heart, while cleaning out your bank account.

Fly_H23 · Apr 27, 2011

Free Hunter 23?

ronswhite said:
any comments on using the rigging from another boat. If I find this will not work, I agree...the price of rigging this boat alone might drive me away. I can do most of the repair work myself... but things you have to buy (rigging) might make the decision.

My plan would be to rig the mast and boom from my 18' day sailer...I think it will work...for labor...and maybe some new line?

Trying to re-rig your mast and boom to function on the H23 could possibly work, you'd need at least new wire stays and would end up with an underpowered rig. It wouldn't matter performance wise if you're sailing it on the coast but inland lakes typically are much less breezy. I'd also suggest that if you do "frankenstein" your two sailboats it likely won't have much resale value...but if you intend to keep it and sail her like that, you'd have almost nothing invested.

Other option to consider, part out the H23 on eBay and craigslist AND sell your 18' daysailer and you might have enough $ to buy a complete boat and trailer. I've seen complete fixer-upper H23's for under $2500 including trailer.

Good luck either way!

isaksp00 · Apr 27, 2011

I doubt if it'd perform very well with the rig from your 18. I wouldn't put much money in it at all. I suppose if you can rig the mast and boom for almost free, it could be worth a try, but of course you have to at minimum fix the hull. If the hole is large enough, the glass cloth and chemicals alone won't be cheap. And you may have to put some $$ into fittings to even adapt the rig from your 18.

I would not be surprised if you couldn't find a usable H23 (or similar boat) for close to the same money you'd have to put out just to get this one usable.

Thomas Dynneson · Apr 28, 2011

It looks to me that you are moving into the heartbreak hotel, unless you need this project as a challenge. I have just retrieved my H 23.5 from a storage lot and had not seen the boat for about ten years. I have just begun the renovation and have spent money on tires, electrical trailer hook up, refinishing materials, some innovative electrical for raising the mast, etc. I do not expect to gain value, but I need the project to keep busy. So I can understand something about your excitement. It sounds like you are not concerned about an investment, but have ulterior reasons. There is great pride in renovating old things including cars and old houses.

Roger Long · Apr 28, 2011

Thomas Dynneson said:
There is great pride in renovating old things including cars and old houses.

But, it can be expensive. I couldn't bring myself to just replace the crude design of my shroud attachments which broke just about every engineering rule I knew as someone who has designed rigs. So, here are $500 worth of custom parts.

Steve Dion · Apr 28, 2011

You can probably purchase one that is ready to sail for under $4000. (motor, trailer, sails, ground tackle etc).

peptobysmol · Apr 28, 2011

Although I'd like to see any old H23 floating once again. This boat has been sitting in the elements for 5 years? No mast, No boom, No sails, No rudder, No standing or running rigging. Inside it is probably worthless, so you'll have to replace at least the cushions. At worst the bulkheads and benches.

What you do have is a disaster remnant that no one else wanted. An old saying is a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw your hard earned money. Now you have a hole in the water that has a hole

I hope you see the irony.

I don't know you or your capabilities or disposable cash, but you'd be better off doing what Robertsapp advised. This thing is a class A piece of junk that will only rob you of your $$$ and time. Sure you could get it back together after a LONG time. But the point is you want to go sailing right? Use your money to buy a boat that floats. Spend your extra money on "making it your's"
My2Cents

soling42 · Apr 28, 2011

To some the journey is in the problem solving ability to make something out of the useable items of other people. To others the journey is all about getting off the dock in anything that'll float. I suspect you are the former.

As a smart a$$ kid I once called my dads ranch shop a Sanford and son salvage yard. About 20yrs later he came by my shop and with a sly grin reminded me of what I'd said and that my place with its "fixable good stuff" and "projects" now looked about the same. I love to solve problems with "valuable" salvaged parts on hand but that boat's in a pretty bad way. Being "resourceful" only goes so far and I've never seen such crazy prices until you add "marine" in a parts name.

Mating two different boats together is a lot like driving a truck with motorcycle tires. It may work but they aren't balanced by any stretch of the imagination. A rig and a hull are designed/mated by a naval architect to match. There's some sage advice in the former posts. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Sanford's son, Mike

Kermit · Apr 28, 2011

peptobysmol said:
But the point is you want to go sailing right? Use your money to buy a boat that floats. Spend your extra money on "making it your's."

That's exactly what we did. We found a boat in pretty dang good condition that just needed a good cleaning. (We actually could have sailed it just fine without cleaning it, but we wanted a clean boat.) We paid $5,000 for it including the trailer, sails and safety stuff. We renamed it, the wife has furnished it nicely and now it is just the way we want it.

We love sailing - not restoring old things.

Kermit

teacher63 · Jun 26, 2011

If I may put my 2 cents in and give a little advice from someone who just went through a new mast and re rigging. Don't do it. I just had a new mast and rigging put on my 23. Long story just put it this way the mast split at the spreaders reason ??????????? Fortunately I had insurance. I had it done at a marina. Just for this conversation 1 new mast $2,300. This does not include the boom. All new rigging both running and standing plus new internal wire for radio and lights, and halyards etc etc. The halyards on this boat are internal in the mast. Total cost $5,500. Now granted a portion of that was labor but with the mast, rigging, and all the ancillary parts I bet it was at least $3000 in parts. Also, when they ordered the mast from the original manufacture they found out that the specs changed, consequently all the new rigging. There is a place in Annapolis Maryland called Bacon Sails that has all kinds of used parts including sails. I was just there and ended up buying a new winch handle cheaper than a used one. That should tell you something. Do not get me wrong, if you have the ability and can come up with the parts it would be worth it. But for me if I had not had insurance the boat would have been a total.

ronswhite said:
I have just been "given" a wrecked 1986 Hunter 23. Wing Keel. It's literally sitting on the ground with a hole in the hull. All gear is missing but it's mine for the taking. The original owner lost it in Hurrican Ike a few years back. When we contacted him, he came and took a look and said "you can have it".

I have lots of old parts, etc from a 18 foot day sailer, I'm hoping to fit some of that gear onto the Hunter 23...at least to start with.

First things first, I need all kind of information on the trailer. I have a boat trailer that I would like to modify to carry the H23? Does anyone have good pictures or even demenions of a current H23 trailer?

Fly_H23 · Jun 26, 2011

You'd put much more into fixing it than to buy a complete boat.

peoples1234 · Jun 26, 2011

Fly_H23 said:
You'd put much more into fixing it than to buy a complete boat.

This is the truth.

Salvaging a 1986 Hunter 23

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