Slow Leak on Hunter 22

[Joe Turner]

I have a 20-year old Hunter 22 that has developed a slow but annoying leak. I think I have isolated the leak to somewhere around the center board.Has anyone had any similar problems? I don't have a diagram of what the center board and pivot apparatus design is so when I pull the boat from the water I'm not sure I will be able to know just what to look for. Are there some "through-the-hull" fitings that could be worn and causing the leak?Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Capt'n Sam]

Welcome to the swing keel slow leak

Welcome to the Hunter swing keel slow leak. My 81 Hunter 22 with retactable keel leaked a little more than slow. If you remove the cabin flooring on either side of the table, you will see a small (about 4x8 inch)access area. One on each side of the keel. There will be two through-hull bolts showing in each area. These bolts hold the hinges for the swing keel and over time and use they may loosen...and leak! My fix was to haul the boat (put it on the trailer), loosen/remove the bolts, fill the bolt holes, bolts, and backing plate of the hinge with 3M 5200, and bolt it all back together. The trick is...it's a two person job...one in the boat with small hands and right size wrench and one under the boat with big hands and a serious philps head screw driver. Once the bolts are tight (they are lock/tight stainless steel)make sure they are tight using the wrench.If there is no structural damage (probably not or you would have more than a slow leak) that should fix the problem. I went through the procedure about five years ago and still have a dry bilge.Good Luck...

 

[Joe Turner]

Thanks to Capt'n Sam

Thanks for the very informative and descriptive response. I feel confident now that I can haul the boat and address the problem.