swing keel???

[Casey A Hargrave]

Just bought my first boat, sailboat that is, a beautiful Hunter 23 in need of some serious attention... I plan to start the restoration process this saturday. My first step will be lowering the mast and getting her on the trailor. I am looking for any advice on lowering the mast and sucessfully getting the boat on the trailor. Also, the Keel, swing keel, obvious it needs to be raised, but i don't know the process for doing so.Thanks in Advance for any adviceCasey

 

[Bob15530]

fixed keel

I think that model has a fixed winged keel.Make sure the boat is centered on the trailer & winch the bow all the way up so the eye is as far onto the trailer as possible. As you pull the boat out, it will tend to slide back. Re winch it back up again before you pull it all the way out of the water.Also, on this site under resources or references, there is a section containing a manual for the 23.

 

[Bill18593]

Model??

If its got a swing keel, are you sure its a 23 and not a 23.5 or 22?

 

[Casey A Hargrave]

not sure

Thanks for the replies! To be completly honest, the boat could be a 23.5, not a 23. I boat the boat off an indivual who hasn;t moved her in over 5 years. I called him last night and asked if it did have a swing keel, and where I would find the winch to raise or lower it. He cliamed there where two lines under a bench in the main cabin that raised and lowered it. I am curious why you asked if it was a 22, or perhaps a 23.5. Was the swing keel not offered in a 23?

 

[Steve677]

23 wing w/swing keel

Prior to 1985 or so the Hunter sold an H23 model with a combination wing and swing keel. There was a swing keel that dropped down out of the rear of the wing. Odd looking out of the water but it pointed higher and wasn't as tender as the wing alone. As for stepping the mast: Send me an email. sullrich@integraonline.com I can send you the H23 manual as a set of PDF files. It wasn't much of a manual, and other models were included as well, but it does show how to step the mast without a mast raising/lowering system. Use caution here... the mast is heavy and plenty awkward. You don't want to lose control bringing her down. You could have some serious damage and you might really hurt someone. You might want to look through the archives for Peter Suah's mast stepping system. It is cheap & easy to make.