What Are These?

[Hunter Enthusiast]

Can anyone tell me the purpose/use of these two black colored, plastic rings (see attached pictures)?
They were on my Hunter 27 (1984) when I purchased it (and the previous owner is no longer able to provide any insight).

 

[JoeWhite]

If you look below the black ring, inside the cabin, you will find a hole. After the mast is put up some of its cables, such as the antenna coax is fed through this ring. There should be a rubber gasket as well that prevents water from dripping down. You normally remove the black ring, feed the wires through, then screw it down. In the image you have posted, I do not see the rubber gasket. It appears that the opening is plugged up.

 

[dlochner]

They look like cable glands that have been sealed off.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Looking carefully at the deck layout, the gland for coax cable and such, doesn't make sense to me. The rings are located immediately behind the dodger snaps, inside the dodger, and nowhere near the mast.

Maybe some sort of padeye for anchoring something temporarily to the coachtop? Is this a Hunter 27-2, or 27-3, I don't see examples online of Hunters with that molded dodger combing.

-Will

 

[Project_Mayhem]

It Looks like a coffee and ice cream swirl in the middle. Drink up!

What is the material in the center as well as along the inner diameter? It looks like there's some rubber remnants of a seal or something similar

 

[dlochner]

Looking carefully at the deck layout, the gland for coax cable and such, doesn't make sense to me. The rings are located immediately behind the dodger snaps, inside the dodger, and nowhere near the mast.

Maybe some sort of padeye for anchoring something temporarily to the coachtop? Is this a Hunter 27-2, or 27-3, I don't see examples online of Hunters with that molded dodger combing.

-Will

The expected place for a gland is near the mast, however, glands show up in other places, the 3 glands on my boat are on the transom. Glands near the dodger can be for solar panels, instruments, or entertainment systems among other things.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Glands near the dodger can be for solar panels, instruments, or entertainment systems among other things.

The symmetry leads me to believe they aren't for instruments or solar panels. Maybe stereo entertainment systems, but they really don't look like patched holes. The deck beneath looks to perfect and why not remove the rings if you're closing them up? There is a hollow look to the rings that makes me think something is suppose to sit in the ring, like a leg or a post.

cable gland.

An example of a removable pad eye.

A quick-release deck ring table mount.

-Will

 

[Hunter Enthusiast]

If you look below the black ring, inside the cabin, you will find a hole. After the mast is put up some of its cables, such as the antenna coax is fed through this ring. There should be a rubber gasket as well that prevents water from dripping down. You normally remove the black ring, feed the wires through, then screw it down. In the image you have posted, I do not see the rubber gasket. It appears that the opening is plugged up.

I took a second look and there's no hole (not inside nor outside).
It's clearly not for cable routing/access.
The mystery remains.

 

[Hunter Enthusiast]

They look like cable glands that have been sealed off.

There's no access for cables.

 

[Hunter Enthusiast]

It Looks like a coffee and ice cream swirl in the middle. Drink up!

What is the material in the center as well as along the inner diameter? It looks like there's some rubber remnants of a seal or something similar

It presents as a sealant of sorts.

 

[Hunter Enthusiast]

The symmetry leads me to believe they aren't for instruments or solar panels. Maybe stereo entertainment systems, but they really don't look like patched holes. The deck beneath looks to perfect and why not remove the rings if you're closing them up? There is a hollow look to the rings that makes me think something is suppose to sit in the ring, like a leg or a post.

View attachment 240485cable gland.
View attachment 240486
An example of a removable pad eye.

View attachment 240487
A quick-release deck ring table mount.

-Will

I appreciate your reply; thank you.
I've no real plan to remove them; I simply wanted to know what their purpose is.
Neither have a thru hole.
They do look much like the quick release deck ring table mount you reference though.
The mystery remains.