Another Hunter Rudder!

[sailorboy1]

The problem wasn't the composite rudders, it was the carbon fiber rudders and they did replace them. I have a composite rudder that is 14 years old and it fine.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

The problem wasn't the composite rudders, it was the carbon fiber rudders and they did replace them. I have a composite rudder that is 14 years old and it fine.

Sorry, I think we might be talking about two separate issues. My boat had the carbon fiber rudder post which has been known to fail and wasn't recalled by the manufacturer. I don't know about the rudder problem you had or information on that particular recall. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

The problem wasn't the composite rudders, it was the carbon fiber rudders and they did replace them. I have a composite rudder that is 14 years old and it fine.

Carbon fiber is a composite! So the rudder failures that Hunter have had(not including SS) have been solely the ones built with carbon fiber stocks and those we all replaced by Hunter ??

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Carbon fiber is a composite! So the rudder failures that Hunter have had(not including SS) have been solely the ones built with carbon fiber stocks and those we all replaced by Hunter ??

Other than you insisting that everything Hunter is wrong, why do you feel the need to find a way to post things that you don't know about? it is apparent you do not know the history and facts of the rudder problem.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Other than you insisting that everything Hunter is wrong, why do you feel the need to find a way to post things that you don't know about? it is apparent you do not know the history and facts of the rudder problem.

Well obviously I know that a number have failed, many years ago we cruised with a couple in the South Pacific that had a Hunter and they lost 2 rudders and I have never forgotten this but you are right that I don't have a deep knowledge of the issue, certainly if I had owned one I probably would have but then people like yourself could enlighten me.

My experience with Hunters is very dated, we raced a 34 many years ago and did very well with it, it sailed to its rating well and had a good layout. We sailed it hard and had no issues other than what you normally get with any other boat.

I saw a new one in Mexico with the rigging pulled right through the deck but I have no idea if it failed or was some how damaged, didn't leave me a good impression.

Back home our local Hunter dealer was probably the most succesful new boat sellers in the City so obviously there is something quite appealing about the designs. Most owners seem very happy with them. In my own mind I consider them equal to most of the more affordable new European boats.

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

. For me, that's SIX hunter rudders I've heard of. There are an awful lot of Catalinas around here, and Ihaven't heard of it happening once to a Catalina (doesn't mean it doesn't happen; just saying that I know way more Catalina owners than Hunter owners and have never heard of it on a Catalina.

I think it would take a naval architect to figure out why Hunters are especially vulnerable, but from what I see around me, they are.
.

Maybe it says more about the knowledge and skills of Catalina owners vs. Hunter owners?

That was a joke...no really...it was just a joke!

[BobH260]

Here is an interesting analysis of rudder failure. He seems to have some knowledge of the subject, it may be more common than we think and seems to effect all manufacturers,
Rudder failure - how and why it happens.

Bob

[hellosailor]

Rigging pulling through the deck sounds like an unseeing boat owner who allowed moisture to attack the bulkheads, which then rotted out allowing the chainplates to be pulled up. I think we've all seen moisture damage on bulkheads, that's common across all makes.


But oldfrog has a real point about owners. Hunter used to be proud of building less expensive boats, intentionally, to get novices on the water. I would not be surprised if more novices or first-time buyers happened to own those boats (even in the used market) and that affected things.


After all, look at Chevy's Vega. They copied the Porsche engine design (which ran very hot, cooling was critical) and oddly enough, when Vega owners, usually new to owning cars, let their oil go low or coolant go low and their engines slagged down, everyone blamed the engines. Even though Porsche had no such problems, using the same design concepts. Hmmm...But Porsche drivers and entry-level Chevy drivers were and are different animals, aren't they?


And to be fair, I only personally know one fellow who lost a rudder, in an offshore race, around 1990. Definitely not a Hunter, fwiw.


Rudders are like engine mounts. Huh? Yeah. Most of us ignore them "forever" until they fail. But the folks who make them, advise that they be replaced every five years. Because they do age, and they will fail if you plan to use them "forever".

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Rigging pulling through the deck sounds like an unseeing boat owner who allowed moisture to attack the bulkheads, which then rotted out allowing the chainplates to be pulled up. I think we've all seen moisture damage on bulkheads, that's common across all makes.


But oldfrog has a real point about owners. Hunter used to be proud of building less expensive boats, intentionally, to get novices on the water. I would not be surprised if more novices or first-time buyers happened to own those boats (even in the used market) and that affected things.


After all, look at Chevy's Vega. They copied the Porsche engine design (which ran very hot, cooling was critical) and oddly enough, when Vega owners, usually new to owning cars, let their oil go low or coolant go low and their engines slagged down, everyone blamed the engines. Even though Porsche had no such problems, using the same design concepts. Hmmm...But Porsche drivers and entry-level Chevy drivers were and are different animals, aren't they?


And to be fair, I only personally know one fellow who lost a rudder, in an offshore race, around 1990. Definitely not a Hunter, fwiw.


Rudders are like engine mounts. Huh? Yeah. Most of us ignore them "forever" until they fail. But the folks who make them, advise that they be replaced every five years. Because they do age, and they will fail if you plan to use them "forever".

Some good and legit points made. As far as I can recall the Hunter I viewed had a fairly robust fitting for the cap shrouds that went down behind the seats and was attached to a fibreglass structure which was part of the floor grid or an extension of it. So no wood there plus this boat was only a year or two old. There was lots of talk on the dock about it at the time.
I certainly agree with you about rudders as every boat I have taken offshore which is now 4 has had the rudder pulled and inspected/repaired before we left but all but my first one were skeg or partial skeg mounted and a bit sturdier than a spade. That first spade on a C&C 36 I sailed to Mexico/Hawaii/Vancouver left me wanting but then again so did the boat which really was not an offshore boat.
Yes we also saw Hunters as an affordable boat compared to the others we knew and there is certainly nothing wrong with that because I think they gave the biggest bang for the buck in those days. The very first Hunter I knew of that even talked about offshore abilities was the CC42 Passage I think they called it and I remember reading the first report when the President of Hunter and his sidekick sailed it from the East coast to Bermuda or some place like that.
You are very right about the type of owner and the responsibility they take in looking after their own boat, it certainly does vary. Cheers, R