Our first boat! Need someone that "knows a guy..."

[islandrose808]

My fiancé and I are so excited to have purchased our very first boat yesterday! She's a beautiful 1984, 25.5' Hunter in good exterior and interior condition.

She has a 4 stroke 6 hp Yamaha outboard that's about a year old. Her hull was cleaned and waxed last week, however she'll need to be painted sometime early next year. The previous owners left a bag of new sails that we have yet to go through. Her current sails are pretty weathered, there are a couple of tears on the main that have been patched with sail tape. The jib has a tear near the tack that is also taped. The previous owner said the batteries are having trouble holding a charge (20 min or so before they die), so we're thinking there could be something awry with the electrical. And lastly the pump sink toward the front of the galley isn't operable and has a bit of water that's accumulated there, so we would need someone to look at that.

Anywho, we need some opinions on what we should tackle first in terms of the more eminent improvements. We are sailing novices and bought the boat to continue learning and one day take out to the Channel Islands. We are definitely not racers nor planning an extended trip anytime soon. That said, it would be helpful if anyone located here in Southern California knows a guy or could recommend someone who can assess/fix the electric components and/or provide the other necessary services for our boat.

Here are some pics of her!

Mahalo,
Ka`imi

[Jim Cate]

Well, congrats o n the boat and welcome to CF.

Being in Tasmania, I can't help you with local contacts, but I can say, without being there or seeing the old sails, that they are not worth messing with, especially if you have new ones on board. they exhibit all the symptoms of having died from UV exposure, an unrecoverable state. Dacron gradually looses strength as it ages, and this affects both the cloth and the stitching. Once tears start appearing there is no reasonable cure other than replacement.

So, strip them off the boat, bend on the new ones and enjoy greatly improved performance... because long before the cloth has lost its strength it will have lost the shape carefully put in by the sailmaker.

Have fun... it should be an excellent boat for your intended purpose.

Jim

[grantmc]

Awesome that you've joined the sailing world, and hope that you keep up and contribute to CF.

Like Jim I'm another member very far away, but if the previous owner has explained that the batteries are dead then it's likely that they are. You don't say what type of batteries, but I'm guessing cheap marine style of about 650 CCA in a boat like yours.

Batteries like that don't last more than a few years, exacerbated if they're not being used much. It's likely that they've spent most of their life being discharged, given most outboards don't have a charging facility (or being cooked by a cheap mains charger).

If there are two batteries, then suggest you take them to a battery supplier who are usually able to test for free. And if there's only a single battery then you've half as much to carry. Suggest you don't go looking for electrical faults when a battery swap is a simple and very common solution.

[LittleWing77]

+1 to GrantMc's suggestion.
Probably just new batteries are required.

Also Jim is right! Ditch those horrid old blown-out sails ASAP!

Fair winds with your lovely new boat!
Have a great time adventuring!
LittleWing77

[Snore]

Have you taken sailing lessons? If so talk to your instructor. Most are competent sailors and can address these issues, as well as do on-boat training.

[gamayun]

Congrats! I wish I were close enough to sail the Channel Islands. There are likely tons of people who will gladly work on your boat, just look at all the business cards left at marina offices, but I'd start figuring out a few things on your own first. It looks like the previous owner did some odd things. You could easily start to fix some of that. For example, that last pic with the "loose" wiring, brass valve, and mold would be a good place to start. Perhaps trace those wires and figure out their purpose/replace/upgrade. Look for leaks/moisture that is causing the mold, and replace with good marine hose/better ball valves. This is stuff that is not hard to learn and is good to know when you're offshore and something is acting up. Also, it's a tedious time suck and costly to get others to do it for you -- they might just pretty up the wires versus figuring out whether you actually need them. Enjoy the amazing days you'll have sailing her!

[Tetepare]

Yeah, you have some work to do. As said, the sails are shot- meaning you can't depend on them. Check to see what else you have, like Jim said.


My first project would be the batteries, since they power the radio, electronics, and bilge pump- potentially critical functions. Replace them with Deep Cycle batteries, not standard car batteries. Deep Cycle cost more, but will withstand abuse typical of new boaters (no offense intended).


Make certain your bilge pump works. Make certain your VHF radio works. If you have a separate hand pump for the bilge, make sure that works. Check your life jackets and the date on your flares. Safety before you leave the dock.


As gamayun said, trace those wires. It does look like a loose end wire, and I don't like those! If live they can cause all sorts of problems, including death. If unused, I wonder what they were used for, and if it were important.


The galley pump, look for a replacement on the internet. Defender, West Marine, others. Easy.

[Stewie12]

Remember that you cannot lay a 4 stroke outboard down. It has to stand up or the oil in the sump will run into the motor.

[womble]

Stewie2, you CAN lay an outboard down.

There is a label on the side that says something like "this side up for transport".

[Cpt Mark]

Welcome. Get to know your neighbors in the marina. Should be a real help in solving/working on these problems. If money is not an issue then they will recommend the people to use. If money to repair which can escalate rapidly then someone will teach you how to do it.

[sail sfbay]

Congratulations on your new sailboat!!

Agree with the above.............where to find boat repair contractors: 1) check with your marina neighbors on who they use, 2) check with your marina on contractors who are approved to work there, 3) check with boat yards, 4) check with local ships' stores or chandleries like West Marine for business cards and advertisements postings, 5) check on craigslist, and 6) post on sailboatowners.com, which is good resource on Hunter and other sailboats. I have used all these resources to develop my list of go-to boat repair guys.

[jim King]

When you get your new battery it couldn't hurt, if you have the space to get two. My Hunter has a house and starter battery and a switch for one two or none. I wouldn't want to to be caught out in the channel Islands with no power. If you don't have a sail cover, this would be another valuable addition to keep those new sails from become like the old ones due to sun exposure.
I'd also add a gauge to meter the battery consumption to know how much you might be loosing power due to the possibility of a short somewhere.

[caffel]

Sails: don't make any judgments until you get the halyard and foot/outhaul tension set right. These pictures show need for adjustments, not stretched out cloth. I ran the repairs for a sail loft and I see the signs. The mains'l repairs were necessitated by chafe on the spreaders. This is caused by sharp edges on the spreaders and inattention to the main sheet / vang. This will be the first failure on any new sail if you don't take the hint.
Batteries: they seem to have been neglected. For a minimal effort you have a chance of restoring them: check the levels and top them up, then charge for two-three days continuously with charging voltage of 14v or higher. Better if they get warm in the process. Then give them a load test either with a tester or just turn everything on and see how the voltage sags over time. This is very nearly what the shop will do and you can do it yourself. Another accessible test is the specific gravity (similar to testing auto antifreeze). When you're done (or forever for that matter) you will want to be sure that every individual cell reads close to the rest of them. Its a weak link in the chain thing. Google"desulphation".

[Exctyengr]

Well congratulations on your purchase. Having been there my first counsel would be to go slow. Resist the urge to buy a whole bunch of electronics for example until you know what you need and are comfortable sailing the boat. Certainly you need batteries, you need some decent sails - hopefully the new set is complete if not, the first place I would look is Minney's in Costa Mesa. That's a place worth visiting - all things boating.
As others have mentioned the wiring is suspect, the last photo seems to show a white wire adrift in space so you might want to see if it's live or connected to anything. In any case secure it so it just doesn't flop around. The photo also shows what looks like a Romex cable you might check to see if it is household wiring or marine grade (it should say on the cable what it is). If it is household put it on your list of fun things to replace.
But go slow, learn the boat, learn to sail the boat.
On a related topic, we kept a 40 foot ketch in SDO, and SoCal waters although usually fairly benign (no wind until 11, then an on shore breeze until 4 pm) you are in largely unprotected waters in shipping channels to the most active ports in North America. So you can expect wind wave, and swell conditions that are typical of the open ocean. You are not in a bay or a sound or have many places to duck into so you have to watch weather and shipping traffic.
Good luck!!!

[guyrj33]

You mention a sink not draining and you show a picture of a through hull with a gate valve attached.
Gate valves are notorious for failing when the stem breaks leaving the gate unable to move. That valve and possibly the through hull it's connected to should be replaced.
Use only Bronze of Marlon for the replacement parts and use a ball valve or a tapered plug sea cock to replace the gate valve.
Most likely you'll find the Marelon easier to find and less expensive. Marelon is the only plastic that can be used for through hulls and valves on a boat.