Well, it is time to finally update the site as many of the widgets don’t work any longer.
So if you are visiting, please note that we will have the full site back soon.
Thanks for visiting!
Happy Sailing
Rick
Reply
So.. been a long time since I posted. A lot had to to with the boat. It started overheating and it took a while to fix.
One thing I noticed besides the alarm, was the sound of the exhaust. It sounded very hollow and it wasn't obvious that water was being exhausted.
The first thing I did was have the bottom scraped since it had been a while. That did not work. Still has the same sound and problem.
That is when I pulled the water pump. I have never replaced this pump since the engine was rebuilt some 20 years ago. Needless to say that was the source of the problem. Little did I know but the impleller itself is made of flexible rubber. When I opened the pump all of the blades were worn off and settled into one spot next to the outflow side of the pump.
After ordering a replacement I started to insert the impeller. But I found it to be larger than the space. Youtube of course and HunterOwners.com were to the rescue. That is how it works. The rubber blades bend down across the water opening forcing the water through the pump. I just needed to bend two blades slightly and it went in ok. From the forums and Youtube I placed a bit of hand soap around the impeller since it will start spining dry.
Anyway, once the engine started the sound was back and I could see the water exhausting out the exhaust. I did not take her out since it is in the high 90's here and my bimini is shot. But she sounded good again.
If you happen to notice the pic of the installed impeller, two blades are facing opposite directions. I changed this before closing the pump.
Not a hard project.
Next I will tackle the bilge smell. It has had an old bilge smell for years. Hunter has false builges on a few of the boats, one of those was my h31. Once the weather is better I will begin to cut the bottom of the blige. This will open up the false bilge and supposedly the source of the smell. Others have done this (HunterOwners.com) and it has made a world of a difference for them.
Happy Sailing!
Rick
JaxSails.com
St. Johns River
Jacksonville, FL
Nice day on the St Johns River today. Not as much wind as we hoped for but a beautiful day on the water.
Here are a few pics for you to enjoy.
Rick
JaxSails.com