1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Just picked up a 1973 Hunt 18, with a 2001 volvo penta 4.3gi sx 205hp (300 hours). this one was from a single piece mold, not actually built by hunt or oday, not sure of the actual manufacture, but its the hunt mold. great deep v design by raymond hunt.

the engine is apparently in great shape- 175 even across all 6 cylinders. everything has been well taken care of, and except fro a prop shaft seal, it is good to go.

you can see from the pics that there is a repair needed on the transom where a crappy job was done when they had to refit the outdrive when they repowered. there is also an ugly patch where there was some previous damage to the hull in one section. Other than that, the boat is in pretty good shape. The floor is sound, was redone in the mid/late 90's. The stringers may/may not have been done then as well. I am having it checked out by a shop now who will provide advice on the stringers and other areas of repair. I will not be doing this myself, but would welcome any advice/input so I can direct the builder on what to do and evaluate the advice I receive from him.

I will also be painting, refitting much of the hardware, rub rail, seats, etc. really hoping the word i get back about the stringers is positive..

pics below. all input/advice welcome

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

That transom certainly has some issues.
My advice? I would insist on being able to observe the boat after it has been stripped and before any repair work is performed. I would also want to see the evidence of the state of the stringers. But I am not very trusting of repair shops too so keep that in mind.

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Thanks. I have received glowing recommendations of the guy I took it to, based on both his experience with these hulls in particular, as well as other work. I will be checking it all out as it goes once the pull the motor and begin the transom. Not sure how detailed an evaluation I am going to be able to get on the stringers other than moisture meter readings which they will be taking today or tomorrow...

dont want to unnecessarily pull the good floor up, but dont want to ignore a potential problem either...

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

here is another of the transom that shows the cracking roughly in the shape of the outdrive. the assumption at the moment is they had to pack in the opening when it was repowered, and that is the repair that failed.

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

well... got the recommendations and quote from the shop-- they are recommending a lot more than I was planning on doing. much of it cosmetic. apparently the stringers are fine, no delamination, low readings on moisture meter. curious what the experts here think of these recommendations:

Total of 152 hours

Labour To Replace The Transom
Remove the drive and engines, transom assembly and all accessories
Cut off outer skin
Remove damaged core material
Cut new core
Prepare inner core
Epoxy new core into position
Cut new glass and delaminate the outer skin
Grind and fair
Spray gel-coat wet sand and buff

Labour To Re Finish The Hull Sides, From The Water Line Up To The Gunnel
Remove the Gunnel molding (rub rail)
Sand down the hull sides
Fill and fair all areas needing repair
Mask off boat
Colour Match Gel
Spray Gel Coat
Wet sand and buff
Un mask the boat
Reinstall the Gunnel molding

Labour To Refinish The Hull From The Water Line Down
Sand down the hull
Grind out all damaged areas
Fill & fair with epoxy fillers
Mask off boat
Epoxy coat the bottom

Labour To Refinish The Decks
Remove all hardware and accessories
Sand down the topsides
Grind out all damage and cracks
Fill & fair
Mask off boat
Epoxy prime the decks
Sand the cured primer wipe and prep for paint
Spray the decks with Awl-Grip paint
Reinstall and reseal all of the removed accessories

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

any thoughts?

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Any shop that wants to cut off the outer skin to repair the transom is doing it wrong IMO. Yes, you have damaged fiberglass which will need to be cut/ ground back to good glass and repaired but the repair should be done from the inside out

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

What might their reasoning be for doing it that way? Any theories?

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Just got off the phone with them and I was told it needs to be done that way unless I want to add 25% labor costs in order to cut back the floatation chambers and stringers that butt up against the transom...

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Just what I expected. Yes it's a shortcut, but it shouldn't be done like that.. If they are so worried about cutting the stringers back and removing the flotation, evidently they were not concerned about tabbing the transom into the interior fiberglass, or re tabbing the stringers back in.. As far as seperating the stringers from the transom. A $20 oscilating saw can cut right flush to the edge of the transom which needs to be done anyway or the stringers will get damaged when they pull the old transom out..

Personally, I would not trust the shop. I would pull it and have another shop do it.

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Can the boat be repaired using the methods described? Yes. Has it been done successfully by other shops? Yes. Is their labor estimates in line with what needs to be done? Yes. Is it the best way to do the repair. No. Would I do it this way. No. Should you have it done this way? It's your boat and your decision. There's pro's and con's to it. Ask them how much of the outer skin they plan to cut away. How will they laminate the new outer skin back to the boat? Full wrap around the sides of the hull? How will the new core be attached to the inner skin? Epoxy or Poly resin to be used? What cost's have they estimated? $5-6K??

Re: 1973 Hunt 18' Transom repair and other restoration

Thanks for the comments so far! I will definitely ask those questions. The cost is a bit less than you quoted, labor and materials should come in below $4k using a 44 hr quote on the transom. I have been given cheaper ballparks over the phone, but nobody with the reputation this shop has. the comments so far are definitely giving me pause though. They are supposed to do stellar work, but if they really are cutting some corners with this method, I want to be careful.