Restoring and refinishing the Hunter 701 Hull
The work to the hull was somewhat delayed due to my having to have a Total Knee Replacement and the consequent pre and post op implications for any serious physical gymnastics inside and under a small boat hull. Thus the serious work only started in December 2010, some three years after purchasing “Apache”. However during the intervening period much research was carried out, both into the boat’s history and ownership chain and into the most suitable techniques and materials to use to get the 701 back to 1973 racing trim. My intention is to give the Folkboat skippers a run for their money, at the same time as making “Apache” as competitive as possible whilst retaining originality as far as possible. Download the pdf of the full story here ; Apache Project
When starting serious work it was at once apparent apparent that the youthful and inexperienced (but frequently thought of in less polite terms) previous owner had a few electric toys, made by the world famous boys toy-maker B&D. The hull had been seriously mauled by various things with teeth, jaws, blades and grit, as can be seen from the external hull pics below. In order to cover these disasters a thick coat of anti-fouling had been thrown over the underwater hull just prior to sale. However my offer took account of these factors – which is a good reason for always having a Marine Survey before you purchase of a yacht of any kind.
Hunter 701 “Apache”. Hull number 64. Sail No. K6054 Hydraulic Keel version.
Schedule of Work
Exterior Hull
1. Remove all External paint back to Gel-coat and inspect the entire hull for signs of Osmosis, wicking or any other kind of “Boat Pox”. Followed by neutralising primer, flatting and then two coats of “ME100″ epoxy probably brushed on.
2. The underwater hull and keel are to be coated with “copper-coat” which is a suspension of copper flakes in an epoxy base. This has been proven to retail its anti-fouling properties for up to 20 years, does not leach into the sea and only requires a scrub with a kitchen scourer each season prior to launch. Not for me the continued hassle of scraping and then re-applying antifouling.
Interior of the hull
1. Remove all interior coverings, linings, furniture, cushions, fittings and equipment – including the remains of the original Watermota Sea-Nymph/Briggs&Stratton auxilliary engine driving a clever little reversible propeller.
2. Remove (by hand-scraping) all of the many coats of interior paint and the original contemporary (it was the 1970′s don’t forget!!) “furry” lining
3. De-Wax and degrease interior by use of Ethanol , abraid surface and then repaint throughout (see materials section re paints used).
4. Repaint by hand-brush with specialist neutralising primer coat and two topcoats in white medium gloss (washable).
4. Refinish all varnishwork to original standards using polyurethane one part yacht varnish, flatting as required between coats
5. A full sized chart table to be fitted, athwartships in place of the galley.
6. Galley to be re-sited to starboard, opposite the navigation station allowing passge throught to the fo’c'sle
The following pics were taken during the winter of 2010-2011 and show the removal of the interior lining , which initially defied all attempts including stripper, wire brush, heat gun etc and had finally to be removed inch by inch with a hand scraper. The tool required sharpening approximately every five minutes throughout the 150 hour process.
Hunter 701 cabin starboard Cabin portside – navspace Looking aft – starboard quarter
Hunter 701 “Apache” Portside – windows removed for refurbishment Port quarter ready for painting
The last of the 1970′s “furry stuff” Bridge deck / port quarter Paint scrapings from Hunter 701 interior
A bit of light relief from scraping was briefly provided when it was decided that electricity for some powertools would be useful in the vicinity of the boat.
A 3KV genset of unknown antiquity was purchased from Ebay and collected from a fellow boat-owner residing alongside a very beautiful navigable river in Nottinghamshire. It was described as “runs and generates electricity” but needs a new starter rope and a fuel filter”. Four hours worth of manual dexterity and ingenuity, plus a piece of redundant boat cordage, an old (thick canvas) car exhaust strap and two jubilee clips got the generator running with a nice healthy “bark” (guaranteed to wake the neighbours on a Sunday morning).
This piece of kit is seriously industrial and demands both hands and strong arms on the recoil starter. However we cheated and used some wonderful stuff (ether spray) called easy-Start which initially resulted in a huge backfire which cleared the Rooks out of the local trees very smartly!! One snag so far… There doesn’t appear to be any way of stopping it!!
Here it is, meet the “GENERAC 3000″
in all its unclothed glory!!
Lister-Petter AC1W 6hp Marine Diesel
This engine was purchased from ebay, having been removed from an Iroquois Catamaran, so it seems rather appropriate that it should now be being partnered with an Apache. This is a proper little marine diesel and is contemporary with the boat, being of 1973 vintage also. It appears to run well except for an oil leak from behind the flywheel which will need to be sorted prior to installation. Also, due to my inept dismantling of the siezed jabsco waterpump we now need new spindle and seals for the pump…. Oh well, ce la vie!!
Well, its now nearly the end of January 2012 and due to other committments not as much progress has been made as I would have liked. However the following photos give a good idea of what has been completed. The interior of the boat is totally stripped and ready for paint throughout. The remains of the old inboard engine installation (WaterMota Sea Nymph, if anybody wants to buy the very neat reversable/feathering propshaft and gear installation) have been removed.
As the Lister-Petter is 40 years old (as is the boat), I have taken the precaution of designing the engine bearers so that a modern Beta 10 HP twin diesel can be installed easily. However I suspect the Petter will outlast me by a few years…….
The Lister Petter engine was replicated in plywood with a broom-handle propshaft, to enable new machinery bearers to be measured and installed. As can be seen from the pictures below, these are ready for a serious “epoxy-bonding” session and will be reinforced by bolted up 3×3 hardwood bearers to take the end-thrust from the new to-be-fitted aquadrive CV coupling and cross-member.
The electric and fuel system will be simple and very basic; twin 20 litre moulded plastic outboard tanks mounted in either side of the huge stern-locker will provide some 80 hours of motoring at 5 knots with a suitable folding or feathering propeller.
A NMEA electronic backbone and radio instruments will be used to keep wiring to a minimum, whilst a wind-gen and solar panels will be used to keep the two 100 ah deep-cycling batteries topped up. All navigation lights will be modern LED type.
Two flexible 50 litre water tanks will be located under the quarter berths and cooking will by by Taylors pressure-paraffin (primus) cooker or by an Origo twin-burner alcohol stove.
The original SL 400 sea-toilet will probably be rebuilt (parts are available) although a modern jabsco toilet will probably fit the hole! Seacocks will be replaced with Blakes Bronze traditional units.
1st February2012 Well, now the knee is almost fully sorted and working again (its incredibly difficult to move in a very small boat with a rigid leg) the work is proceeding apace and once the weather warms up we will be back into full production.
Work in progress… please come back soon
Kathleen J. Kilbey I.Eng MRINA & Associates
Naval Architects, Marine Surveyors and Consultants
Based United Kingdom South Coast (Solent) and Midlands (Gloucester)
Telephone: +44 (0) 845 680 1989 Cellphone: +44 (0) 7799 686 979
Fax: +44 (0) 700 580 1821 skype: kathleenkilbey
email us; info@classicboatsurveys.com
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