I have a 7.5kg genuine Bruce anchor as a kedge anchor which lives down in the cabin, and a CQR which I think is 25lb as the main anchor which gets lashed on deck up forward. I carry 10m of 8mm shortlink galvanized chain spliced onto 25m of 12mm nylon rode. I normally unshackle the anchor when sailing, to seat the chain locker lid securly, and reshackle it prior to anchoring. The chain and warp fit into the anchor locker ok. I’ve never sat out in daft winds with this set-up, but I’m sure it would hold in most circumstances encountered in a Scottish summer. I’ve read some folk use 6mm chain of various lengths, but for peice of mind, I think 8mm shortlink of a good length, combined with nylon rode will make for an enjoyable sleep if the wind pipes up, provided the anchor is well set.

Hunter Boats started life close to the Wakering marshes near Rochford back in 1969. The Beatles were in full flow and Oasis had probably not yet been born. A few years later the company moved to a new custom built factory off Sutton Rd, in Rochford where the building of Hunter boats continued until 2004.
The first famous sailboat was the National Squib, designed and finished by Oliver Lee and first moulded by Hunters (then called the Essex Boat Company) in 1968. The Squib flourished, achieved National Status, and is still built to this day (not by Hunter Boats), with total numbers now above 800.
A year or so later, one Michael Poland asked Oliver if he could put a lid on a Squib, so that he could go cross Channel JOG racing in a boat that would cost less than a full set of B&G instruments. Oliver relented, and designed a proper fibreglass lid to go on the Squib. Since Michael Poland’s other favourite pastime was hunting, the new model was called the Hunter. And so began the new Hunter line.
Oliver designed several other Hunters for the renamed Hunter Boats Ltd between 1969 and 1975; the 16′ lifting keel Hunter 490, the 23′ Hunter 701, the Tracer (a mini Squib with lifting keel) and the revamped Hunter 19 that changed her name to the Hunter Europa. All sold well, and multiplied in yacht harbours in the UK and abroad.

Perhaps the most famous exploit was David Blagden’s epic success in the 1972 Observer Single-Handed Transatlantic Race. His diminutive Hunter 19 “Willing Griffin” survived many Atlantic storms and finished the race, the smallest yacht ever to do the official Single-Handed Transatlantic. Visit your library and find “Very Willing Griffin” by David Blagden. It’s an inspiring read.
In 1975 Hunter Boats met designer David Thomas and were much taken by his one-off Quarter Tonner called Quarto. David said he would design a round bilged GRP development; and the Sonata was born. She became an RYA National Status Class, and remains a leading One-Design cruiser-racer to this day. Over the ensuing years, the Sonata was followed by the 28′ Hunter Impala, the Hunter Delta 25, the lifting keel Hunter Medina 20, and the somewhat unorthodox but very popular cat ketch-rigged centreboarder, the Hunter Liberty 22 and 23. A gaff-rigged sister-ship went under the name of the Hunter Minstrel 23. Over the same period, Hunter Boats built three pure race boats by different designers. These were the lifting keel 22′ Formula One and larger Formula 28 by Steve Jones. Both win races to this day. They also built the more exotic production Half Ton Van de Stadt designed HB31. She and the Formula designs were the first production boats to use Kevlar in their standard laminates. All three boats continue to excel on the race course.
In 1984, Hunters decided to investigate Twin Keels and move towards cruisers rather than Cruiser-Racers. The first of this new range of cruisers was the Hunter Horizon 26, and in 1984 she won the Best Production Boat of the Year Award. She was soon joined by the twin keel Hunter Duette 23 (a Sonata development with twin keels), the Hunter Horizon 27, 272 and 273, and the Hunter Horizon 32 wheelhouse cruiser. The new 32 also won the Award for the best Production Cruiser of the year in 1987. The Fin Keel Hunter 27OOD was a larger rigged and quicker version of the Horizon 27. The last Horizon models were the 21, 23 and the 30; also predominantly Twin Keelers.
In 1991, the new Channel 323 was the biggest cruiser in the range. Most had twin keels, but a later introduced 323 Fin Keeler was also popular. In the 1994, Hunter Boats introduced the new Ranger hull shape. Designed by David Thomas, these hulls have long waterlines, great stability and a subtle chine that runs from transom to amidships. This adds further to stability and produces a hull that sails in a straight line with consummate ease. Hunter owners had become less interested in racing over the years; solid and quick cruisers were becoming more in demand. The Ranger 265 and Channel 245 follow this theme. The Pilot 27 is a deck saloon development, offering inside steering and all round vision from the dinette settees. Now the new Channel 27 cruiser, which is a conventional roof version of the Pilot 27, has replaced the Ranger 265. And, in case the go-faster boys felt left out, the Hunter 707, a dynamic, planing sportsboat, hit the scene in late 95, and has grown into one of the biggest, fastest and most entertaining keelboat classes in the land. In 1996, she was voted Yacht of the Year … a rare accolade. At just under 24′ overall, the Hunter 707 takes a crew of 4-5 and gives them total sport and very close, exciting racing. Then there was a new departure … a motor boat! The Landau 20 Cruiser, built by Hunters for the Landau Launch Company, won the 1998 motorboat design competition and made its first appearance at Earls Court 99. This has been followed by the Landau 20 Walkaround and the Landau 29 Continental.
An all new Channel 31 was launched in 2000 and is still being built to this day  And in 2003, the latest in the range, the Mystery 35, was launched. (now being built by Cornish Crabbers) This elegant model combines modern design with traditional performance and interior layout. In 2003, Hunter Boats was taken over by the Select Yachts Group, which also comprised Cornish Crabbers, Red Fox Hunter Boats was reborn in late 2009 again known as Hunter boats ltd, in Southampton and continues to build the fabulous range of British Hunter.

Crane

I launched mine by attaching a rope around the tow ball of the car and letting it out till the boat floated free it was a long way down the ramp and I had not taken enough turns so I had rope burn a 2 man job for safety. my car would have been well under water with out this idea.

I used a cargo strap to let the boat (on the trailer) to roll back down into the water from a beech. We also had a cradle tied to the back of the boat so that a RIB could pull her back if needed and could also take control. We did this with the rudder removed. We then pulled the trailer out of the water. Let the trailer wheel bearings cool down before pushing the trailer into water!

The Very difficult part is getting the boat back on the trailer, it took 2 hours and three of us to do it, and we had to go in the water.

Electrolytic action between the cast iron keel and stainless steel bolts, silicon grease or lots of siaflex maybe? 
A2 is poor quality stainless, A4 is best stainless for corrosion resistance in marine use but is not great in tensile strength.
You dont use stainless for keel bolts. High tensile steel

 Echo Sounder

 My transducer is fitted forward of the keel underneath forward V birth.

Anything which forms a medium between transducer & bilge without any air bubbles.
They use glycerine in pressure gauges to prevent needle shock.
Linseed oil is a transmitting medium on engineering / technical terms
Castor oil

 I have just bonded mine to the hull. I believe nut oil has the best consistency.
 I took the easier option of just gluing my transducer to the inside of the hull with west epoxy.

by Paul Butler
illustrations by Marya Butler

Exterior beams, rails, and moldings have many uses on small boats. They reinforce decks and cabintops and still allow a smooth surface on the underside, which means a cleaner look below, more room, and less head banging than interior beams. Exterior beams also make the interior much easier to finish. On small hulls such as dinghies and dories, girder-type exterior beams serve as bottom protection and reinforcement, tie-down and lifting handles, and safety handholds (Fig 1).They can be installed on wood, glass, or metal hulls. Figure 1 There are various types of exterior reinforcements, from small toerails laid across the deck to massive laminated girder-type beams that can provide very strong support, such as near a mast. Exterior reinforcements can also be in the form of traditional grabrails that provide support with light weight and are useful for tying off oars, dinghy fenders, and other gear. These deck and cabintop beams also provide good footing and are particularly useful at night to help in locating yourself on deck or cabintop. Exterior beams may be located fore and aft, athwartships, or diagonally. Fore and aft beams are more traditional. They are often used for stowing oars and boathooks on deck, or routing rainwater for catchment. They can also route sail control lines to the cockpit, and rigged with lengths of shock cord and tie-downs, they are very handy to hold the various odd and assorted pieces of gear necessary on small boats. Athwartships beams are more out-of-the-ordinary but probably provide better reinforcement to the deck and cabintop since they usually extend from one sheer clamp or carlin to the other. Though not as aerodynamic, when properly designed and built, they look appropriate on most modern hulls and can be very convenient for storage. They are also sometimes easier to build than other types. It is often possible to design exterior reinforcements to accomplish multiple jobs. We once built a set of girder-type beams laid athwartships across the cabin-top. They had holes cut for stowing two large sculling oars and a long boathook, and also acted as a cradle for the hard dinghy carried upside down atop the cabin. The dinghy sheltered a ventilation hatch in the cabintop and also protected the varnished sculling oars from sunlight and weather. Girder-type beams are much stiffer and can be less than half the weight of conventional solid beams. While their solid top and bottom provide great strength, the center is cut out at intervals to lighten the beam and to form tie-offs or hand-holds. When planning to build such a beam, consider the potential uses and make the cutouts large enough to accommodate a gloved hand, four Fingers of which should slip easily through the holes. There are two different methods for building exterior beams, both of which have worked well for us — lamination, which involves epoxy gluing thin strips to build up the beam to required size, and sawn beams. Laminated & Sawn Decks and sweeping complex shapes make good use of laminated beams, which can be built from smaller strips and pieces to save money and can be made to conform to just about any shape (Fig. 2). If you plan to build only one or two beams, it will probably be easier to glue them right in place on the boat than to build a laminating form or strongback. Figure 2 If a number of beams are needed and the deck or cabintop maintains the same curvature, then it may be worthwhile to build all the beams on a laminating form. One like the bracket form shown can be easily changed for various shapes and can also be used to build beams right from the lofted lines of the boat (Fig. 3). This ensures accuracy and allows the beams to be built before the boat is completed and put in place later. Figure 3 We lay a sheet of plastic over the boat or form to prevent the beams from sticking, then remove the beam for finishing when the epoxy has cured. PreFinishing “on the bench” is always faster and produces superior work. After all possible finishing is completed, we glue the beam in its proper location. When laminating beams, make the laminations thin enough so that you don’t need excessive force to hold them in place, but don’t make them so thin and flimsy that too many glue lines are required. Most deck cambers will take 1/2-inch or 3/8-inch laminations, but radical shapes may require using laminations as small as 1/8-inch veneer, which will conform to a very tight radius. After laminating the entire beam, remove it from the cabintop, deck, or laminating form and clean off the sides by planing and sanding. Laminating with strips slightly wider than needed in the finished beam allows us to clean off the glue drips and still end up with the proper width. The top edges should be rounded with a 1/2-inch or larger radius to make them safer on deck should you fall on them. Also, make any cutouts at this time using a sharp blade in a jig saw, and round the edges of the holes using a router bit or wood rasp. Beams may also be tapered from top to bottom lo save weight and achieve a less bulky look. Tapered beams can look very clean and finished where parallel sided beams often look bulky and clumsy. Plywood makes the best sawn beams, especially if there is an extreme or unusual shape to which the beam must conform, since optimum strength is provided by the multiple opposing laminations of veneer in the plywood, lf there is minimal shape in the beam, wide lumber will also work well, but plywood is preferable for maximum strength to weight. We build plywood beams by cutting a pattern to shape, scribing it right to the deck or cabintop location. Then we cut out and glue together as many thicknesses as necessary for width, finally finishing it, and attaching it to the deck. Permanent & Removable If you plan to attach the beams to the boat using bolts through the deck or cabintop, you can use those same bolts for clamping pressure while laminating and then for permanently attaching the beam in place. A fastening alternative for smaller beams is to simply epoxy glue them in place, after which all fastenings can be removed.We routinely glue wood to gelcoat and fiberglass laminate using WEST system brand epoxy. Both sanded and cleaned surfaces are wet out with catalyzed resin, then a thickened mixture of epoxy is applied to one of the mating surfaces. This provides a bond so strong that we routinely remove all fastenings. If you want the beams to be removable, they can be bedded and bolted in place. Carriage bolts work well. Countersink the heads and seal the holes with wood plugs bedded in silicone. Removing the plugs for access to the bolt head or nut will probably destroy the wood plug, but they should be renewed each time anyway. To easily remove such a plug, drill a small pilot hole through its center, then insert a wood screw into the hole and tighten. The screwwill enter the plug and bottom out on the head of the bolt. As you continue to tighten it, it will lift the plug right out of the hole. For permanently attached beams, we also use epoxy fillets on the edges (Fig.4). This seals the edges of the beams from moisture, looks good, creates a stronger bond between the deck or cabintop, and increases the bearing area of the beam. These fillets look very good after they are painted, and the beams seem to grow right out of the boat. Figure 4

by Paul Butler
illustrations by Marya Butler

Fabric decks, spray shields, and cockpit tents are comfortable, space saving, and lightweight. They can significantly increase your living space, make a rough passage a bit safer and dryer, or turn sleeping aboard on a cold, wet night into a pleasant experience. Fabric structures should be as low as possible to keep windage to a minimum. Well designed fabric foredecks and small shelters may sometimes be left in place when under way. If you want to, you can sew plastic windows, vent flaps, and mosquito netting into the fabric. A wide variety of fabric types, weights, and colors is available. Quality is related to price — you get what you pay for. Some fabrics stretch, fade, or wear more than others, and even shock cords may not be able to take up the slack of cheap fabric or wet, untreated canvas. We’ve found heavy-weight fabric advantageous in building these structures. And when in doubt as to the best fabric weight for a specific application, we call our supplier and ask his opinion. No matter how it’s designed or which fabric is used, a structure that flaps, sags, or leaks is as bad as none at all. A good support system is the key to success. Every boat offers different options for securing and supporting fabric structures. Battens, ridgepoles, upright poles, and shock cords can provide tension and support. Fabric also needs slope to effectively shed moisture. Even a heavy dew will fill pockets in a flat and loose-fitting piece of fabric. And a bit of flex is necessary because a stiff and unyielding fabric structure will strain lines, bend supports, and stretch fabric. Narrow boats with small spray shields don’t usually pose difficult design problems, but wide hulls often require a more complex structure to provide proper support. Simple Supports Options for framing and support of a fabric structure are limited only by the imagination. A ridgepole is the simplest support and does a creditable job (Fig. 1). Ridgepoles usually run fore and aft down the centerline, although they can also be positioned on one side of a hull for a “lean-to” shelter. A boom is the classic ridgepole, but we’ve also used a 10-foot sculling oar supported by a forward tripod and a notch in the transom. Halyards attached to sewn-in D-rings provide prime, adjustable overhead support (Fig. 2). However, they offer such strong leverage that you must be careful not to tear the whole affair off the hull and hoist it to the masthead. When using halyards, you may have to snub the line to the mast to quiet flapping in a breeze. Telescoping supports may also be situated inside the structure, braced up from thwarts or the sole (Fig. 3). I made three good aluminum supports from an old tripod. I adjust them by tightening two knurled knobs on each leg. These supports can be placed in a grommet or reinforced patch in the fabric. Battens & Beams Support battens may be rigged under or above the fabric or sewn in between layers (Fig. 4). One method for supporting fabric is an external batten much like a mountain tent (Fig. 5). All you need is a pocket at either end for the batten and small loops or ties along the rest of the batten length. If these ties are small diameter shock cord, they can be adjusted to keep the fabric at exactly the correct tension to shed water and wind. This structure only requires tie-downs at corners and along the edges to be self supporting. You may find fiberglass, plastic, or aluminum battens that work well and do not require any finishing, but wood battens are the best looking. They finish nicely and bend to a uniform curve. Hardwoods like ash or mahogany or straight-grained softwoods like spruce and fir make fine battens. All wood battens should be well sealed to keep their strength, since soaked wood will lose much of its stiffness and may snap in response to a gust of wind or a sudden load. Three coats of epoxy, followed by varnish if exposed to sunlight, are best for sealing. Wood battens made for supporting a fabric structure usually need to be wider than thick to prevent twisting and make rigging easier. A successful size for us has been 1/4 inch by 1-1/2-inches, but each application seems to require some experimentation as to best size and shape. Start big and keep shaving the batten with a block plane until it bends easily to the shape you want. Keep in mind that laminated and epoxy-sealed battens will be stiffer than plain, unfinished battens, but they will also retain uniform strength under all weather conditions. You may wish to drill small holes in the ends of the battens to provide a tie off point. Straight battens maybe slipped out of the batten pockets and rolled in the fabric, allowing a large assembly to be stored easily in a small place, in many fabric structures, the battens are different lengths, and having each batten labeled makes it easier to rig. If fhe batten pockels start to wear, consider wrapping the batten ends in duct tape. Fabric decks can be supported with beams that fit into sockets or notches in the gunwale or deck structure (Fig. 6); Sometimes these beams can be permanent and the fabric covering removed or left in place according to the weather. By laminating, you can make the beams to almost any shape for a small boat.

These beams are best lofted and laminated right on the lofting board (Fig. 7). Make the lofting board of 3/4 inch ply and do all the layout right on the board, then screw down short sections of aluminum angle and use the lofting board for laminating the beams. We build ours out of 1/8 inch veneer. Tie-Downs The outboard ends of decks, tents, and spray shields can be held in place with snaps or loops and hooks (Figs. 8-10). They can be attached to the outwale, under the outwale, or in the case of hooks even inside the boat if you drill a small hole under the gunwale to provide access for a small hook. We favor shock cord loops and hooks over snaps as a means of attachment. Shock cord stretches in response to pressure or slack and will keep a fabric panel at about the same tautness whether wet, dry, hot, or cold. Using cords of various size and length also allows a degree of fine tuning. Be sure to get the quality cord that comes in rolls in various diameters from 1/8 inch, good for small adjusting and lace lines, up to a whopping 1/2 inch, which defies efforts to stretch it more than a few inches. If hooks are permanently attached to the boat, the fabric structure, once adjusted, can be set up easily, even late at night or in wind or rain. With any fabric structure, you may need to rig additional lines fore and aft to provide proper support tension. We always throw a few small C-clamps in the boat for overnight trips, since you can easily clamp a structure together in an emergency. Small ply pads protect the hull from marring. A couple of words of caution. Anchor your boat so it can weathercock into the wind. If the wind blows into the tent from the backside, your ears will pop every time the thing flaps. Also, test everything before your first night aboard. For some reason, nothing ever seems to happen to fabric decks or tents till late at night or miserable weather, when you least want to get up and deal with it.