THE near DEATH AND RE BIRTH
OF A
1979 HUNTER 37 CHERUBINI CUTTER
HUNTER 37 CUTTER
The Head and Shower
Head taken apart. The wall liner was putrid. Every thing was stripped and cloroxed. Wall paper is vinyl and painted well. Cabinet was stripped of 30 years of teak oil and cleaned, sanded and sealed. Shelves received a new layer of white Formica. Chainplates were pulled, inspected and re bedded.
New marine carpet was used sparingly to cover the hull. All wood is clean, sealed and varnished
Found a solid bronze boat light and wired it in the head. Now I have both 12 volts florescent and 110v incandescent.
The Throne
I had planned to snatch the head and replace it with a new one. Specially after pricing the rebuild kit at over $100.00 and a new seat at $30.00. I could buy a plastic disposable unit for that much. However after doing some research and conferring with The Head Mistress at Hunter Owners.com, I found out that I was the proud owner of a solid bronze Wilcox-Crittenden Imperial model 51 Junior. These puppies last sold for over $800.00 and were considered the pearl of the heads. So I decided to give it another chance and do a complete rebuild.
Boy, this unit is heavy. Bronze casting and porcelain bowl.
All cleaned and ready for rebuild kit
I took the bronze cylinder pump to my local machine shop and had them hone it. It did take out most scratches and dips.
Installed new porthole lens. Frame is still in good shape. Dogs are O.K. Gasket still seals.
Added a skirt behind the head to cover the vent elbow and some of the new hose. Boy is that hose expensive. Guaranteed not to smell but at $18.00 a foot
Ready to be baptized.
Now that's a good looking head.
Ready to go back on the boat.
Floor grate was missing so I made a new one out of Mahogany slats.
Head is cleaned and ready to receive the rebuilt unit. New hoses for the discharge. New intake hose with filter also added/
Wilcox-Crittenden Imperial
What lurks behind those cabinet doors??
The Shower
Not many sailboats this size and under have a dedicated shower stall. This is one reason I was interested on this boat. Specially when spending long week ends aboard. The sanitation tank was not under the shower seat where it belonged so I imagine, the previous owner must have removed it. I decided to install a new access hatch under the seat and use that space for storage. You can never have enough storage.
Original shower with old faucet and yellowed vinyl wallpaper
Cleaned all walls and installed new plumbing. Installed a hatch under the seat and now have plenty of storage,
New shower valve with long hose and hand held shower with water saver cut off. New shower curtain with new hangers on the shower rail.
Sliding door stores inside the bulkhead. This door separates the head from the main cabin and affords privacy to the forward cabin
