Gary Barker from Sailing Center, the Lake Lanier Hunter dealer, shortly after launching the new boat, waiting for me to return from parking the trailer. He still looks happy since this picture was taken a few minutes before I checked the bilge.

Before we checked the bilge

When I checked the bilge, it was rapidly filling with water. The aft lockers were overflowing into the area underneath the main bunk. Using a flashlight, we could see water pouring into the boat at the point where the lower hull meets the upper mould. Every time the joint moved beneath the water level, water flowed in like a faucet. Gary pulled the outer covering off the rub rail where we saw the leak, and this is a picture of what we saw. For dimension purposes, that strap of steel on the outboard bracket is about 1 inch wide. Whosever did this at the factory drilled many holes near each other and used varying thickness of steel screws to attach the rub rail. He didnt care what he used, some were flat head, others oval, and some round head screws. The work, in person, looks even worse that the photo. Gary removed the rub rail and found that the moulds had separated for several feet, especially where screws were put into fiberglass very close together. On the inside, the fiberglass used to fasten the moulds together appears to have been done by an amateur, no skilled professional could have done a job that bad. In any event, we pulled the boat back out and our big plans for this first weekend went down the drain. I am submitting a separate article about how this buying of a new boat from Hunter has been a most disappointing experience.

What boat builder would be proud of this work?