Hunter 356 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

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356 bilge keel pics and UK table mod

posted 10-07-2008 by Colin Cheetham

Here is the picture of the bilge keels on the 356.My boat is on show at the Southampton Boat Show UK and is here between the 326 and the new 426 (nice boat!!). I have posted this under general interest to show what the bilge keels look like, they allow the boat to dry out upright and level,with the rudder forming the third leg

356 showing bilge keels (and proud owner :-) )

A closer view of the twin keels,they are made of iron as lead would be too malleable to take the weight on a regular basis. Downside...long term rust and more maintenance + very slight loss performance ( but tests show very similar to the shoal keel), the upside is it allows exploring those shallows + dry out and lay up for free with no cradle.

Bilge keels close up

Extra table leaf added to allow people on Port seat to reach the table :-)

UK table mod

I think this is a big improvement and I believe the US boats will have something similar? There is a small loss of storage under the table but the space is now accessed from either end.

Table opened up

Click image for largest view