From March, 1995

(This is the first of a series of exclusive tuning article on the Hobie 20 by Florida's own Bob Curry, 17 times United States National Champion � mostly on Hobies; 1983-85 World Champions on the Hobie 14, 1993 and still the current World Champion on the Mystere 6.0; the original crew for Randy Smyth in the 1992 Olympic campaign; and the 1994 Alter Cup Champion � held on Mystere 6.0s. Curry as been a weather forecaster for the USAF for the past 15 years. He currently lives in the Pensacola Area.)

Sailing the Hobie 20 in a Breeze
by
Bob Curry

First, let define the word "breeze." For the 20 it is 18mph +.
Second, the crew weight I will use for the tuning is 325 lbs. This weight is a proven winner and, from a lot of 20 drivers' comments, really works best for all wind conditions.
Now, let's toddle off to the really good stuff.

1. Mast Rake
Start by marking off in 1" increments from behind the rear beam 5 through 10 inches. We will want to set the rake at 7" behind the rear beam for starters. This will allow the sailplan to generate lots of lift in the lulls. This is a great setting because it doesn't hurt in puffs near 25 mph. If the sustained wind was in the mid-20 range, then we would want to begin our mast rake at 10" behind the rear beam. If the sustained winds are upper 20's with gust in the 30's, rake all the way back (Remember to set your rig tension to your racing setting before you check your mast rake.)

2. Diamond Tension and Spreader Sweep
With the spreaders up to the max number on the Loose Gauge (48). This allows the mast to pre-bend about 3-4 inches. Your sweep should be 3 to 3 1/4 inches.
The mainsail has a lot of luff curve already built into it, about 10 inches at the spreaders and 7 inches at the middle of the comptip. The only way to begin flattening the sail is to maximize the prebend.

3. Downhaul
You will have already figured out that more is better here. Going beyond the black band is a common practice. Max downhaul is needed in the puffs, and an ease of about 1 inch is needed in the lulls to keep the boat on its feet.

4. Mast Rotation
Rotate to the outside of the rear beam upwind.

5. Jib Leads
Fore/Aft setting: 2-3 inches behind your setting for an even jib break.
In/Out Setting: All the way out!

6. Main Traveler
Pretty basic here. Keep it centered until the boat gets too wild. Only ease it until the boat settles somewhat. The 20 would rather sail headed up than too settled.

7. Final Thoughts
Keep this thing moving! Let the boards take you upwind, no sawing the mainsheet and pinching. When sailing at the recent Tradewinds Regatta at Plantation Key, my crew, Brett Moss, and I couldn't help but be amazed on every upwind leg the differences between the pointers and footers. The footers were GONE, while every else pinched.
Because of the way the boat was set up, we did not have to saw the mainsheet or the jib sheet. We basically cleated everything off and Bret played the downhaul. Instead of being tired at the end of the each race, we couldn't wait for the next one to begin. The boat tuning allowed us to stay in the game physically as well as mentally.
This is a very challenging boat to sail. Rather than spill all my guts in one article, more will come on downwind settings, reaching and, my favorite, the Wild Thing. See y'all soon.

ADDENDUM:
To check your mast rake: After you have marked off the increments, as I suggested, take the crew's trapeze ring. Detach it from the bungie cord. Tie a line to the ring and take the line forward to the top of the pin that connects the bridle wire to the hull. Pull the line/trapeze wire combination tight to that point and hold that point on the line tightly with your thumb and a finger. Now walk with the line to the back of the boat and again pull the line taut and mark on your hull behind the rear beam where your thumb hits, and see what number setting it is at.