The main hakyard of a Hobie 17 runs inside the mast track next to the sail luff rope, not inside the mast.

There is a luff track upgrade kit which prevents the pullout problem.

It consists of an approx. 12 inch long section of aluminum mast track. The top 12" of the plastic luff track is cut off and the aluminum section is installed in it's place.

It is also usually a good idea to replace the old style thin Hobie 17 hook with a Hobie 20 or 21 hook which is made of much thicker metal.