I recently picked up a '77 H16, that had been in storage here in Colorado mtns since '97. The hulls had a lot of water in them which I find is a major contributor to delamination of the foam core. In the cool air, the moisture in the foam condenses and keeps the humidity inside the hull at 100%. You can dump the bilge water out after sailing, but there is still a lot of water in the hull.

The only solution is ventilating the hulls, which I accomplished by cutting hull ports. I left the lids off, and after a day there is no apparent moisture in the bottom. I hope that come Spring, the hulls will have dried out and become considerably lighter as well. And no more delam problems if that is not too much to ask!

Other issues I am still learning about, and I have covered the whole boat with a vinyl tarp, that is set up to shed snow loads that can weigh 100's of lbs. All the weight on the boat is concentrated in the small surface area in contact with the trailer rollers. This is the point where most Hobie hull damage occurs. My hull had a large hole broke into the bottom when I got it. This especially occurs when you are on the boat, on the trailer stepping the mast, and getting set to sail, or derigging.

Hobie makes some device to spread out the weight over a larger area, but I am making some large wooden blocks to put between the hull and roller, that is foam covered. I will use these when in storage, while traveling and setting up, and only remove them when ready to actually launch the boat. I hope to save my hull further damage, and myself the time to repair them. I would rather be sailing.

One other area I am not yet sure of, is the vinyl tramp. The nylon straps are long deteriorated, but the vinyl itself is not torn or holed. I expect that it is the original tramp, and I wonder how long they are expected to last if left out in the UV. I would not want to get out in the water and have the tramp fall apart, so I expect that I should replace it. I think you are probably smart to remove yours. Same for rigging, since the UV seems to really get after the nylon pulleys and sheets and lines! My sails and sheets were in a sail tube and seem to be ok! But I expect they should be rinsed good and dried since I don't know that the previous owner did any marginal maintence.

The mast, especially if comptip can be affected by UV as well, so should be covered, and the rudders as well.

I also plan to block up the trailer and cover the tires, since when I got mine the tires were all flat and weather checked. Since you have it blocked up, pull the hubs, and check for moisture in the bearings that could rust, especially if its been in the salt water, and relub to be ready come Spring. Maybe even rinse the whole frame off if been in the salt water, which can continue eating away at the frame and electrical during the out of water time!

Others I am sure have further suggestions, and like you, I would be very interested in hearing how I can take good care of my cat. I am a tinkerer, and a fixer, but mostly I like to play and have fun, and having to do those things can be fun, but usually interfere with the real fun. TnT