Hi all, I am wondering what are some of the better upgrades for the hobie 16. My Boat is an 88 an is light and seems to be very stiff but I have yet to get her on the water. I am racing on a tight budget.

Ok. What are you looking to upgrade?

Anything that gives me more speed for less money?

Do the EPO rudders make alot of differance in performance over the stock rudders?

Before spend big bucks on EPOs I'd do the basics. Tighten up the tramp, rake the mast back, replace any marginal lines and hardware, check and repair any wear or divits on the hulls. Do the rudders hum? Clean up the leading and trailing edges. Set up a good jib traveler system. Are the sails in good shape?

Go sailing. If you can find someone to race, see who's got a clear advantage. If you don't do some more tuning.

Racing a 16 with 400 lbs on it,no matter how many upgrades is still going to be slow

EPO's won't make the boat any faster really, they handle nicer but I don't know about faster. They slice through the water a little cleaner because of the shape, and you'll have less slippage. Hobie1616 has the right idea. Make sure everything on the boat it correct and then sail it. Fancy equipment will only take you so far and thats not far. I know I've thrown alot of money at my boats. You'll get far more out of learning the boat than you will by adding parts.
I like the epo's but if you're on a budget its not a good place to spend money. The 20 style tiller connectors are nice, but no speed gain over a tight set of regular connections.

Not sure if this two cents will help, but I spent a lot of time tuning and upgrading things on my old boat, and as long as the basics are right (tight tramp, rudders etc), it comes down to practice on the water. So, for what it's worth, I'd invest in some good reading material if you havn't already. Not sure how expereinced you are, but fine tuning the skipper and crews jobs will help more than some upgrades.
Clint

Don't spend a penny on any go-fast upgrades if you don't yet have this:

http://store.catsailor.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jqcmhpjpe

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi

and the next purchase

http://www.onlinemarinestore.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jnrorrrrg4

Wow, lots of info but I think I am on the right track. Cat sailing for the 90s, is my reading material most nights and I have two of the VHS tapes. I have my tramp tight to the point it deflects the side bars in about an inch. I dont have my parts in for my rudders yet. I am replacing the gudgeons and installing a rudder stiffening kit along with the better tiller connection system and a rudder alignment endcap. I think my sails are in good shape but have not sailed with them yet. The sail number is about 91,000 so they are much newer than my other boat which is 38,000. I dont think they were used much but I am not sure how to tell how good they are other then the feel of the material.

I started sailing about 5 years ago, been racing 3 but not in any serious forum. I was sailing in a club which had no hobie 16s in it other than mine, mostly E Scows and other monohulls. I just moved the boat to a different lake and will have the oppurtunity to sail against 6 or 7 Hobie 16s a Hobie 21se and a Capricorn.

Hang out with the 16 guys. Check out their set ups and ask questions. Sail with them and, if they're faster, watch what they're doing.

I'm kind of in the same position with the tight budget. I replaced my old block system to the 6:1 low profile which helped a lot. My next upgrade is the aussie jib halyard system and then eventually new sails. My boat is a '83 model and I've gotten it to the point where it will keep up with the newer boats at many of the local races. Good luck with your upgrades.

Add a post-2000 jib.
http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showflat...=true#Post74120