Does anyone have the specs on what the shrouds and forestay lengths should be on a 1973 Hobie 16? the ones i have got destroyed while being trailered and I need to replace them. I can't just buy new ones from murreys or a hobie dealer since they stock only the new lengths and they rake the mast too far back.

Thanks for any help

The Skier

I am not sure, but I bought a new set of wires for my boat, and the Shroud wires were a little shorter than the old ones...could be the old wires were stretched. The Aussie Halyard/Forestay was quite a bit longer. I made the mistake of cutting it off to my old forestay length, then had to use two chain plates to get my mast rake right.

I have 6 sets of old wires, and none of them are the same length. The new wires I bought were pretty close to the same length. I do not know if this was a QC problem or just wire stretch.

My guess is go for the new wires and an Aussie Halyard.

David

I have tried just a new set of wires from the store and it raked my mast so far back that it would not rotate properly, so this is not an option. I dont know if you know this or not, but Hobie legthed the forestay length and shortened the shroud length in the mid 80's.

The Skier

Skier,
My 1981 has the upright mast (non raked) and I want to measure the shrouds for you, but a fortunate blast of winter snow hit us today. (in sore need of [color:"blue"] water[/color] here in NM.) If no one gets the info for you in the next couple of days I'll get out to the cat box and do the measuring.
Greg
H14,H16

Thanks greg, that will help a lot.

The Skier

I have had my new wires on both my 82 and my 91 model boats. They work the same on both boats, and I attach them on the 3rd hole from the bottom of the chain plate. I do not rake quite as far back as the skinny young racers because we sail 100 lbs overweight.

Perhaps, you have another problem. Does the base of your mast make contact with the mast pivot base? I have seen this happen is with a mast raked to far forward; it will hit the stop, greatly reducing the mast ability to rotate.

If your mast base is not making contact with the base, the only other reason that I have seen a mast not rotate properly is a bent mast.

I do not think that the dimensions from the hounds to the base of the mast or the hulls changed. They changed the wire lengths because the racers started raking back the mast to get upwind better.

David

I got out at lunch today and measured a one of my old and my new shroud wires. I measured from the very tip of the thimble. The new wire measured 19', and the old wire measured 19'2". It was difficult to get an exact measurement, but the 2 inch difference was obvious.

David

According to the NAHCA, Hobie 16 shrouds should be 19' 1/4" and the forestay should be 17' 6".

Thanks for the info on the Shroud. That helps a lot. I also need the length on the Forstay since that one also got damaged.

The Skier

I believe that info is for the current production models with the mast raked further back than originally designed. Like Hobie Dave said, his original shroud wires that he measured were 19'2", and I believe that is the length that I need. Last year I picked up some new shroud wires that were approx. 2 inches shorter than the original wires on the cat.

Thanks for pointing me to the information though.

The Skier