Hey guys! Ive posted on here before when I had a H14 that I was thinking of fixing but after some thought I decided to start with a Hobie 16. Well I ended up buying a 1979 with road and beach trailer. The sail/Jib are great, trampoline looks rough but feels pretty solid....only thing is its missing some hardware, all the lines need to be replaced (thats the next step) and the hulls are also soft. I probably should have just started with some good hulls but I felt for $400 it wasnt a bad deal. Do you guys think these hulls are worth fixing or should I search craigslist for some new used ones? I saw the FAQ about fixing the hulls with the drilling through the top part of the fiberglass. What about the big dents though? The hulls lost some of there form and while the syringe injections could make them strong again they will still be dented. Can it be fixed? Will it affect the ride quality?

Im not looking to race this thing, just to have fun and cruise around with the girlfriend. Let me know what you guys think






[img]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f320/blueovalstanggt/Hobie016.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f320/blueovalstanggt/Hobie017.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f320/blueovalstanggt/Hobie019.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f320/blueovalstanggt/Hobie020.jpg[/img]

You don't want to hear this, but your boat is


Those hulls are not worth the time and $ to fix.

G'day Kevin I would just plug the holes and get the few bits you need as cheaply as possible and sail it. You could spend $1000 buying bits and pieces and using the injection method to stiffen the hulls and still have a $400 cat thats cracked all over. Just enjoy it and buy a better one if the racing bug bites.

I disagree. That boat is unsafe. The foredecks are soft and buckling. Eventually, you'll end up like this (when you least expect it):

BTW, the boat in the photo above was not nearly as bad as yours.

Buy the new hulls

Hmmm that bad huh.....well thats no good.

That has got to be the worst set of hulls I've seen. Not that I've seen a lot of poor condition hulls up here in Minnesota. I hear many ocean beachfronts are lined with dead Hobies. Hopefully, you got a good trailer set-up, and many non-worn Hobie parts on the boat.

Hmmm I really didnt think it was that bad! Goes to show how much I know. The port hull isnt nearly as bad, but I will search for some new ones. On a side note, both hulls will support my weight if I stand on them. Would it be ok to take this boat out for light-wind sailing just to try it out?

As far as the rest of my deal, the sails are great and the trailer has all new tires/rims/bearings/lights. The winch on the trailer is looking pretty rough and there is no rear mast support but otherwise its a good trailer. The trampoline is original, but still seems strong enough. Does anyone know if a trampoline from a Hobie 14 is the same size? Its missing everything from the T handles down for the trapeze (which im not really sure what its really missing....maybe someone can post pictures? As far as rigging/blocks I am not 100% what is missing yet as I havent set the boat up yet. Is this an OK deal for $400 or was I robbed? Oh well, live and learn

Give it a go just don't go out too far. Can you try and rig it and post pics to work out what your missing?

Sure can! I have a couple huge exams coming up this week but after that I plan on trying to assemble this thing.

Can I use any stainless bolt/nut for the pin im missing between the mast/trampoline structure? And whats something I can use to clean my sails/trampoline?

Keven,

2 things you should do before stepping the mast:

1 Seek out other Hobie Sailors in your area (if you have not already tried that). they can help with what connects where and how.

2 LOOK UP before stepping the mast, power lines are a bad thing.

Sam

Thanks! Ill see if I can get some help from friends. Along with the two questions below....can someone let me know if the comptip is that much better then my all aluminum mast? Is the only difference weight (can i re-use the sails I have now?). I found someone selling some new(used) pontoons and he also has this mast.

Keven,

unless you are going to race in Hobie class races, you do not need to have a CompTip mast. I have read (more than once) that the all Al masts will be faster than the comptip, but at my level of sailing, a broom stick might work just as well.

As for the stainless bold/nut question, if you are talking about the mast step (blob of cast AL in center of front beam), you will need to use a stepping link between the mast base and the step base. The link acts like a hinge to allow the ball at the bottom of the mast to clear the side of the base.