Looking at purchasing an '83 H16 and it was mentioned to me that '85 and newer are lighter. How much lighter are they?

Dan

Don't get too hung up on boat weight. I believe that '84 or '85 through '87, so called "red glue" boats, were built 20 lbs. lighter that boats before and after. However, you are still talking a 15-20 year old boat. An '83 in good shape will be a better deal than an '85 that is soft or beat.

In terms of weight the newer you go the lighter you get. My boat is an 86 and it weights about 10kg over the minimum weight but my boat wasn't used much. It all depends on how the person looked after it and how offen they used it. If its for a learning purpose it is a great idea to get an old one then move to a newer one but if you know how to sail and want to race go newer. sorry i cant say much more on the topic but i dont make the boats.

Jules

The lighter boats started in 1984 but they were weighted with lead shot down one of the pylons. They had an "H" scribed on the front of the front pylons and of course the red glue seam on the edge of the hull lip. Minimum wieght dropped from 340 to 320 but the difference was usually greater than that because most boats were not minimum weight before that time. I waited until 1986 to buy my new one because they changed class minimum weight then.

They do pick up water over time so if they are stored dry they will stay lighter. So an 83 could be lighter than an 85. They didn't get light again until around 92 when they started etching the hull wieghts in the stern.

cheers
Bill

Bill
Can the lead be removed at later time. I have an 84 with the etch of an "h" on the front plyons.

I believe that it can although I have not done it personally having never owned an 84. You have to pull the foam out of the pylon to get to it. It was only there to bring the boats up to the old min. weight of 340.

Good Luck
Cheers
Bill

yeah you can do it but how good of a fibure galsser are you?? We have an 84 here at home to fix up and that was the first thing that went. You need to cut a hole in the side of your boat and cut it out but you need some thing to fill the hole back in. If your going to try it make sure you dont really care that much about the boat unless you really know what your doing.