I am new to sailing cats, i had my 16 out yesterday, ( only the 3rd time out) and the whenever i tacked the jib batons would get caught up on the jib halyard wire. i was only out in light breeze, 8-10 knots. Is this usual, everytime the crew had to push the batons past the mast and wires.
Any thoughts appreciated

Cheers Daveb

This often happens with H16's. There are two things that you can do to aviod/minimise this problem. The first is once you've hoisted the mainsail and locked it in, run the halyard around the starboard shroud and trapeze wires so that the halyard runs down the side of the mast, the second is to fix the top two battens in your sail permanently (there should be a number of threads on the different methods of doing this in the forum) and then trim off the ends of the battens so they are flush and there's nothing to catch on the wires as you tack.

Hope that helps.

You can also put and eyestrap up your mast to run your halyard through and keep it flat agaist the mast. I see that most post-1996 Hobie 16s have this.

Hi well i've got a 1986 model hobie 16 and trust me when i say it my batterns were long and slow. I cut them down to fit better and still had the same problem. Since i sail in a place where theres isn't much wind and when there is thers alot of it, i noticed it went past with out trying when the winds pick up. Its just that when there is no wind its a bitch to fix. Heres a list which should help.
* Cut the batterns down (If new jib make sure you leave space for the jib to spread.
* You can put a plastic strip over and along the out side of the sail which covers the battern ( i heard this helps a heap)
* If you have the wire system its alot stiffer but the rope lets it fly past easyer but the rope isn't as strong
* tecnique!!!!
Sorry but its all i can think of till i get my new boat. Have fun!!

From Julian

The Hobie 16 fully battented jib is larger than the fore triangle area. That means that the jib has to bend to pass through. Yes the battens can get caught, but on light air days you still have to push or pull the jib through. This is normal. There are techniques that work better than others. Basically you have to grab the sail near the bottom batten at the leech and push the jib forward to bend the battens enough to clear the mast. This works best from the "new" leeward side after a tack. You push the jib forward and then pull through. Pushing the jib from the weather side and trying to push against the center of the jib is a common mistake that can make it frustrating.

If you aren't going to be involved in class racing, I would suggest the "super jib battens" available from Murray's or maybe even from catsailor.com. I had them on my H16 and it was one of the best upgrades I did. The replacement battens are much thinner and very flexable. They cross over the mast without even hesitating. I'm sure there is a small performance trade-off, but I didn't notice it. I think I paid around $35.00 for them.
Good luck,
Jack

Thanks for the advice, it is definately the jib halyard that the battens are getting caught on because the pulley is out from the mast. THe idea of attaching the wire in close to the mast sounds good. Maybe because it is winter here and the breeze is light i will continue to get caught up. Spring is not far away and the afternoon sea breeze will kick in regularly. I'm just keen to get out there.
Until spring i will continue to blow the ice off the tramp on the way to the beach.

Cheers again Daveb

I have a 1975 Hobie 16, and I would try the Batten hinges made by Hobie. These have worked great for us. It still is a bit of a problem in light light air, but heck, everythings a problem in light air

If you have a current Hobie catalog, they are listed in there.