I just purchased a Hobie 20 and I am having some problems rigging it.
<br>The lake that I use does not have a sandy beach near the boat launch
<br>area. I don't want to scratch the hulls on a gravel beach. What
<br>options are there for rigging the boat if it is not pulled up on a
<br>beach? I usually step the mast while it is on the trailor, then launch
<br>the boat, pull it up on the gravel beach and rig the boat. I don't
<br>have cat tracks yet (too expensive). I have heard of some sailors
<br>using PVC pipes to pull the boat up onto gravel beaches, but I'm not
<br>sure how you would rotate it into the wind, and rig it. Or, can it be
<br>rigged on the trailor and then launched? I am hesitant to try the
<br>latter because I'm worried the boat could be blown over on the
<br>trailor. I would appreciate any advice.
<br><br><br>

You can rig the boat with everything ready to go except the jib sheets and raising the main before backing the trailer into the water. Once the boat is off the trailer, have your crew hold the boat into the wind in shallow water while you raise the main and attach the sheets.
<br>
<br>Cheers,<br><br> Kevin Rose
<br>N6.0na #215
<br>kevin@paddleways.com
<br>

Why not go to your local home inprovement store and get some carpet? We have used carpet before when we needed to turn the boat on it's side to check a problem on the mast.
<br>You could get a piece large enough to sit the boat on while on the gravel beach. The carpet will allow you to move the boat around and turn it into the wind. A cheap alternative to cat tracks and less risky then rigging the boat on the trailer.
<br><br><br>

CAREFUL!!! IF THE GRAVEL IS LARGE WITH SHARP EDGES, YOU CAN PUNCTURE YOUR GEL COAT IF YOU PUT TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON IT. IF YOU USE CARPET, YOU MAY WANT VERY HEAVY-DUTY STUFF AND POSSIBLY TWO OF THREE LAYERS OF IT. <br><br>

I have tried the carpet in the past and it works great as long as the gravel is small. The only problem is when it comes time to go home with that huge piece of soggy wet carpet. Two people cant hardly lift it when soaked. The only solution I came up with was to move to So Cal where there is plenty of sandy beaches. I think your best bet is to build some cat tracks if you have to keep the boat on a rocky beach.<br><br>Mark Talla
<br>1992 Prindle 18-2
<br>Hobie 17 (not sailed for 8 years)

Paul-
<br>I have used pieces of plywood before (store between the hulls flat on trailer, seal before use so won't warp (too bad!) or get heavy) and also made some wooden supports by taking 10' long pieces of 2x4's (2 or three), cover the last 2-3 feet of each end with carpet and screwed on "feet"- basically used @ 2' pieces of 1x4 either at ends or in middle (to keep from "rolling" as slide boat on/off). Put one at water's edge, another (or 2) further up beach, pull boat up onto to rig/launch. Put your name/boat number on (can "rope" together also to keep spaced and altogether if want) and seal wood too. Carried on trailer between hulls, lashed down.
<br>Hope this helps!
<br>
<br>Kirt<br><br>Kirt Simmons
<br>Taipan #159, "A" cat US 48

Out here in the desert (AZ, Fleet42.com) we have something we call the Heinz thing. It's simple, effective, cheap and easy. It's so called because Heinz Smith was the first person to build it hereabouts. It is a rectangular frame of 2 1/2" or 3" sched 40 PVC.
<br>
<br> Get 2 10' lengths and 4 90 degree elbows, cut them so they'll drop over the top of your cat box when assembled, and glue them up. The rectangle ends up about 2' X 8', depending on your cat box.
<br>Raise the mast before you take the boat off the trailer and onto the Heinz thing.
<br> (Get cattrax! With cradles!)
<br> Pull the Heinz thing off the cat box and set it parallel to the water, half in half out. Then you launch into the water, and slide the boat back onto the Heinz thing to raise the sails. It works great for many of us, but No Guarantees! You still have to be careful with thos delicate hulls! Put too much weight over one spot and you will do damage. Sail fast.
<br>
<br>

rigging the boat on the trailor might work, except that pulling up the main while the boat is in the water can be difficult on the H20 because it takes alot of strength to get the sail up high enough to catch on the hook at the top of the mast. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
<br>Paul<br><br>

When I'm dealing with an uneven bottom I prefer to keep the boat floating. Padding the rocks with carpet may not be sufficient unless the hulls are evenly supported. If the hull is resting on a high point ( i.e. big rock under the carpet, and all of the weight is concentrated on that point, the hull can be damaged. A trailer with good cradles will support the hulls well, as will a sandy beach, but when dealing with a rocky shore, I prefer to keep the boat floating when it's not on the trailer.
<br>
<br>I'm curious as to why so much energy is required to get the main up on the H20. Is it that last tug that's tough? Or the whole way up?
<br><br><br> Kevin Rose
<br>N6.0na #215
<br>kevin@paddleways.com
<br>

Its hard to pull the main up after it gets about half way up. I think I may try some of the sail lubricants to see if that helps. The main is about 3 years old and in very good shape, so I don't think the sail is the problem.
<br>Paul<br><br>

I wouldn't mind trying to build some cat tracks. New ones are pretty expensive $400 I think. Does anyone have plans to make your own?
<br>
<br>Paul<br><br>

That might work. I wonder what would happen if you had a side shore breeze, and needed to rotate the boat into the wind to rig it?
<br>
<br>Paul<br><br>

Dennis,
<br>Thanks for the advice! I think the Heinz thing is just what I might need. I don't have cattrax yet, do you know if it is possible to make your own - or does it cost as much as buying them new?
<br>
<br>Paul<br><br>

Hey Paul,
<br>
<br>Do what I did the first year, borrow cat trax from other sailors, at least if it's at a regatta where there's other sailors around. After doing that the first season, I realized that the trax were worth every penny! I agree, though, they're pretty damn expensive, and it seems like such a waste when you're forking over the bucks.
<br>
<br>But then, think about it, a hundred bucks of gelcoat work here, a hundred bucks there, and it doesn't take long for them to pay for themselves.
<br>
<br>Good luck,
<br>
<br>Tim Johnson
<br>
<br>P.S. Carpet may work, but yyyyyyuccccccckkkkkk, waiting for it to dry! Wet boots and gloves are bad enough, I can smell the wet carpet from here!<br><br>Hobie 20 #541
<br>Bald Eagle Yacht Club, Fleet 52
<br>White Bear Lake, MN

I'm with Tim on this one. You should consider buying cattrax as just part of the price of buying a boat. They are a neccessity. Florida Sailcraft makes the best ones and they are available through Murrey's Watersports. They make the whole sailing experience so much more enjoyable that they are worth every penny. And they last forever as far as I can tell.
<br>
<br>Mike Hill
<br>H20 #791
<br><br><br>

Hi - I got by borrowing Cat Trax for as long as I could (usually tried to find a launch ramp), but finally bit the bullet and bought a pair with a new boat last year. They are pricey ($400), but they are very high quality and last a lifetime. They are worth every penny.
<br>
<br>It is possible to make a home-made set of cattrax, but it will take you many hours of trial and error to find all of the parts, get the right ones that fit together, return wrong parts, etc. Even then, figure on paying up to $200 just for the parts (wheels, tube, bearings, cradles, etc.), not to mention all of the headaches etc. just to end up with a cheap copy. One guy here in San Diego did that, and it works, but his wheels are considerably heavier than real CatTrax and don't roll as easily.
<br>
<br>As for raising your main, carefully clean out the luff groove in the mast, then spray the luff rope on the sail with McLube SailKote a couple of times per year (this stuff works like magic).
<br>
<br>Sail fast and have fun,
<br>Alan Thompson
<br>I20 - San Diego<br><br>

I think you're right, I just need to buy cat trax. I might try and get a used pair for less. Thanks for all the advice, it has helped alot.
<br>
<br>Paul<br><br>

Paul, see this months addition of "on the wire" for homemade cattrax for $53.00!<br><br>

Making a cat trax style of beach roller is easy and very cheap. just get some wheel barrow wheels from a hardware store, make sure thay have a big internal ID for the axle. about 50mm (2.5 inches) then buy some poly pipe (plumbers pipe) of the same diameter and a length of heavy wall galvanised or alloy tube. use the poly pipe on either side of the wheels (held by rivets) to locate them and there you go! This solution is not the best but is much better than sitting it on the rocks. You can further refine the rollers by making a mould of the hull at the balance point and then attaching that to the rollers, cover it in carpet and then you have a great setup for next to nothing.<br><br>

Where do I find "on the wire"?
<br>
<br>Paul<br><br>