OK all you Hobie superstars, here is a chance to strut your stuff! Now you need to keep the following info in mind when you offer your very welcome suggestions:
0. There are no catamarans or cat sailors within 50 miles of me
1. I am 67
2. I weigh about 200 lbs
3. I am retired so will be out ~5 days a week
3.5 I will be sailing solo
4. I do not plan to be racing, except to perhaps push some mono hulls around out on the river. I do like to point high and push the envelope just a bit.
5. I sailed the boat as it came last fall ~ 10 times - mostly in under 10 kn breeze.
6. The boat seems to have original equipment, but is in fine shape
Sooooo I want to do some things, but I don't want to sink any really big bucks in this elderly craft.
A.There is nothing set up for righting. Which rig would you suggest? I am a cautious old codger and don't plan on swimming too much .
B.The tiller seems too short when I go forward on tramp,and I haven't used trap yet! I am looking at Arriba Hotstick 52-96. Any better ideas?
C.Should I buy the gooseneck bearing kit and the basic downhaul kit?
D.Does the Aussie Jib Halyard make sense for me?
E.I am going to replace the shrouds, and I guess they will come 2 inches shorter than what's on there now. Aside from an additional adjuster on the jib stay will that cause me any other problems?
F. Which is the preferred bridle fly?
G. Should I get a jib traveler trim kit?
H. I have been using Coors beer caps as mast bearings and they seem to work just fine. Am I going to find out that I shouldn't have ?
I. I assume that I should replace the rudder pins(alum?) and cams even though steering has seemed good.
Any other tips/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Well I think that's enough to get me started. I thank you all for everything you have already taught me. And will be even more greatful when I see the flood of replys to my post. Look out Ellen McArthur! Thanks much

well, this is what I have done to my boat
1-replaced all standing rigging
2-replaced the rudder cams and pins...mine were broken
3- just ordered a jib trim kit and a roller furler
4- www.sitnsail.com This is the best thing I have done so far!

I think the Coors Beer caps should be replaced with a piece of round plastic. I would keep the caps around to keep track of how much you're drinking

I have an 81 and I have found that the best upgrades to the boat by far have been to glue my pylons and have the hiking straps re-sewn. As far as the Aussie rigging thing goes, if you are sailing solo, you probably won't get to a point were reefing your mast back any further than standard equipment will let you will make any sense at all. I have sailed mine with the standard rigging thus far and have been able to rake the mast back pretty far without new stays.
Ditch the Coors bottle caps and cup plastic practice golfballs in half. There half the price and work great. Helps the mast rotate without all the cap grinding.
Other than that, sail the boat AS IS and when something starts to bug you, change it. I could give you 20 things to change and they wouldn't work for you at all and then all you have is a boat you can't sail. The Hobie 16 is a great boat the way it was made and until you have sailed it extensively, you won't know what changes YOU want to make anyway. Just sail and enjoy.

I have an '85 Hobie 16 that I bought new. I am 71 years old and sail solo much of the time. I have done no modifications to the boat other than replacing rudder cams and shrouds a couple of times. I passed on the upgrade to the comptip mast years ago. I am not interested in racing so class legal is not an issue.

You need a righting line. I just keep a heavy line tied to pylon. If you try to right the boat alone, there are a couple of tricks. One is to put the jib traveler all the way out on the down side and pull the jib sheet, ahead of the cam lock, to pull the jib down. With the mast not quite up into the wind, when you try to right it, the wind will fill the jib and help lift the mast. Another common assistance item is the bucket that fills with water and adds to your weight, though I have never used it myself. The tiller should be long enough to handle the boat even when you are out on the wire. The standard Hobie tiller will do it. I have only recently switched to a "Hot Stick" and though I like it, it isn't a necessity.

Enjoy the boat.

Howard

I agree with what's been said above.
* Replace your standing rigging if it's more than a few years old.
* Get yourself a righting line. The cheap-o way is a 25' length of thick rope tied in the middle around the dolphin striker and either end tied to the rear pylons. If you capsize then you untie the upper one and pull. The problem is if you're not super quick sometimes the boat will want to turtle. A faster system helps. The easiest I've used is the hollow-braid rope with bungee inside. I have a different system, but at some point I'll upgrade to the above.

* You should also probably get a righting bag, since otherwise your 200lbs might not be enough to get the boat up in other than high winds.

* Get Catamaran Racing: For the '90s by Rick White. GREAT book that'll give you a good foundation.

* Go sailing with other people. If you see equipment they have that you like, then figure out how to use it and maybe try it on your boat. Otherwise, don't bother with a bunch of accessories you only kind of understand.

Good luck!

Thanks Jaime, the best righting line that I have ever used was the 25 foot rope with knots in it. I loopknotted a 2 foot piece of rope around the dolphin striker so when I roll up the line I can just tie it in place. I generally use a bow when its rough because I know I will need it again. you untie, toss over (inside to out) the top hull and sit back. I know that its a pain to have to sit and tie it up again, but I find that you need the rest away.
I have run my boat for years with no jib traveler system except my hands on the windward side and I have never had a problem.
As far as your tiller extention goes, use your imagination. I have seen everything from wooden dowling to the neatest one so far was PVC plumbing tube. EMT tubing from electrical wiring is about the same size as your fibreglass one and about 2 bucks at Home Depot.