So, when my mom and uncles were younger they used to tool around on a lake in the northwoods of Wisconsin on a mid 70's Hobie 14. Now, with a year of collegiate club sailing with the University of Wisconsin Hoofers under my belt, I just about flipped when my grandpa told me I could have the little catamaran that was up at his cottage!!! So, I went up there this past weekend with the sole intent of getting the cat in the water.

I dug it out after sitting in the woods under some trees for over 20 years. I then cleaned it up. The side and fore stays are in rough shape and I temporarily replaced the main sheet with some braided nylon rope i picked up at the local hardware store. The nice part about the boat is that the sail was stored indoors.

I have been reading many of these posts and have been learning a bunch, but, here is my dilema...

I am a 19 year old college kid with next to no money. I would like to get a trailor for the boat and get it in NICE sailing order with minimal expenses. What are the steps I should take to get this show on the road? Where to buy stuff? Can I make my own stays from hardware store? Where and how much should I look for a trailor for. Will H16 trailers work? Is there the eventual possiblilty or need for a trap setup on here? Basically guys, I just need some guidance.

I did get the cat out on the water and it sailed well with next to no wind however, the tacks were very slow. Should I invest in an upgrade to the turbo? version of the 14? (cost, worth it?). I do have access to an amazing shop that the university had and am in contact with some people who do great fiberglass work...how will i know if I need that done? Is this too much stuff for one post? :-)

Thanks a ton guys!!!

Eric

Hey. I was in nearly the same boat (literally) 4 years ago, when I purchased my first Hobie 14. I will attempt to answer most of your questions; you may also want to look at the H14 forum on www.hobiecat.com

1) Standing rigging: After a 4 hour tow back from the middle of Lake Erie due to a broken shroud, I highly suggest that you spend the money to buy a new forestay($21), bridle wires(2x$16), and shrouds(2x$23). I have purchased them through www.saltydogmarine.com and they provide about a 10% discount if you buy a complete set.

2) Trailer: They seem to show up on ebay and sell for around $200 in junked-out condition (needs new rims/tires, bearings, lights, wiring). Any catamaran trailer should work, because you can easily adjust the width of the rollers.

3) Tacking: The uni-rig setup and the fact that it is a catamaran makes the 14 a difficult/slow boat to tack. As for the turbo rig, here are my thoughts from a previous post:

Here is a link to a previous post that discusses the 14 Turbo's tendency to pitch pole:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1016

My 14 began as a turbo, but currently she is the standard, race legal rig. I am quite biased against the jib, because at the Shore where I grew up there are about 12 H14's all without the jib. The old time sailors that have owned the 14's since new in the 70s/80s saw the turbo as a marketing gimic. Say goodbye to ½ of the tramp as the blocks for the jib are not located on the front crossbar as with the 16 but squarely in the midsection of the trampoline.

4) Trap: I cannot tell from the picture if your boat has a dolphin striker, but you must add one if you would like to setup the boat with the trapeze setup. They sell these at murrays.com

And that is about all I have to add. You can have a ton of fun on the 14 with very little money. Keep in mind that if you add expensive upgrades (turbo kit), you will not see a return on your investment when you decide to upgrade boats. The 14's (turbo or not) do not sell for nearly the amount that the 16's do.

Thanks for your help!