I just started sailing this summer, and often go out solo in my 16. But the last two times I've rigged the boat by myself, I've had trouble getting the main up all the way--either the "catches" on the main halyard (which I think are for when the sail is reefed) get caught up or the weight of lifting the sail (plus the boom) the last foot seems next to impossible. If someone holds the end of the boom, everything goes fairly easy, but I need to be able to raise it myself because I'm usually on my own. The rest of getting the boat launched solo is fine. Any suggestions? Thanks.

This is a typical description. Matter of fact, I saw the same thing going on at the recent Hobie 16 North Americans. Some experienced sailors have this problem, but if done correctly... it can be easy.

Biggest mistake in raising a sail, on every Hobie model, is to try and hoist by just pulling on the halyard. Especially at the final 1/3 of hoisting, you have to feed the sail in from the bottom and pull only the slack you can create with the halyard. Pull too far and it wedges in the feeder and luff track.

Cat sails have lots of luff curve. The masts are straight when unloaded. There is bound to be friction between the two. As you pull harder on the halyard, the sail's luff takes it's curved shape and wedges in the luff track. To make it easy, I stand in front of the mast. After getting the sail up most of the way, I stand on the crossbar facing the mast. I hold the halyard in one hand and reach up to a batten pocket protector with the other hand (just above the feeder opening) and shove it up the track a bit. I then pull the halyard up a bit. Just repeat until hoisted, but avoid pulling harder on the halyard than there is slack in the sail.

Check out the Sail hoist and halyard lock FAQ on the Hobie Cat Forums.
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=371

>> Locking the Hobie 14/16 halyard:

Once the sail is fully hoisted (be sure that the sail is fully inserted into the feeder). Pull the halyard forward of the mast by 3-4 feet. Hold the halyard on the centerline of the mast. Pull hard and hold the tension while bringing the halyard into the mast. Release the halyard tension and see that the sail remains fully hoisted. This seats a small bead, in the halyard, under a two finger prong "hook" and the top of the mast. If the sail slips down when downhaul tension is added, repeat the final hoist technique again. Be sure the bead is clear to pass the hook before pulling tension on the halyard. <<

I seldom have any trouble raising the sail. There is a small bracket just below the slot which guides the sail into the slot. It was standard on my boat in '85 but an option before then. If you have reef point on your sail then it is '85 or older. With the comptip mast they did away with the reef point so the halyard wire could be short. I did have a problem where I couldn't raise the last foot or so when the main sheet was too tight. With the 5 to 1 blocks, the sheet would loosen as I raised the sail and there was no problem. I switched to a 6 to 1 block. The first time I raised the sail I had the problem you described and found that I had to pull some of the sheet to loosen the boom and get the sail all the way up.

Howard

...and don't forget to wax your luff rope!

Rub paraffin wax on the luff tape that surrounds the rope inside the tape. This will make the sail go up the track alot easier. You can use a white candle, if you don't have pure paraffin.-But be sure the candle is 100% paraffin. I once waxed up my luff with a small stubby candle, but little did I know that it was one of my mother's old "Holy Candles" made of 50% beeswax. (Called a cathedral candle).
Holy crap! was THAT a MISTAKE!!! It felt like I was pulling a semi-truck up a hill, when raising the mainsail. This gummy wax took a whole saeson to wear off.

Thanks for the info--that makes a lot more sense than trying to muscle the weight of the sail, boom, and blocks while fighting friction in the luff track.

when i would have trouble i would just stand on the front crossbar with both feet, grab the rope really tight and lean back on it... is this the wrong thing to do? and what would it do to my mast?

It is never a good idea to just apply more force to the sail without looking at what my be causing the sail to stick. I have seen (and been guilty of myself) the mainsheet get wrapped around a batten end and keep the sail from hoisting. This is only a problem if you attach the mainsheet to the traveler before hoisting. Simple things like this can thwart all of your efforts to force the sail up.

Your mast will be just fine. The girls in bikinis watching you flex and grunt, might be impressed with your manly manner. But I've NEVER been good at impressing those ladies no matter what I do. So instead of being a masculine spectacle of activity, I prefer a gentle and sensitive hoisting of the mainsail. Call me gay if you wish, but YOU will be the one rubbing floral scented lotion on your raw hands.

nice try with the lotion, but ive got climber hands... plus ive not been good with impressing the ladies