I'm trying to take my Hobie 16 Apart, so that I can Paint it in my garage. (I live in Canada, and it's only 9-13 degrees Celcius. I need to have at least 18 for it to dry well.)



When I took the Bolts out of the corner posts, i tried pulling them apart, but it wouldn't budge. Is there anything that will get rid of the dried up silicone that is keeping my boat together? Or should I just wait until summer for it to be warm enough because it's too much of a hassel?

a hammer

Ya. I tried that. I also got 2 of my friends down there. we got around one of the posts and tried tugging at it, but it wouldn't budge. Yes I did take out the bolts.

Use a hair dryer/heat gun to soften up the silicone, just be careful not to heat up the fiberglass on your hulls.

Here is what I'd suggest doing. Flip the boat upside down, and hit the rear crossbar with a 4 by 4 to try and tap it off. Don't hit it to hard, just keep tapping it. Eventually it should come off.

Some folks glue the pylons...it may be difficult to get apart. A hair dryer is a good idea; it may be better to get a heat gun. Some epoxies may not turn loose with heat...at least with the amount of heat you can apply without damaging the fiberglass. If you cannot get it to turn loose, you probably should consider leaving them alone, and refinishing with the frame attached.



David

well, It hasn't come out yet. I tried heating it up, it was still rock solid. I eventually tried chipping away some of whatever's in there. didn't do much though.

Yeah I tried everything under the sun and I couldn't get my rear cross bar off, So I drilled out the rivets ine the corner castings and removed the beam between the castings instead of taking the castings off the pylons. What a nightmare! But it all went back together nice and tight. Note I did have to pry the hulls apart, oxidation got the best of the fittings. Good luck!

If you haven't taken the Tramp off, you might try that to reduce tension on the frame. A propane torch should supply enough heat (used carefully) to remove the casting with a rubber mallet.