Solo righting a Hobie 18

Is it possible for a 180 lb. man to right a capsized Hobie 18 solo?? If so what is the best righting mechanism to use? And finally this hobie has a Hobie bob on the tip of the mast, so I am not asking about pulling it up from a turtled position.

I know that the Soloright has a good reputation for solo righting a TheMightyHobie18 and even bigger catamarans.
http://www.geocities.com/hobiegary/soloright.html
Jack

I would say that it would be risky to plan on righting a Hobie 18 solo without an additional aid like Rick's righting pole, a righting bag, or the solo right. I weigh(ed) 165lbs and with my Nacra 5.2 unless it was VERY windy I could not right it myself - and the Nacra is a bit lighter than the Hobie 18.

Hi Fred

Used to race the H-18 { a couple decades ago} singlehanded at times and could right it in wind but weigh 225 and am fairly tall ,and that was before the heavier comp tip was added or changed ,retrofitted on all H masts .

The power righting pole is a good one as suggested -it simply swings out from under a fold up position under the tramp and provides added leverage to make righting easier

Weights or evan waterbags are very ackward and potentially dangerous I think ,with the potential to get caught up in them as the boat rights over towards the skipper.

SC =Aquarious Sails makes a great sidestay lever arm extender ,-you pull a fast pin out ,-that extends the stay and allows the angle of the capsized cat on its side to ease the righting weight amount needed ,--once up make that stay the leeward one {tention off} then use the little lever mechanism to repin the stay in its original position.

I have solo righted an Inter 20 numerous times ,with its 32 ft mast as compared to the much heavier H-18 w compit at 28 ft. The lightweight aspect of a CF mast is one of the best safety feature a cat could have .

Some very smart CF mast builder should offer replacement carbon fiber comptips for H ,--they would weigh half !!
and be much easier to right ,-no bob would be needed -
They would not be H-CLASS approved -however if that is any concern .

The carbon fiber comptip replacement along with new sq top main would increase performance speed and safety .
Pitching Moment for sailing craft is measured in ft Lbs
if you reduce the weight by 5 Lbs at an average height above deck of 20 ft that is ? --100 ft lbs of pitching moment .---How much more stable and better preforming would the 18 be without a heavy mast and bob ? that would often prevent the capsize in the first place.

There is an 18 sq locally that uses a CF top section epoxied in on lower alum mast that works perfectly still 15 years latter.
CF comptip replacement would be a nice way to really upgrade older existing cats and make them faster and safer.

Carbon fiber is a conductive material. CompTips were designed to be non-conductive. Kind of defeats the purpose although I am in the group that thinks CompTips are silly.

Hobie 18's made before 1987 are especially heavy boats. We had a 1988 H18mag for a few years. The only way to solo-right one, if you are under 180lb, is to use shroud extenders. Great boat though.

Hi:

I do it all the time using a windsurfing mast. I originally bought one of the power poles that was sold on this site through Rick and Calvert Sails, but I did not install it because it had me mounting the universal pivot pole through the bottom of my front crossbar, and that would have compromised my tramp (making removal difficult). So, here's what I did:

1) Find a used, cracked windsurfing graphite mast. Ask around, you can usually find one for free or pay $10 for one.

2) Cut it to the correct length from the front dolphin striker to an extension of six inches past the rear cross bar.

3) The mast will be tapered, so fill the larger end with something to plug the hole, I used a superball that I epoxied into it. Drill a 1/4 " hole across the diameter about 1.5 inches from the end.

3) Install turning bullet blocks just below the crossbar on the inside lip of your port and starboard hulls.

4) Your going to have to mount tying points for some strong 1/4 line on the righting pole, so mount two eyestraps directly opposite each other in a location on the pole about 24 inches from the end. Use two stainless steel bolts to secure the eyestraps to each other going directly through the mast. These eyestrap should be directly in line with the hole you drilled at the front.

5) With a seperate line, tie the pole with a loop around the dolphin striker/mast extension. You're mounting the pole to that area so you can pivot it in any direction you want.

6) Now you have your pole secure to your boat. The next thing you want to do is add some leverage points. Starting at the port eyestrap, tie one end there.

7.) Go through the Port bullet block, then under the crossbar directly through the Starboard bullet block.

8) Go directly to the Starboard eye strap. You'll notice that you've created a huge triangle with your line. Give yourself about two feet of slack in the line and tie it there.

9) Now, you should have a pole laying on the ground secure to the bottom of the boat. Get yourself a small piece of shock cord, permanently close one end around your traveler tie-down bracket, and secure the pole to the bottom of the boat.

10) Go back to the front of the pole at the dolphin striker. Remove all the slack out of the line by gathering it, and wind it around the extension. One simple overhand should keep it in place.

It's easy to use, you can practice on dry land: When you flip the boat, stand on the inside hull and unhook the bungee cord; untie the line giving it slack; Pull down on the line through the upward block and raise the pole to about 45 degrees. Retie the line around the mast extension (this whole process takes about thirty seconds). Simply walk out on the pole, hand over hand, and your boat comes up simply.

write me at kainebob@msn.com if you want more details. I'm 170 lbs and I have no problem at all. You'll feel a lot more secure in taking out strangers or sailing yourself.

Wyatt

Have you got any pictures of the setup. I'm sure that loads of us would be interested to see them.

Thanks for the replies!

Wyatt, I think your set up is just what I'm looking for. And just the type of project I like. I have a couple of questions: which end of the pole did you plug, the end that is attached to the dolphin striker/ extension, or the loose end, and what is the purpose of pluging it if the other end is not plugged?. Also, am I correct to assume that the wider end of the pole is on the dolphin striker end and the narrower one on the rear crossbar end? and finally, when the pole is extended for use is a looped rope the only thing that keeps it in place or do you insert the hollow end into the end of the mast extension?

I'm going to try this one. I guess the mast could be substituted for an aluminum tube or just about anything with those same general characteristics. I will email you to get more info. I already did a small sketch of this set up as I went through your list.

Thanks again!!

I know this is a pretty old post, but I've had two 18's and one had the Solo-right, and the other (which I have now) has the power pole.

I could, at about 150-160 pounds, right my 18 by myself with the Solo-right. I cannot do this with the power pole (and this boat even has a mast float, which the other did not).

The problem I've found with the pole, is that it swings towards the front of the boat when I try to hang on the very end of it as my feet are no longer on the hull. I figure I could attach a line to the pole which attaches to the rear of the boat stopping this swing from occuring. Then I could hang on the very end of the pole and see if it will work then.

I hope this isn't a pointless post. I'm new to this forum and just got back into sailing. I did a search and this is what came up. I hope I'm not repeating some information that is posted elsewhere.

B

B,

Maybe you shouldn't have let go of that Solo~Right when you got rid of the other boat.

The mast head float will keep you from going turtle. And it will keep you from taking on water in the mast if there are holes in the mast that would otherwise drop into the water when the float is not there.

But keep in mind, that the mast head float does add weight 28' from the cross bar; that is a lot of leverage.

The first time we Solo~Righted a Hobie 21 we had a mast head float with a crack in it that took on some water. THAT was difficult!

GARY

You're right, in fact, I shouldn't have sold the boat. It took me a long time to find one that was as nice as the one I sold for the same money!



I didn't think about that. But it does keep the mast on top of the water, where my old boat's mast would sink a couple of feet (never turtle though), so I figure the the float saves me that much travelling distance.

I really think with some sort of strap at the rear of the boat (kinda like the Solo~Rights support straps), I could get it to work. I could hang all the way out at the end like a monkey and not worry about the pole moving all over. Heck, I might even be able to walk on it like the Solo~Right. Be a bigger fall if slip though!

You know I've read all the stuff about the poles and the solo right. Now I realize the pole is right there ready for use(good for racing). Nobody seems to ever consider a righting bag. Frankly I had never used one until recently. A buddy let me borrow his. It's sold by Murrarys. I think this one holds about 180# of water. After going over by myself I grabbed the bag off the tramp and without using it before I had the boat back on it's feet almost as fast as I would with crew. In fact It came over easier than with crew. Totally suprised me.

So for someone just out sailing or even racing why dosen't the bag ever get considered?

Ok, I missed Carl's comment about bags. The thing worked great for me. Not that I plan on using it regularly but I'm going to stick with it and see what happens.

I've got one but have never had an opportunity to use it (not that I'm that good - I've just been able to right the boat without it when I was presented with that situation). I usually take it with me when I'm sailing solo.

How do you lift a 180# bag, hold onto it and the righting line at the same time? Block and tackle? That was my issue with using water (granted I never tried it, just thought about it.)

This bag has a 3or4:1 purchase. The blocks that come with it are a little large and heavy but worked fine. There is no righting line.The top block with the cleat has a line about 5' long. Thats thrown over the hull and tied to the dolphin striker. Kneel down on the hull hold the bag under water with the mouth open and then hoist it up until the bag is out of the water. cleat it. Put your back against it and push the bag out. I held onto the the upper part of the bag for some balance. As the boat comes over reach in for the striker and hang on so it doesn't go back over the other way. Climb up. The bag is laying right next to the boat. This bag has a web belt handle on the bottom. I just grabbed that and pulled easily on to the boat.

In fact, though I haven't tried I'm think the bag could be used to help get back on the boat easier. Sort of a step. I'll play around with it. For some people getting back on my boat is quite a chore because of the freeboard.

The trick ?

That is a beautiful picture! Did the sailor succeed?

Would you like to see a picture of a 145 pound woman, Solo~Righting a Mystere 6.0?

GARY

YES!

Boomer,
Nice picture. That looks like a pretty complicated rig. Does it stick out much past the rear beam?

-Rob V.
Nacra 5.2
Panama City

It looks to me as if when the boat in the picture does get righted it will land right on top of the person hanging on the pole. So I guess the directions say, "When you regain consciousness, climb aboard and sail away."
Seriously, how do you stay out of the drop zone and get inside to grab the dolphin striker?

Woman weighing less than 145#, including safety clothing, Solo~Righting the inventors 450# Mystere 6.0.


GARY

How did she stay out of the way of the upper daggerboard coming down?

-Rob V.

I can't explain it well. Perhaps another Solo~Right user can explain it. Here is my best try:

reeling in the forward end of the righting line loop, hand over hand, takes the sailor toward the front cross beam and away from the centerboard. A sudden duck and reach toward the dolphin striker, using the water as a foundation from which to bolt and the righting as a place to push away from, sends the sailor to the inside of the falling hull.

GARY

That sounds about right. I've never been hit by the descending hull. The first time is a little unnerving, but somehow you end up somewhere in the middle under the front crossbar, which is where you need to be to get your hands on the dolphin striker and keep it from flipping the other way.

Boy! I posted this over a year ago, and now I can give myself advice.