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Hull movement

Posted By: hrtsailor

Hull movement - 07/02/07 12:51 PM

I have noticed increasing movement of the hulls on my H-16. I used to blame it on the tramp being too loose but checked it yesterday and found movement at the corner castings. The boat is an '85 and I guess that is normal wear. Has anyone had the problem? Is it possible to shim the vertical stanchions to take the play out of them?

Howard
Posted By: hobie1616

Re: Hull movement - 07/05/07 10:50 AM

Cut up an aluminum can to make shims. Put them inside the pylons, bend over the edge and reinstall the corner castings.
Posted By: mikebflyer

Re: Hull movement - 07/14/07 07:36 PM

I just bought a boat where someone did exactly that. It wore through the aluminum can and the hulls were sloppy again. What I did to fix it is kind of an extreme fix. I've heard of people doing it on other boards, but the boat is rigid as hell!

1) Take the frame completely apart. (Including drilling rivets)
2) With some 80 grit sandpaper, skuff the aluminum frame pieces where they fit together.
3) Apply a thin coat of epoxy to all of the joints
4) Mix a batch of dense filler and epoxy and coat the joints liberally
5) Reassemble the boat including new rivets
6) MAKE SURE to measure diagonals so the boat is square and either place it on a jig or measure bow to ground and stern to ground distance to make sure the hulls are parallel in all directions.
7) Once square, pull the rivets and tighten the bolts.
8) Measure again and adjust if necessary.

I'm telling you, it's worth it. If you absolutely must take the frame apart someday, heat the aluminum knuckles gently until the epoxy melts out. But, I don't ever plan on taking mine apart.

Like I said, extreme, but my boat cost me $300, so I figured what the hell. HUGE improvement.
Posted By: swanbike57

Re: Hull movement - 07/15/07 05:50 PM

I bought an old Hobie too. The Pylons were so worn, they were like beer cans themselves, and the bolt holes were elongated. I made little plugs from some sheet plastic and then filled the top 6" or so of the pylons with epoxy and dense filler. I put new aluminum tubes in the pylons to form the bolt holes. Before I put the cross bars on (I had already cleaned, riveted and epoxied the corner castings to the cross bars) I greased the inside of the corner casting with a good quality bicycle grease, kind of like greasing a cake tin. Then I put epoxy mixed with dense filler on the plyon, and put Saran Wrap over that. Finally I tapped the corner castings down over the pylons, squeezing out some of the epoxy. This created a perfect fit but also broke the bond between the epoxy and the corner casting, so some day someone can remove a hull when the need arises. I'm still learing how to sail this thing, but structurally, she's solid. I, too was careful to square up the hulls before the epoxy set.
Posted By: hrtsailor

Re: Hull movement - 07/15/07 09:24 PM

It sounds like an effective way to fix the problem. One question I have on your repair is whether or not you plugged the vent holes in the pylons. They allow water to drain out of the hull plugs and prevent pressure build up inside the hulls.

I felt the movement in the hulls at the stanchions when I was sailing but couldn't when I had the boat home and raised up. I tightened the tramp to see if that eliminates some of the movement next time I sail. (There hasn't been much wind here in the southeast this summer).

Howard
Posted By: mikebflyer

Re: Hull movement - 07/16/07 04:57 AM

I tried to make sure none of the epoxy covered the vent tubes coming up through the pylons. I realize those are there for a reason. The tramp will help some, but old boats just get loose after the aluminum wears.
Posted By: swanbike57

Re: Hull movement - 07/16/07 02:20 PM

Vent Holes? What Vent Holes? Maybe that's why my inspection port popped 4 feet in the air when I unscrewed it on a sunny day with the drain plugs in place! I suppose I could drill down through the corner casting and all the epoxy and then maybe tap in some kind of teeny gooseneck fitting.
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