Just got an H14

I just bought myself a regular H14, and am starting to look around at upgrading it. As is, it is a tired old boat, dating back to about 1979 (I am in the US, so no new boats are really availible), but I have plans to make it a boat that I can be really proud of. Other than tweaking the rigging, ect, what should be my first steps in upgrading it? As is, I am planning to add a dolphin striker ( yes, this is a really old boat) and a trapeze system. I am only 150 lbs (68 kg), so I see the trapeze as a must have before adding sail area. I guess that a new main and possibly a jib would be next. Any suggestions would be great. Also, what does it take to qualify for F14 Class? How much would I have to invest ( I dont have alot of money because I'm only 16).

Thanks
Jon

Welcome to cat sailing Jon.

First I'd check that the hulls are sound. If you're not confident get someone you can trust to have a look and see if there are any soft spots or signs of delaminating. No point in spending money if the basic thing is bad.

Get the boat rigged and sailing. You can better see more objectively at just what is needed and what you'd like to do with it that way.
If there's a sailing club within reasonable distance I'd recommend you go and talk to the people there about the boat. I'm sure they'd be very happy to do whatever they can to put you on the right parth.

Good luck,
Bern.

If you look back through the posts on here, you will find a lot of useful info I think. Here is a link that I think covers the basic US version of the rules, but if things have evolved, then I'm sure someone will set us straight.
COngrats on the cat, and where are you sailing out of?

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...9&an=0&page=10#Post29809

Rich

Berny- we've actually been members of the Webster Sailing Assoc. (Located in MA) for about 13 years, so I have had no trouble finding help getting it rigged, ect. I actually took it out Sunday, and became theroughly addicted. It certainly is a big step up from riding along in our Mariner or soloing Sunfish.
The boat does have a slight crack where the deck has actually split for a foot or foot and a half, but I did some reading and this sounds like an easy fix. For the maiden voyage, we just caulked it, and we will be fixing it tonight with some Mrine Tex so that it will be ready for the weekend. It should be a simple matter of cleaning the 'wound', then liberally applying marine tex epoxy, clamping, and letting it sit for a day or two. In order to make sure that the epoxy is all the way in, I plan to place a screen (to catch the flotation) and a vacum cleaner nozel over the drain outlet in the stern. Other than that, the boat is in great condition for a '79. At the moment, the boat is really nothing that would draw much attention. It has average lines and rigging, ect. I plan to change that. We found out that the man in charge of parking at our club is also a longtime cat owner, so we have recieved lots of help from him.
I have already begun the inprovement process by removing the old bent and rusted bolt that was loosely holding the tiller extension on. I also added some electricians tape to the tiller to facilitate better gripping. I have yet to begin to play with the rig, although I did notice that the boat was quite difficult to tack, at least initially. This improved with paractice.
Rich- I am sailing out of Webster Sailing Association in Webster, Massachusetts. The lake there is the biggest in the area, and the membership is relatively cheap. The wind is generally pretty good, and the people are quite friendly. The club even has a website!

This boat rocks! Took it out in 28mph the other day for some serious fun and adrenaline. Almost pitchpoled, but managed to survive with a friend on board. Total weight for both of us is probably about 300lbs, so it worked out.

What do you guys think- new main first,or go turbo? Kinda leaning toward the main because of price.

If the boat is not going fast enough, or you just want it to look better, get a new mainsail.
If there are other crappy bits which look like they might break, fix them first.

Go hard.
Bern

Probably gonna be the main, but I gotta make the $ first. Is the main on an F14 different from an H14?

It is if you want it to be. F14 rules allow more sail area than H14 rules.
There are some pics on this website of H14 / F14's. Do a search.

Bern