Raising the Mast Hobie 18SX

I recently purchased a 81 hobie SX and I rigged it for the first time yesterday. Are the shroud and bridle wires suppose to be very tight? I had to use a ratchet strap from the jib to the trailer to attach the Bridle wires to the hull because it was impossible otherwise. I have read that you need to be careful of the mast hinge, so I was wondering if maybe I should loosen the shroud or Jib a notch.

I am a newbie at this and would appreciate any input.

Thanks

Sounds to me like you are a little, or maybe more than a little over tight.

The H-18 likes a tighter rig than the 14, 16, or the 17.

That having been said, I used to run it a lot tighter than I do now, because I discovered that by running the rig a little looser, the mast rotates further and easier, especially in light air. Makes the boat sail downwind better.

Loosen the standing rigging until the mast rotates without much effort to at least 90 degrees without the main sail raised.

Defining "without much effort" is the hard part to do online.

Stephen

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If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

You should leave the bridle wires and the roller furler attached to the boat all the time. Move one or both shroud adjusters to the top hole and then raise the mast. Once the mast is up all you need to do is connect the forestay to the furler adjusters top hole and you are ready to set your mast position. Remember to remove the step pin before setting the rigging. You will need to adjust the shrouds on each side to get the preffered tightness and possibly the furler adjuster. There is a guide for mast rake in the tuning guides online I believe, or Phil Bermans' book. In most cases a neutral mast position or slightly raked back is fastest. This is something you will want to play with over time. For now pick a position and remember the settings so you can duplicate it later. Remember to loosen the rig before you drop the mast, that way you are ready to go up next time you get to the water. Put the pin back in before dropping and never forget to remove it before tightening the rig or sailing. The pin must be removed prior to sailing at all cost or your crossbar will perish, been there done that.

If your boat is a 1981 then you have a standard Hobie 18 since Hobie didn't introduce the 18SX until 1989(?). Any 18 can be retrofitted with SX or Magnum wings, but this doesn't change the boat to an 18SX. The difference is that an SX mast is 1.5 feet longer, has a mylar main sail, and came standard with SX wings. The longer mast is important when replacing the standing rigging because the lengths are longer than for the standard 18.

As for your difficulty, assuming you haven't already done it, I second the bit about setting at least one of the shroud pins to the top hole on the chainplate, also try setting the adjuster on the furler higher. Also, if you don't know how old the standing rigging is then it's a good idea to replace it for peace of mind (a dismast has a way of wrecking your day).