Upgrade: hobie 16 to 18

I only flipped my h18 once at the beginning of the season and it was impossible to right. Couple factors at play were lack of righting weight, pure inexperience, and a leaky comptip. So, do get a righting bag or righting pole set up, and practice using it before you have to. If you get one with wings plan your exit strategy so when you do go past the tipping point you know where to bail out safely. Seal that comptip or forget righting it at all.

As for the weeds, running with dagger boards partially down seems to help keep them off the rudders and boards. Good luck!

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'95 H16 sail #101148
'89 H18 SX/ sail #1053 w/ Yellow hulls

Look at the bright site, only 2 week until skiing...

BTW, I am also looking into an upgrade from my H17 to H18. Two problems with this. My H17 is SO NICE...

Second, it is hard to find a H18 in nice condition, here in BC.

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H17

I can't comment on your ability to remember, but I don't think that the seaweed is a big issue. I went through some seriously thick seaweed this past weekend and yes, I did pick some up, but no, it didn't noticeably slow me down. Since I was out solo on a leisure sail, I didn't bother to clear the boards, but if you have crew, then it is an easy matter to lift the boards.

Thanks for all the help, I've made up my mind. I'm searching for an 18

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1981 hobie 16 with carumba sails
http://youtu.be/IRqA38nn7aI

You will only forget to pull the boards up a maximum of one time...trust me. I'm actually always surprised when people bring up concern about dagger boards as a reason not to go with a boat like the H18. Maybe I've been sailing the 18 too long, but I never worry about the boards. You know when you're coming in to the beach, so it's not like you aren't prepared for it. Raising the boards just becomes part of the normal beaching routine.

As far as sailing with weeds, yes, it can be a problem if the weeds are very thick. Having a huge ball of weeds stuck on the leading edge of your dagger board is much like having a pile of ice build up on the wing of an airplane. Eventually, the boat will slow down noticeably and your upwind performance will suffer. Not a whole lot you can do about this. If you're racing, then everyone has to deal with the weeds equally. If you're just pleasure sailing, then pull the boards up half way or just stop occasionally and clear them completely.

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I actually have had the opposite experience. With thick weeds close to the surface and lighter winds, my 18 comes to a near stand still. If it's over 10 knots, I can breeze through them without too much trouble, but less than that I get jammed up in a hurry. I lift the boards halfway and leave the rudders partially up, knowing that I end up sliding a bit because of it. Luckily, that's only a problem in the bay I launch and retrieve from, and only later in the season.

Don't worry about beaching. It's not at all difficult to remember to pull up the boards. When you think to kick up your rudders, pulling up the daggerboards are the next logical thought. Even if you do forget, you'll probably be going slow enough that even if they do hit, it won't really do any damage.



Righting is all a matter of righting moment, or put simply, weight & leverage. The more weight you have, the less leverage you need and vice-versa. I know that at 150lbs, I'm far too light to solo right my 18. My brother and I at ~280 still can't pull it off. My other brother and I at ~300 have no trouble whatsoever. I've never sailed a 16 though, so I can't really compare it.

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Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

I have built a righting paddle and at 180lbs, can right my 18 easily. the blade of the paddle slips just into the dagger well(with the dagger down) there are 2 ropes that attach about 6' from the end of the blade and tie to each of the upper cross members. Crawl out on the ore and the boat starts to come over. Actually very easy to do.

Good luck and I hope you find the kind of deal I did on my H18

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Sail Like you Have a Pair
Bluish gray 73 - 83 H16
Super Nice Yellow 84 H18

Here's a great looking H18 who's owner knows a lot about it and provides a high level of information, history and detail - always a good sign.

http://www.thebeachcats.com/classifieds ... agnum.html

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Tim Grover

Memphis, TN fleet 134
Hobie 20! G-Cat5.0 and 2 Hobie 14's
Photobucket now wants $100 to post pics on forums......... pass.

Thanks for the link, im in upstate new york so I think thats a little too far of a drive. I'll definitely check out other boats on thst site though

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1981 hobie 16 with carumba sails
http://youtu.be/IRqA38nn7aI