18 Magnum in need of TLC - Opportunity?

Looking for opinions: My uncle has a 84ish with Magnum wings. It has been stored outside, and exposed to the elements for at least 15-20 years. It is in need of sails, rigging, and lines (all warn/deteriorated, sails MAY be serviceable though). Definitely needs a thorough cleaning before an eval of hulls/tramps, but appear to just be dirty and some UV damage. And no trailer. He offered it to me for free. He just wants to get rid of it at this point.
Now, this is way more boat than I need for casual sailing on my little 130 acre local lake. Plus, I already have the Wave, which is perfect for me. At least right now.
Question: Is this worth pursuing? As I stated, it is alot of boat for me, but is it worth cleaning up, fixing, and selling? I don't mind putting some effort into if so. Or is parting out a better option? Are the magnum parts alone worth anything?
Thanks!

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

I have just completed a total over haul of an '85 H18; the cost for parts alone, and I rebuilt or bought used were ever I could, exceeded the purchase price of the boat. That being said unless you need another hobby I would hesitate to resuscitate the boat with the intent of selling it, if you were going to sail it then that's a different story. I must give a disclaimer here though, I would prefer that you part the boat out, and to get you started I will make my interest in your wings apparent to you!!

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Calcommon

I really have not looked at the boat in detail yet, it is about 1hr away, I am going from memory, been a year so since I saw it. Not sure of intergrity of hulls, tramps, etc. I would need to find a way of trailering it to my house. I suppose I could use my Wave trailer, but it may be a bit small (my Karavan trailer is more robust than the standard Wave trailer, so I suppose it might suffice for a short trip).

I guess I am trying to find out if the boat has any real value. I really am not looking to resell if I do get it, but in the event it is too time or cost consuming, I was curious as to value of parts alone.

I have been kind of toying with the idea of getting as a project to slowly restore it, and make it a more user friendly, simpler rig. I might cut the mast down to Getaway length (Get uses same mast extrusion I understand), eliminate the diamond wires, obtain a Getaway sail (boomless, simpler). Maybe this is crazy.

Anyway, Cal, your interest in wings is noted

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

It's hard to pass up a free boat. Especially if you have a place to keep it.

If it were me, I'd probably take the boat home. Clean it and evaluate it as you say. If the hulls and other "big ticket" items seem sound, put it together and sail it. If the hulls are shot, chop them up and toss 'em out. Part out the rest of it. Either way it's better than having it sit outside rotting away.

Personally, I think it would be a pity to see a perfectly good 18 mast get chopped down and be used with a getaway rig. Maybe if it's got a solid aluminum mast, you could chop the tip with the expectation that someday you'd put a comptip on if you ever wanted to go back to the stock 18 rig. But really, it's not necessary. If you think it's too much sail, just roll up the jib. The stock 18 rig is pretty easy to handle.

Anyway, if the boat is just sitting around unused, it's worth the effort to try to get it back on the water.

sm

Magnum wings are very easy to sell. A solid mast is easy to sell. Check the hulls over well and make a decision. The boat will probably bring more parted out than restoring it and selling it. Restoration is gonna be best if you plan to keep and sail the boat.

The H18 magnum is a sweet boat and if its in decent shape would be an awesome addition to the growing H18 fleets around.

Indy, down in Texas has a bent mast that you could cut down!!! Seriously I have to agree with SRM, you're starting out with a free boat, I don't see how you can go wrong by dragging it home and taking stock of what you have. I also must agree with him that the H18 is pretty easy to handle, although I did get some outstanding instruction from Jeremy on my maiden voyage.

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Calcommon

Ok, lets not pick on poor Indy for his bent stick!
Seriously, you all give some excellent advise here, as expected. I probably would not cut down a good mast unless I knew I could restore it to length w/ a comptip, as sm suggests. As it turns out, used, even new 18 sails, are cheaper than Getaway sails. So, if I got it, I would probably leave stock. I am just not sure about transporting it home. I don't know of anyone else w/ a larger cat trailer. The small Karavan trailer may not be suitable. Does anyone have the center-center width of the 18? My crossbars are 7 to 7-1/2' if I recall. Spaced about 6' apart front to back. I have the mast stand. Does this sound workable?

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

If no one else chimes in today, I'll measure mine tonight and post it tomarrow morning. How far do you have to go, it might be worth renting a flatbed trailer as opposed to modifing your.

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Calcommon

I think your trailer can handle it. The H18 has a 8' beam and its close to 7' between the crossbars. If you have cradles instead of rollers it may be a problem.

Take the boat. part it out on craigslist. Give him 50% of the profit. or 25% since you did all the painstaking work

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1971 H16 (sail #1768)

To all of you on the Hobie Forum... I love you guys!!!
thanks for all the help!

Not a bad idea. Since the boat has basically sat outside since mid-80's, it is likely that the hulls may have some delamination issues. I still have not given up on the idea, but have been busy the last weeks. I have already been told by my finance dept (wife) that we are not investing any large amts of cash into this boat if I get it. And it would likely need quite a bit of $$$ just to get going, with the need of new running rigging, lines, etc. Storage is also an issue I have not figured out. It all remains to be seen. I will try to get out there later this summer for pick-up and eval.

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

part it out, take the cash, and buy a used boat in fair condition that is completely ready to sail.

I am in the proccess of doing that right now for someone. He's so thankful to get the boat off his hands he said i could keep all the profit

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1971 H16 (sail #1768)

To all of you on the Hobie Forum... I love you guys!!!
thanks for all the help!

I bought (cheap) at auction an 18 Magnum in a little better shape than yours sounds like. The final two bidders on the boat were me and a local Hobie Dealer. In the end, the Dealer just stopped bidding.

Once I owned the boat and started the (frequently expensive) task of restoring it, I asked the Dealer (who was a friend of mine) why he stopped bidding: "Knowing you (I had been buying Hobie parts from him for several different boats over the preceding 15 years), I was sure that I would make much more money selling you replacement parts and upgrades than I would ever make selling the boat outright."

The Dealer was right, it cost a ton to bring the boat back to "Better Than Original" condition.

I too encourage Craig's list (although I have sold a lot of parts on E-Bay) to sell the 18; take the money and by a 16 in better shape.

Just my two cents!

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I would rather be sailing than talking about sailing!

Hopefully if you part it out, you'll trying selling the stuff here first. I'm in need of a few things.

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Pete
1982 18' Hobie