bringing an old h18 back to life

hello i currently purchased a 1987 hobie cat and i have a couple qestions for all of you guys. first off i have some minor hull dammage i have soft spots on the tops of both my hulls and one on the side of one of the hulls and i'm wondering if just injetcting fibeglass resin in between the delaminated layers would be enough or shoud i cut the soft spots and fill em back in. second i do not have a jib furler and i was wondering if any of you guys are familiar with that setup as i plan to keep it that way until i get new sails also i think my jib might be off of a h16 does any of you have specs on a h18 jib and if it is off a h16 can i still use it. third i have no sails battens at all is there a cheaper alternative to buying universal battens wich would cost me about 500$(thats a lot of cash for an old sail) i was thinking of fiberglass poles you would use for markin your driveway could it work? fourh i need a new tramp i found some on ebay some are vynil some are mesh wich would be best. and fifth i need a whole new tiller assebmly and i mean rudder casting poles the whole shabang what i have received seems to be off a h16 maybe exept for upper castings wich look like old style h18 castings and wooden rudders. sixth i need to put new neophrenes into my dagger board wells any tips?? seventh my comptip is cut in two pieces the previous owner cracked on one side and he cut it right in the middle of the crack i guess he was planning on repairing it has any of you guys fixed a comptip before how can it be done? and i think that is all (certainly hope so) i am planing on getting everything fixed so i can at least use it next summer any tips would be greatly apreciated cant wait to play around with this thing !

Thats a lot of questions. We need pics of the items you are asking about to verify whether they are 18 parts or not. Wooden rudders are definately not Hobie OEM. A 16 jib will not work on a 18 properly. I've never seen a split comptip but anything can be repaired. Fiberglass rods might work but they will most likely tear out at the batten pocket, plus how would you tension them? Give us more and we can help you get it accomplished!

Not to be too negative, but I hope you didn't pay too much for that boat. Honestly, in the US, you can get a used but fully functional 18 with all the parts and trailer for a couple thousand dollars (like $1500 to $3000 and you would be set).

I'm guessing from your posting that you're from another country besides the US, so maybe used Hobies are hard to come buy. But really, that boat sounds beat- hulls damaged, sails shot, tramp shot, mast broken, rudders missing, incorrect rigging - is there actually anything good on the boat?

I would seriously look for another boat.

sm

And its an '87, isn't that a Coleman boat?

yes it is a coleman and i am from new-brunswick in canada and hobies arent very common around here theres a couple h16s kicking around here but no 18s to be seen anywhere ( exept here ) i paid 1500$ with the trailer i would have probably paid less if i knew what i got myself into but here i am and i'll be damned if i dont get this thing up and running! i just got the pics but dont know how to upload em

Yep, old style upper rudder castings and Hobie 16 lower rudder castings. The 16 rudder castings will not work on the 18. I would not mess around with wooden rudders. Unless they're a hard wood and the profile was CNC machined, they most likely won't work worth a darn in any wind over about 5mph.

And your comptip has most certainly been cut in half. Unless you have the right equipment and really know what you're doing, you can't fix it. Even then, your best odds of a successful repair would be 50/50 - it must be replaced.

sm

Rudder system is H16 lower and H18 uppers. The wooden rudder doesn't look bad, is it glassed? If the comptip is cut in half as it appears I would replace the tip. The hulls look good but you state they have soft spots, there is a complete guide to that repair on this site. The decks are fairly easy to repair, the hull side is not. It depends on how much delam there is on the side, a small spot can be fixed a large spot most likely cannot. What about the sails? I can see the boom and crossbars, do you have any main blocks and sheets? More info and pics please.

ok i will post up more pics later on. i have the old style mainsheet system (not harken). i just confirmed this afternoon that my jib is off a h16 ( has batten pockets) my mainsail seems to be a h18 (has a round logo with an 18 in it) i have no jib blocks wich doesent really matter at the moment cause i cant us that jib. the soft spot on the side of the hull is about 5 inches in diameter. also keep in mind that i have all the proper ressources near me for fiberglass repair i cheked not to long ago to get my comptip fixed they proposed to carve a piece of fiberglass compatible foam soak it in resin stick it in there and reinforce with cloth wherever they could for 200$ how does that sound?

That repair might work but be careful adding weight to the top of the mast. It will make the boat more apt to capsize and hard to right. I would look for a used solid mast and I have a boat that is complete with excellent sails and a solid mast and rudder system for $1000 in South Carolina if your interested in a road trip south. The hulls on this boat are shot but even the standing rigging is in good shape. The sails are the Cat Fever pattern, good crisp sails.

well that sure does sound interesting i'll ponder on that and get back to you. what city are you in? and would you be willing to part out and ship it (if so i would assume any shipping costs)

Sounds like it would hold up fine up until the first time you pulled in on your mainsheet....

Composite mast repairs are about as difficult as it gets. It's a thin-walled, highly loaded structure that sees forces from several different directions. In addition, it needs to be lightweight as well as have the proper bend characteristics in order to function properly. Putting a chunk of foam inside and slapping some fiberglass cloth on the outside 'aint gonna' cut it.

Save your $200 and put it towards a new comptip- you're gonna need one.

sm

I sent you an email...I still have a fair amount of parts left (in Michigan), including a couple older non-comptip masts, a jib furler, castings...other odds & ends. I believe that one of my masts is about half the price of a comptip...might be worth a drive a come pick it up? Most of the stuff is in really good shape, too.