Winter Storage

We bought a '81 Hobie 18 this summer and now need to pull it off our beach and store it in our yard for the winter. We don't have a trailer and don't want one. Any recommendations for storing it--on wood blocks, on the grass, on sand bags? Is there any special support system that anyone has used? Thanks!

Old car tyres

just spread the load out if you use blocks of any kind or you'll have 4 cracked hulls as in the boat I just bought. Snow load.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

If you have the time now and in the Spring, I would take the tramp off thus eliminating the snow load from the tramp. Or as a second option, release the tension on the tramp via the lacing and let it hang so the snow load is a minimum. I've heard somewhere that someone flipped the boat over thus minimizing the surface area for the snow to land on as the bottom of the hulls don't have the flat surface as the top. I don't recall how this person set the boat on the ground or used supports on the cross members.

My brother leaves his H16 out all winter with the tramp on and come Spring, the hulls are sunk in the ground 2-3 inches from the snow load.

I have a H18 and when I trailer it I place extended bunks on top of the rollers as I don't trust the boat being on 4 points of contact via the trailer rollers. My boat is stored inside and I leave the bunks under the hulls during the off season.

Good luck.

Strip all of the lines & tramp off the boat if you leave it outside. The snow load on a tramp will ruin the tramp and possibly the hulls. It dosn't take that long to remove everything. Less than 3 hours to remove wings, mast, all wires & running rigging and tramp. In the spring it's a good to check everything as you re-install the parts.

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1989 Hobie 18 Worlds Boat, Magnum Wings & Spinnaker
1987 Hobie Holder 20 #273

dale.vanlopik"at"att"dot"net

my boat is stored on the trailer in the driveway. I support the trailer frame on jackstands to get the weight off the tires and suspension and stiffen the rig. the trailer has mast stands front and rear so the mast rests nearly horizontal. I then put a large plastic tarp over the entire rig and secure with bungee cords underneath and fore/aft. each time it snows the snow slides off the tarp, so I rarely have a buildup of snow load. if the snow is wet and sticks some, a little help starts the avalanche off. I leave the port covers loose and drain plugs open to aid in veltilating the hulls on dry days. don't leave the covers off or you'll play host to all manner of wildlife!

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

I don't know where you live, but if you get any kind of snow, such as we do here in the UP of Michigan, I do not recommend you store your boat in the open under any circumstances. Snow weight can be very damaging to any boat, but particularly a Hobie Cat. for some reason. I have had three over the years, mainly because sailing them on Lake Superior is so much fun, but I did make the mistake of allowing one to get ruined under the weight of the snow.

Now if you are in a climate where there isn't any snow, putting the boat up on old tires is a very good idea, just make sure you distribute the weight evenly. Also, make sure that your children or grans don't use it for a play ground while it's off the water. Other than that, cover it will, keep the sails stored indoors and next spring the Cat will be ready to run.