Hobie 16 Delrin Mast Step Bearing

The nub idea is OK... but, we have a better solution since 2004 by drilling small holes into the cup. The teflon chips squeeze into the holes under load and lock in place. No more squeezed chips.

The "Chip Keeper"

Several innovations on the boats supplied for the 2004 Hobie 16 Worlds have become standard equipment with all new Hobie 16’s. The biggest change is the new mast step casting and mast base. These new parts are an answer to several long running issues on the 16. We have long known that the rotation stops on the Hobie 16 will wear over time and the mast bearing chip can slip out of place. These were critical problems at the 2002 Hobie 16 Worlds in Neumea. To handle the high winds, light crews were raking back and leaving the rig loose to allow the mast to lean aft and leeward to de-power as much as possible. This caused the mast rotation stops to prematurely wear and over-ride the rotation stops. The mast chips were also squirting out of place causing the beach teams to drop masts and re-install the chips between races. These two issues had been the driving force behind an attempt at changing the class rules to allow a mast rotation control arm and possibly change the whole system to something like the Hobie 17/20. To correct these issues and keep the basic design intact, Hobie Cat USA re-engineered the mast rotation stops and added a new feature; we call a “chip keeper”, inside the step cup.

The “chip keeper” was devised by Dan Ketterman (Hobie Cat Engineer). Dan had done this to his own Hobie 16 some time ago, so he had years of testing completed already. He just hadn’t shared that trick with us until now! The chip keeper is a series of shallow holes drilled (molded) into the mast step cup. These holes are just inside the radius of the mast chip. When the mast chip is placed in the cup and the mast is raised into position, the mast base squishes the Teflon chip into the shallow detents. This effectively “locks” the chip in place. The “chip keeper” system is working so well that it now can be somewhat difficult to remove the chip from the cup. Some sailors say they trailer with the chip in place and never loose it. Dan’s old boat has been here at Hobie Cat for years… and the chip was in place. At the 2004 Hobie 16 World Championships, we found that the chips stay in place perfectly… never squeeze out of place and wear more evenly. After 10 days of racing and what was considered a years worth of use on each boat, we never replaced a mast chip and found them to be centered in the cup, as they were when the boats were rigged. They were well worn, but formed evenly in the cup.

Also at the Worlds, our new mast rotation stops performed very well. The stops are now taller and thicker. They were also re-oriented to enable the mast base and step rotation stops, contact points, to align better. This was done considering current mast rake thinking. (The last change to the stops was done in 1982) After the event, the stops showed minimal wear. While the conditions were not as windy as Neumea, the amount of sailing time and water conditions were more intense. Not once during the event was the mast rotation or bearing system an issue. This was great for the sailors and the beach inspection and repair teams! It is also great for the Hobie 16 class as there is no need to change the bearing system or add rotation control systems. This was a running-change in Hobie 16 production last winter, many boats have been sold with these new features, but some may still have the original parts. These new parts are fully compatible with older Hobie 16s and can be purchased through a Hobie Cat dealer. There will be some inventory of the older parts in circulation for some time to come, so be sure you ask for the latest stuff when ordering from a dealer.

shallow holes? how shallow?
16th? 8th? 1/4?
Size of holes? (what drill bit?) thin? 1/8th?)? thinner?

The holes are + - 1/8" in diameter and 1/8" deep. 6 Holes.