Hobie 16 updates since 2004

Hi all,

I was wondering in what model years recent updates came into effects on the H16. I know a few things come to mind that the more recent models have which my previous '04 boat didn't. I'm looking an an '07 right now and am wondering what it'll have and what it won't have.

1) 6:1 downhaul
2) Trapeze shock chords running through grommets in tramp instead of under side rails.
3) "Tubes" inside the hulls letting the hulls equalize pressure between inside/outside even when drain plugs are screwed in.
4) Any other updates that you can think of post 2004 until now (2017).

Also, what's the purpose of the EPO rudders? My old hobie dealer said that they don't make much of a difference and break easier. He always dissuaded me from getting them. Did going from EPO2 to EPO3 make a big jump in performance?

Thanks in advance.

EPO's are where it's at. Your old hobie dealer was mistaken. They are unbelievably lighter and significantly stiffer than the original lexan. They don't break as easily as the lexan rudders. There is really no comparison. I have a set of original epo's and switching from lexan to the epos made a huge difference.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

My most recent boat is a 2001, so I can't speak to all the latest features, but the tube to equalize pressure in the hulls has been a feature that has been in the 16 for some time. I remember gluing an '83 boat I had and there was a tube pushed through the foam plug in the mast pylon. Instructions for gluing boats all insisted on making sure you left an area (mast track on back of pylon) free of epoxy to allow the hulls to breathe.

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2001 H16E (European Boat) Sail #108348 Cabo
Club Wave
1991 H14T (Crushed by a Tornado)
2006 Bravo (sold)
1986 Hobie 16 (sold)
1981 Hobe 16 (sold)
1980 Hobie 14 (sold)

The boats have had this since the beginning. The vent tubes have always been in the front pylons.

Your dealer doesn't know what he's talking about - or he's swapping out blades for profit. EPOs are such an improvement on plastic blades - they're stiffer, have a better foil section and they they just work. Do they require some care? Sure they do. Don't drag them on the sand. Don't let them hit bottom. Don't drag them across the parking lot.

Not a whole lot. The trailing edge is better. Most people wouldn't notice the difference.

Do we know what year the trapeze shock chords running through grommets in the trampoline (instead of under the side rails) came into effect?

2008 model year in the US.