New H16 for new member.

Hi to all! A new member here. I will use search function as often as I can, but I have a question that has me want to post to get some feedback. I just bought a H16, very happy with the purchase and I'm sure all is fine. When I looked at the boat I could tell the boat may have been brought up to the beach a few times. I realized this by the wear marks on the bottom of the hulls. These marks are just on the front and about 1/4" to 1/2 wide on the front of the hulls. No holes in hulls the gentlemen I bought the boat from said the boat works and sails fine. Very nice family. The boat will polish up real nice. I did pay some one to pick the boat up and bring it to a sailing club. I will become a member. This I hope will shorten my learning curve. The boat was delivered and looks great. I did notice some surface scratches on the boat and the trailer that was used to move the boat was not what I call in very good shape, old rollers and a little to narrow. All & all the people that run the club are first class. So My question (sorry it took so long) is: Do most boats get tiny nicks and scratches? This H16 will be used in the bay 100% of the time. It has to be common for some sort of wear to occur? But when is it necessary to repair or know when to repair. I dont want to spend money to make the boat look new if this is bound to happen again. I had a sunfish for years and really enjoyed myself, but this is a big step up. My plan was to obtain the origional manual and learn to set the thing up myself durring the colder months. I rather spend my money on new hardware if needed the on un-needed polishing.

The boat is a H16. The year is a 1995. And new sails bought in 2005.
Thanks for any feedback.

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1995 H16

hmmmmm...........Nope, I got nothing.

Yes, it is normal for the boat to get little scratches and nicks, especially on the bottom. You can minimize them by treating it carefully. Think about it like it was a car - you wouldn't tie your car up to some wooden pilings (dock) and let it bang into them on the wave action, would you? Get some beach wheels if you're going to pull it up and down the beach often, or the beach is rocky (even little pebbles can put deep scratches in the finish).


The vast majority of little scratches and nicks are cosmetic. Every couple of years, I'll go over my boat and fix them - it isn't a big deal and can be accomplished in a few hours. It's easier to do them all at once. There's an article on repairing gel coat dings in the May/June '09 issue of the HOTLINE - http://www.hobiecat.com/hobieclass

On the bottom, you'll need to do a "bottom job" when / if you wear it down to the fiberglass cloth. There will be a black stripe down the length of the hull where the gel coat has worn off and fibers sticking up out of it. A bottom job is more involved than gel coat dings - it was covered in the Sept / Oct '08 HOTLINE.

The bottom line is - treat the boat like you would treat any other precious object (car). Don't let it bang into things. Don't drag it excessively across the beach. Keep it away from hard, sharp objects (rocks). I've owned 6 different 16s and never had to do a bottom job because I've treated them right.

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure by next season, I'll have a solid understanding of the H16.

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1995 H16

hmmmmm...........Nope, I got nothing.

Get a copy of "catamaran sailing, from start to finish"... it's a great resource!

As for the nicks and scratches, most of that has been covered, but honestly.... the h16 is a tough boat, it will withstand years of abuse. My 85 is scratched to hell... I spent my money after buying it on a new trampoline and new rigging... Your boat is a lot newer though, so you might be able to go a long time before spending money on that stuff. New sails in 05? Nice!!

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails