(Newbie) H 16 tiller cross bar/arm ...

should be straight with no curve or pre-bent angles, correct?
I just picked up a 1981 H-16, overall in decent shape. However I noticed the tiller cross arm is bent. The tillers and castings are in good shape, one broken cam. Just wanted to get some input before I started straightening the thing! Sorry if it's an obvoius question.
Thanks,
David

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David

Straight like an arrow!
Always ask questions. There is a ton of knowledge here on the forums.

J

Thanks for the reply. I'm a mono-hull guy who has been interested in cats for a while, and just bought this 1981 H 16, my first CAT!!!
I'm so excited to get this boat refurbished in the next month: new standing wires, halyards, sheets, and MOST of the sheaves.
Any "spiritual guidance" offered is appreciated!
Thanks,
david

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David

Not on pre-1983 boats, Jeremy.

Straight tiller arms were intoduced with the rake adjustable castings.

I think he's talking about the tiller crossbar.

My '82 boat has rake adjustable lower castings. It also has the angled tiller arm with the cam adjuster slide plate. Since I didn't buy it new of course there is no guarantee that the upper and lower castings didn't come from different boats.

Sailips,

Yep...the cross bar should be straight. I bought an '82 some years ago and it had a bent cross bar. I was a bit worried about whether it would weaken if I got it straightened, but I brought it to a machine shop and they did an awesome job. Had that boat for years and never had an issue with it.

You will see two different types of tiller extension arms that connect the castings to the cross bar. Early boats had a bent arm and newer boats have a straight arm. I asked Matt Miller of HobieCat once whether one was an improvement over the other and he replied that there was really no difference.

Enjoy the boat! Well cared for it should give you years of great sailing!

The "Tiller Crossbar" should be straight like an arrow on all boats. This is the bar that crosses the boat and attaches to each "tiller tube"

Tiller Tube or Tiller Arm (depending on the boat and according to the catalog) is bent like Matt said. These are the arms that are riveted into the upper castings.

Sailor jargon has been confusing people for centuries.

J

Lawyers took the same idea, methodology and practice, and turned it to the "dark side".

Politicians took that same idea from the lawyers, ( most politicians are lawyers by "education" anyway) put a fine edge on it and use it to hack away at all we hold near and dear.

But all of the above is off topic and has no place on this forum, I apologize.

Kicking the "soapbox" back under the table where it really belongs.

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If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

My '82 boat has the tiller arms which kick upwards and inboard. My buddy's '84 H16 has straight arms. My hot stick will lie relatively flat on the tramp. His will not. Not clear to me why Hobie made this improvement on later boats.

There is no "performance" difference. Steering / handling is the same.

As I recall, the older bent tiller arms left the tiller crossbar above the rear beam when the rudders were up for trailering.

When the rudders are up with the current configuration... the tiller crossbar is lower than the rear crossbar. This certainly is better for the tiller crossbar when trailering, raising or lowering the mast.

When rudders are down... the tiller crossbar is higher than the rear beam and a tiller will rest on the tramp without problem.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Good point. My boat stays on the beach all season so trailering and mast stepping are non events for me. Also, with an above beam crossbar I often get a batten stuck under it while raising the mainsail...a process that then comes to a screeching halt as the crossbar and hiking stick are violently catapulted up and away.