Capsizing issue? water in the hull

Hey all

So today we went sailing, and lately my friend and I have been practicing capsizing, and we thought we've finally gotten the hang of it, until today, the wind was approx 5-15 knots (it varied, alot), and we should have been able to right it, we have a good righting line and all. but, we had earlier forgotten to replug the drain plugs, but had drained most of the water out (we thought). however, when capsized, we couldn't keep the boat flat to right it, it would almost always lean to the rear, and even with my 160 lb's hugging the bow as it lifted, it took a while before it'd come back down. we repeated the process for an hour before a motorboat helped us out.

How much water do you think was still in the hulls? must have been more than a few pounds to cause such an effect on the balance of the boat.

Also, while capsized, how much water will a hull take on if in the water for more than say 10 minutes? i have a 1979 hobie 16, and i've repaired the soft spots with the injection method, but i think some of the holes have reopened and may have let water in? anywhere else water could be getting in?

thanks!

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1985 Hobie 16 86068

The boat shouldn't take on any water at all when capsized.

You had a lot of water in the hull to affect the balance like that.

When you're draining a lot of water in the hull, you have to let the hull breathe (the vent tubes in the front pylon may or may not be plugged) every once and a while to get all the water out. Tilt the boat forward and you'll hear the drain plug suck air, then tilt back again. Repeat as necessary.

It doesn't take much of a hole to let in a lot of water. Pylon/deack seals, transom harware (gudeons/drain plug housings) and the deck lip are the locations of 99% of leaks in a Hobie 16.

The first time I capsized I was solo and thought I remembered that you are supposed to swim the mast around into the wind--wrong!! Anyway, when I finally tried the bows into the wind and got it upright on the first try, I had been over on my side for an hour and forty minutes. My well sealed mast never took on water and stayed very near the surface (thank heavens) and the hulls only had about one or two cups of water. 1983 H16 no soft spots.

Thanks for the replies,

i didn't know there are vent holes in the front pylons, i should check if they're open (i'm gonna guess that they are as the water gushed out the back fairly quickly).

We've never had this issue before, so i'll assume that the boat normally does not take on water while capsized (it's been over for 40 minutes easily). The mast definitely proved to be water tight as it did not leak water at all when back up and sounded hollow and empty.

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1985 Hobie 16 86068

The vents are inside the front pylons - they're plastic tubes inserted through the foam plugs in the pylon. You can't inspect them unless you take the boat completely apart.

Ok thats good to know

we went sailing today, and found we had no issues righting the boat, and no water got in during the exercise (twice), so, looks all good! thanks all!

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1985 Hobie 16 86068

Check your hulls for leaks.

Remove the draing plugs and apply low pressure (exhaust from a vacuum works) to the drain hole to slightly pressurize the hull. Take a rag and a bucket of soapy water - wipe the hull down looknig for soap bubbles created by escaping air.

The first time I did this I found that one of my pylons was leaking where it was sealed at the hull. Quick silicone fix and I was ready to sail again.

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1980 18 foot class A Unicorn catamaran
1977 Super Sunfish (sold)
1979 Hobie (sold)
1983 Hobie 16 Hawiian Sunset (sold)
1981 Hobie 16 Tequilla Sunrise (sold)
2008 Hobie 16 (sold)
2023 Hobie 16
Founding member of the "San Dimas Yacht Club"
John