Cool, I've always wanted to have a floating dock, but dont' live on the water
. Have you considered putting a large floating roller on a hinged ramp in front of the dock edge so you can sail right up onto the dock. 
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| Just bought an "Orange Crusher" http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=36252 |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
I just bought a used Hobie 16. It will be my first experience sailing, but I have been dreaming about it for many years. I am a power boater previously. It is a 1979 with the Orange Crusher scheme from 1978. Is that possible? Did they sell the left over scheme inventory on later boats? I will be sailing on Lake St Claire in SE Michigan, from my cottage. I have been reading all I can online here, and learned a ton. I did go out and buy some new mast bearings, the tool, the pin kit and some other little odds and ends that I saw in the FAQ's that I should get. I haven't seen any actual pictures on here of a real Orange Crusher, even though it is mentioned a couple times. The hulls are sort of a creme color, rather than white, and the trampoline is bright orange vynal. It seems to be complete and ready to sail. He is delivering it to my cottage on Wednesday, so I will have it for the week I am off work over the 4th. I also want to build a floating dock for it ASAP, and have a good design worked out in my head after reading everything I could on here about it. I'll post pictures when that is done also. I paid $850 for it, including delivery 2.5 hours away and felt I got a decent deal. It doesn't come with a trailer. Take Care, Steve |
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| Author: | annacat [ Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:27 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Welcome to sailing! I taught myself by using this forum, youtube & a basic online sailing simulator. My background is extensive with powerboats & kayaks (but not sailing). All the principles of safety are basically the same w/ one major exception. There is a slightly increased change of getting separated from a sailboat. Buy yourself a life vest w/ pockets & store some sort of communication device inside the vest. I doubt you will ever need it – but I always feel good knowing I can do more than wave my arms if I get in a mess. Round up some friends when you get ready to rig for the first time. Shift your mindset away from the car & driver mentality of power boating. I’ve learned to slow down & try to enjoy rigging my boat. Print yourself a points of sail chart. Pull up your sailing area on Google Earth & draw a line for the wind direction. In your mind, begin thinking about your trip. Give yourself a rough idea of say: I’m going to run here to here & tack.. sailing a beam reach. It sounds sorta strange to do that – but I find myself still doing that before I go sailing. I know exactly the wind directions, wind speeds & weather forecast. I am still a newbie to sailing – so my advice is by no means expert! Just make safety a priority while rigging & sailing & everything else will come together. I look foward to hearing how you make out on the first trip! |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Thanks for the kind words. I have sailed cats from a resort on vacation, and love the pace. The cottage I sail from is on a protected bay about 4 miles deep and 1 mile wide with the prevailing wind from the long side across the bay, so it should be easy to sail the length and back all 90 degrees to the wind. The other thing is that the bay is shallow. About 3' at the edges and no more than chest deep in the middle. Winds are normally steady and gentle, but my wind gauge has recorded 70MPH once, and over 50 many times! Trust me, I won't be out there when it goes above 10 for quite a while. My biggest concern is pitch poling (pole pitching?) in 4' of water! |
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| Author: | fastcat [ Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Cool, I've always wanted to have a floating dock, but dont' live on the water . Have you considered putting a large floating roller on a hinged ramp in front of the dock edge so you can sail right up onto the dock.
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| Author: | corndogcj [ Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:35 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Welcome to sailing these great boats! I would like you to consider a few things. First if you don't know when the standing rigging was replaced last (wires that hold up the mast) consider replacing them. If one were to fail you would be upwind with out a sail. The other thing I would consider is not to store your Hobie in the water. They don't do well being left in the water and at the very least you will get blisters over time and who knows what else when that wind starts kickin up to 50-70mph. If you can beach it that is always best since they are called beach cats. I think too that orange crusher would have been used for a couple years (or more?) after it was introduced in 78'. Do you have the orange sails and everything? You should buff the hulls, I bet the orange would come back real nice. |
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| Author: | buxton [ Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Congratulations and welcome aboard, I did have some sailing experience on a sunfish when I was a kid but learned about Hobie's after buying a 14T from the locale news paper, at the age of 37, I'm 48 now and it's one of the funnest things I have done so I know you'll be having a good time. Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question if you don't know the answer so don't hesitate to ask. I'm on my way to Lake Arthur this morning to help a newbie learn to sail, he just bought a 17 sport from our locale dealer and has no experience sailing. |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Thanks for all the replys. I am 47 now, and really want to teach my kids to sail. Boy 20, girl 17, boy 15. That is great advice about the standing rigging, I had never thought about that. I will check out what I have and look into replacements. With regard to the floating dock, I think I have a perfect design in my head to keep the cat out of the water and safe, and it will allow me to easily step the mast from the floating dock. I can't wait to build it and show it to everyone. Maybe next weekend. Until then, I can beach it over across from a neighbors house. The hulls aren't orange, they are cream colored, but I will wax them up well as soon as possible. I am surprised no one commented on my concern for pole pitching in shallow water! Surely there has to be some stories that I can learn from... 
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| Author: | Bill 404 [ Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
I have always thought that the "Orange Crusher" was the best color scheme that Hobie ever produced.Take good care of it and enjoy the wind and water... Bill 404 21SE |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Looking for the rigging replacement, is there a way to buy it all as a kit under one part number? Or do I need to buy each piece separately? Also, I see a lot of posts about the older rigging and the newer replacement rigging not being very interchangeable. Is that if you only replace parts? If I replace all of it - will it work, or did they change the spacial relationships of the attach points? Thanks, Steve |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Hi All, I am back. I did get to take it sailing a ton the week of July 4th, but work has kept me away from the cottage since. The floating dock is almost done and I will post pictures as soon as it is. This thing sails beautifully!! I loved it! I did check out the rigging, and it looks pretty good so no plans to replace it. I did find an issue with the tiller crossbar. It is bent and both ends are loose. I need to disassemble it, straighten it, and put it together tightly before the next sail. When going up wind the starboard end was pulling out of the crossbar end, and when going downwind the port side was extended. The net effect was tons of effort to keep the rudders pointed straight, and surely a big speed loss. I still managed to get it up on one hulla couple times. Not enough to need the trapeze, but the wind was light. A few more fixes and I will do some higher speed sailing in heavier winds. I was pleased that I could get it just about anywhere I wanted to go on the lake if I thought about it a little. I'll post a picture in the next post. |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
OK, I thought uploading a picture would be easy, but I guess not. If anyone knows how to do it, I could email you the picture and you could post it for me. Just send me a message. |
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| Author: | 56kz2slow [ Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
ASDASC wrote: OK, I thought uploading a picture would be easy, but I guess not. If anyone knows how to do it, I could email you the picture and you could post it for me. Just send me a message. You need to upload the photo to a picture hosting site like Photobucket, Picasa, Flicker, etc. Can't speak for Flicker, but Photobucket and Picasa will give you the string of code you need to paste in the post that will get your picture. |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Ok, that was easy! Thanks Marc! 
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| Author: | 56kz2slow [ Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:14 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
1. You're welcome 2. Nice boat 3. Is it tied or anchored? If not, I'd be scared it would sail away. |
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| Author: | ASDASC [ Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:25 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Just bought an "Orange Crusher" |
Thank you! I am pretty proud of it, despite how old and basic it is. I have it anchored. I gave it plenty of room from the seawall, and let it just pivot in the wind while I took pictures. I see I should have lifted the rudders. Also, it looks like maybe I didn't have the jib raised fully? The whole week I was out there, the wind never got above about 5-10, so it was perfect for learning. I also learned that while stepping the mast in the water, it is TOUGH and easy to lose the forestay shackle. In only 3' of water here, and dropped it twice. Remarkably, I only lost one, and fortunately had a spare. |
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