M Gann,
Everything's OK. This is how the 14 and 16 were originally designed. The mast rotates all the way to the stop on either side of the mast base on all points of sail in all but lightest of wind conditions. Look at the position of the upper main blocks in relation to the rear crossbar and lower block, they're slightly behind the lower blocks. When closed hauled, with the traveller car/blocks/boom centered, sheeting in "to the max" will cause forward pressure on the boom and help rotate the mast to the stop on the base. When tacking or gybing there is a lot of sail up there and when the battens flip to the other side filling the sail that mast will follow right along, and quickly, to the opposite stop, resulting in that pop or slam when it gets there.
Mast rotation is adjustable, via an arm, block and control line on most all later model Hobies. The 14 and 16's rotation is preset, if you will, at a happy medium simplifying the operation of the boat (one less thing to worry about).
