Finally, Great wind! now questions from first year sailor

Hello, I'll be posting some pics following my write up.
So,.. Wind was 17-20 knots gusts of 25 knots OFTEN! to add to what I'll call my first real wind to sail in I sailed solo for the second time, but did it for 6 hours with 2 hours of "man flipping it back over was alot of work" rest time. I'm so sore
First of all I weigh in at 185 lbs, so was I "over powered" for my experience level? I feel like I was, there were 3 for sure and a few other times I didn't get dunked, that I actually Lost the sheet (I was traveled all the way out) and still went over or just barely managed to not,... by turning or luck I even stuffed the bow about 3-4' back from the tip and somehow didn't go over.
1.How long should my main sheet rope be? I have a Harken main sheet,(is that stock?) it has 3 rollers each end and hanging at 4 feet i have 6 feet of sheet left? it doesn't seem like enough for me to trap out, which brings me to my next question
2. what kind or what is the name of the rope so I can adjust my trap to get hooked on to it? it seems really strong (hard even) for it's size and I think I need longer pieces.
3. When do you go for the Trap when alone? is it all timing with the wind just when the bow starts to fly? and then move fast?
4. the last flip, when I came up, the boat was standing up rather that on it's side, rudders down all I could think was dont turtle (sensor cuss words), thank to this forum, I knew climb on and move the front, and doing so quickly it came to it's side, but HOW did it get there? i have no idea.....
5. main sheet has some wear so I need to replace it?? right?, but it has this really small rope stitched in to it? Why? and how? and is it important?
lastly my rudders aren't straight with the bows, how do i fix this and is it very important that i do just for recreation sailing?

Can't help with 3 and 4.

1. Mainsheet should be 44ft of 3/8" rope.
2. I am using Sta-Set for the trapeze rope. Hobie spec is 1/4"
5. My mainsheet does not have any other smaller line attached to it. After it exits the mainsheet cleat, it enters the the traveler cleat traveler eye, traveler car, and then finally the cross beam eye. Use a stopper knot to keep the sheet from pulling through the eye.
6. Rudders should be pointed towards the center of the boat. The reason is because during a turn, the inside hull has to turn a tighter circle than the outside hull. Look up Ackerman angle if you want to read more about it.

Regarding when to trap out: I do it whenever the wind is strong enough. If I am dragging my butt in the water, then it is time to get off the trap. Otherwise, stay out. You will get practice in handling the lines, balancing the boat, and coming in for a tack or jibe.

Regarding the main sheet. Buy a new one. There should be no splices. It should not be chewed up. A new sheet feels and looks great, and it is not too expensive.

Regarding the boat orientation after the flip. It is just be the luck of the draw. Your next flip will land you somewhere else. Just stay safe when it happens.

Regards,
Ted

Your port tiller arm was replaced with a a piece of straight aluminum tube (note the starboard one is bent inward). That's the cause of your misalignment problem. Underneath the port end of the tiller crossbar, there's a screw - loosen it and the end cap can slide out to adjust the alignment. When the rudders are down, the trailing edges should be ~ 1/8" further apart than the leading edges.

The stock mainsheet is 3/8", but most people go with 5/16", since it runs through the blocks better. It's a touch harder on the hands, though. The best mainsheet material on the market is New England Ropes Salsa brand. 44 ft is a bit long. 37 feet is what most people use. To see how much you need, let the traveler all the way out, let the main out about 4' from the traveler and leave a loop long enough for you to sit on the other side of the boat.

The small lines on the end are what's called a "split tail" - it allows the main traveler to be brought dead center (without the split tail, the traveler sags off to leeward about 1/2"). However, this is something you find on a F-18 catamaran, not an old Hobie 16. It's not class legal on the 16 and of dubious value even if it was. Short story - it's not necessary.

If the mainsheet is longer than you need, then cut off the worn end. Voila! New mainsheet.

When to trap when singlehanding? When the boat starts to heel when you're sheeting in, but you're not sheeted in all the way.

Does your boats rear frame rack have one eye strap on center or two eye straps say 6 to 8" off center....this is were your main sheet ties to after going through the traveler . If you have two eye straps than tie off each end of that split tail to each eye strap and now your boat has "windward sheeting" ability...or something like that???

_________________
Bill 404 21SE

No the rear bar only has one eyelet on it. I ordered the new england sheet and trap ropes today, and I can't wait to get back to the lake and fix her up some more.

One more thing, my jib cleats are a pita, they don't uncleat very easy and now one side the car slips. I was looking at the low profile ones that pull up to release and that seems like a better way to go, and getting them with new cars. or are there better ones that i should look at?

these are what I'm looking at right now, http://www.ebay.com/itm/331225222105?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

For trapping I hook on if I think I might need trap and when the hull starts to fly I go out slowly and sheet in as I go out. I always wait until the hills out of the water before I go out because the hobbies fastest with the windward hull just skimming the water