Making hobie 16 smaller

My garage entrance is 4cm smaller then the beam of the hobie.
But the hobie 16 would be the perfect boat (and only a dart 15 is smaller as far as I know)

Is it a big mistake to try to make him smaller.
Tha biggest problem seems to be the front crossbar. It is angled and cutting of a bit the sides will give an other angle on the hulls, but I guess I can bend it a little in correct direction.
Trampoline: holes will probably overlap = making new trampoline or adjust it.
Rudder system seems not to difficult to adjust.
Side shrouds are adjustable.
front shroud V system will come a bit higher.


Is this a stupid plan, or still better then not sailing...?

Steven,

You could also consider a Hobie 14 or Hobie 14turbo. Their beam is 3" narrower than the H16. (7'8" vs 7'11").

_________________
Tim
84 H16
82 H16
87 H14T
Tortola Sails: 115222
Blue Prism Sails: 88863
Clearwater, FL

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Here're a few ideas.
1. Buy a boat that fits. My garage isn't long enough for an 18' boat. So I've never owned a Hobie 18 or 20.
2. Widen your gate. I had to add a bump-out to my garage when I owned a 17' Thistle monohull sailboat. (I couldn't bump it out to 18')
3. Tilt the boat up at a sideways angle when moving through your gate. If the trailer will fit, make a couple of braces to hold the boat at an angle as you move it through the gate.
4. Find another place to keep the boat. I now own a Hobie Getaway, but don't want to go through the gyrations I used to, to store a Hobie 17 in my garage. So now I rent a storage garage that holds the boat on the trailer ready to go.

_________________
Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Icebirds" - 1974 Skeeter iceboat
Too many canoes and kayaks

A Hobie 14 would indeed be a better solution, but then I only have 1cm on each side left, so it will still be verry narrow to pass through in a decent way.
In my area are a lot of hobie 16's, but no 14's for sale...

An inclined/angled trailer was also what I had in mind, but then you already need an angle of 45° and then the boat comes too high...

I will see...

Narrowing the boat is a very bad idea IMO. There are a lot of components on the boat that would need to be customized like you mentioned - crossbars (including the bend of the front crossbar, the dolphin striker rod, and all rivets). If it is an old boat without integrated traveler tracks, the jib tracks would need to be relocated. Shroud and bridle wire lengths. Trampoline. Rudder system. It has the potential to turn into a disaster.

I agree with the others, widening the gate or finding a different storage location seem like better ideas. Another option would be to fully disassemble the boat by removing the hulls from the trampoline frame for storage.

A Hobie Wave might also be worth considering. They're pretty narrow to begin with but can also be fully disassembled quite easily.

sm

How about widening your Garage.

I can indeed maybe just disconnect one hull, I guess that could be 15cm difference in beam...

It is only 2 bolts if I see in the manual...

In theory, yes, only 2 bolts need to be removed.

In reality, you would likely need to at least loosen if not entirely un-lace the trampoline. The trampoline really squeezes everything together, so even if you were able to get the boat apart without loosening the tramp, you probably wouldn't be able to get it back together with the tramp tight. Also the fit of the pylons into the corner castings is (supposed to be) pretty tight, so it's unlikely the hulls would just drop off. You would probably need to use a mallet to disassemble and assemble the hulls.

sm

Maybe consider a Hobie Wave or even a Hobie Island. Both are narrow enough on a trailer for you gate.

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