Broke my Boat - advice on upgrade

Hi folks, First time here.

I had a catastrophic hull failure this weekend on my '74 Hobie 16. Delaminated the top of the hull right at the chain plate. I'm considering buying a used boat to replace the hulls. I have almost new-sails which I'm kind of in love with. There's a boat about a 2 hour drive from me but the seller isn't sure on the age.

I'm wondering if anyone is willing to hazard a guess on the age?

I'm a bit worried about the caulking around the pylons, although I had been thinking about doing same on mine. And what's with those hiking straps on it? My straps are rotten. I kind of like that the straps look replaceable on this but is this even a Hobie tramp?

Are the parts mostly compatible - so I could put my frame or my sails or whatever, on this boat?





Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hobie 16 sails can usually be used on any Hobie 16. Jib cut has had some changes and will drag more or less on the mast depending upon the cut and the rake. I have a set of European cut sails that have a slightly different interference with the mast than my American sails. No big deal except for in light winds and pretty much a fact of life if you sail Hobie 16s.

Personally I'd keep the new boat together and take the parts from the other boat. At least until I noticed that I had problems. A lot of older boats will have a slight leak around the pylons which is easily dealt with by adding some silicone caulk around the pylons. It's caused by the vibration on the hulls over the years.

It doesn't look like the tramp is a Hobie tramp. Not a big deal. Hobie tramps are the best but there are a lot of good quality tramps out there that will give you years of satisfaction.

Other than 1970s to 1980s, I would not hazard a guess on the age of the boat. It should have a VIN number on the hull's transoms. That's the best way to date a boat.

Jim Clark-Dawe

Thanks Jim,

Great Advice. I've had a few other folks pipe up elsewhere and suggest this is a '78 Keoke edition. I have a line on a 84 boat that looks a lot cleaner and better treated than this one for not much more money.

I really like your advice of keeping the new boat all together and using the old one for parts. Other than my newer and very awesome sails, I will definitely take that advice.

Cheers

_________________
Blair Mahaffy
West Hawk Lake, MB
'74 Hobie 16

The boat you show in the pictures is late 1970’s or very early 1980’s.

All of the parts are generally interchangeable, however you may run into issues with holes lining up because the level of QC back then was not where it today.

A boat this old, unless it was barn stored, is likely to have the same issues as your current boat. If you have the ability, I would strongly suggest looking at a boat from the 1990’s or later. The build quality is much higher and the boat will have many of the modern features that you don’t get on these earlier boats.

sm