waiting for the snow to melt, have some 16 questions

I had some wild rides on a mid 80's 16 last summer on Flathead Lake and decided over the winter that I was beaching my Laser for some real speed. I Shopped all over and eventually found one in Bozeman, MT, just 5 hours away (It's hard to find one in these mountain states far from ocean and warm temps). Its a 1977, white hulls, sail, jib, and tramp. It's mint! I can see my reflection in the shinny hulls-no soft spots or even signs of beaching. The leading edge of the hulls are flawless. It must have lived most of its life under cover. It is not perfect...but in amazing shape for a 77. I have a couple of questions: 1. the tramp is sound, but a little flappy (not tight). Is the rigidity of the frame and its relationship to the hulls compromised if the tramp is a bit sloppy. 2. the mast was dinged in the past. It has no "comp tip" for one, but about 5 feet from the top, there is a 2 in. bonk that actually slightly kinks the aluminum...like a ski pole. There is a 1.5in crook from that point forward to the tip. The previous owner said he sailed it (only 3 times) and it was unnoticeable. I'm not a afraid to cartwheel on some 5 foot freshwater waves and I'm wondering if a little roughhousing will further bend the mast or potentially break it? 3. The port and starboard shrouds have all but lost their white coating...does it matter? 4. and lastly, the sails are a little dirty but look pretty snappy still and as i said, all in all, the craft is in tip top for a 1977...I paid 1,500$ for it and didn't have to get it. It was delivered by a commuting friend. Did I get a fair price?

No it won't comprimise anything, but the boat won't be as stiff.


Dings in masts make me nervous. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the comptip I'd put one on. That would cut that ding out of the equation


Replace all the standing rigging. It's 31 years old and has done its duty. Plus its cheap insurance.




If its in as good shape as you say then I'd say you got a fair price. That's kind of a hard thing to measure though. My first cat was an 85' H16 and that's what I paid for it. Here in Minnesota I've seen many mid 70's H16 for sale that probably aren't in as good condition go for far more than they should in my mind. Where you are in the country has alot to do with what the a used boat sells for, and with fuel being as expensive as it is paying a bit more for a local boat vs driving 500 miles to get one that is a bit cheaper doesn't really make much sense anymore.

Since you're asking, here's my bit of advice: Replace the standing rigging (shrouds, anchor pins, bridle wires) first, as Karl wrote. Next, if you buy the rigging from Hobie you should know Hobie changed the shroud and forestay lengths around 1983 to allow for mast rake further aft (this is a good thing because it reduces the boat's potential to pitchpole by putting more of the power over the stern, and allows the boat to point higher), but with the new rigging you will run into two new issues:
1. The jib is not cut for the increased mast rake and may luff. If the jib is still good, keep it and find the compromised spot to rake the mast between less pitchpole and less jib luffing. If the jib luffs without the mast raked back (the mast position before raking it back) then the jib is blown and you may need a new one anyway.
2. The increased mast rake will also require your rudders to be raked forward, otherwise the tiller will feel really heavy when the boat is under way, and get heavier as the boat goes faster. This means the rudders are out of balance with the mast and sail and is normal for the new changes. Your boat likely doesn't have adjustable rudder castings and the only way to adjust the rudder rake is to re-drill the holes in the rudders. But, like the jib, if you find the balance spot you may be able to live with the heavier-than-before tiller.

Both of these issues can be avoided if you were to make new shrouds using your current shroud lengths, but be sure to have the shrouds professionally made for safety. Also, using the current shroud lengths will probably mean less mast rake and a higher chance of pitchpoling.

Inspect the tramp, and if it looks good then tighten the lacing as much as you can to tighten the boat for good performance. Learn more about tightening the tramp here: http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewt ... ht=prebend
(scroll 2/3 of the way down to see a photo posted by mmiller)

Enjoy your boat!

The new shroud/forestay lengths will also cause problems with your 5:1 (I'm assuming) mainsheet system. When you go block to block (sheeted in tight) you still won't have the leech of the sail tight. The longer forestay isn't really the problem, it's the shrouds that will cause issues (since you can't stand the mast up as straight).

I would order some custom rigging that is the same length as what you have now instead of upgrading to the newer stuff. Fixing all of the issues caused by the shorter shrouds and longer forestay is an expensive proposition.

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1984 H16 - #80541

Could he not get the new Hobie rigging and some 10 hole chain plates. I thought that would give him enough room on the shrouds.

Sam

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Sail Like you Have a Pair
Bluish gray 73 - 83 H16
Super Nice Yellow 84 H18

SNOW?!!!!!

I went out this weekend without a wetsuit...