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Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=16206		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  findbluesky [ Sat Oct 24, 2009 5:11 am ]
Post subject:  Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
Hello,
I've just got hold of a Hobie 14 turbo as a restoration project. Everything is in pieces including the hulls which have the pillars poking out of them. I've just started cleaning the hulls up and apart from scratches and dents to the fiberglass they seem to be in good condition - no soft spots and nothing I'm not confident to fix. However, they both seem to have loose stuff inside them. I can hear a couple of small things rattling around when I move the hulls but more of a worry there seems to be something of size moving about inside them (bigger than a rivit back).

So my questions are:
Is this common?
What could it be?
What do you think I should do about it?

I was thinking of cutting an inspection hatch in the side of one of the hulls to see what needs doing, or seperating the top half of the hull from the bottom around the seam. Has anyone else done this and do you have any advice?

Many thanks,

Alan
Author:  srm [ Sat Oct 24, 2009 2:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
Positive flotation block. It's basically a large chunk of foam that sits inside the hull between the fore and aft pylon. It's there to provide flotation in the event you put a hole in the boat and the hull fills with water - you won't sink. All Hobies have them.

sm
Author:  findbluesky [ Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
Thanks! I was really hoping there was a reason for the movement. I'm renovating the H14 from the ground up so I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions as I go along.

Cheers,

Alan
Author:  MBounds [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 9:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
findbluesky wrote:
I was thinking of cutting an inspection hatch in the side of one of the hulls to see what needs doing, or seperating the top half of the hull from the bottom around the seam. Has anyone else done this and do you have any advice?


Really there's nothing to be done about it. It's part of the boat. Ususally the flotation blocks settle in to a position and stay there. Turning the boat upside down shook it loose.

Don't cut a port in the hull. If you want to install an inspection port, put it in between the pylons on the deck. Don't put it on the foredeck.

This picture shows the location of the foam block and while trying to separate the boat at the hull/deck seam is a really, really bad idea. It isn't a piece of tupperware.
Image
Author:  findbluesky [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
Thanks for the photo - makes much more sense now. I wonder why the bouyancy doesn't fill the gap entirely.

An 18inch part of the seam on the inside of one hull is coming apart which is what gave me the idea of taking it apart but I can understand how this would be a big task and was just throwing the idea around really. Instead I think I'll just seal it with some resin and start the numerous gel coat repairs.

Could you sugest anything to put along the bottom of the hulls to stop damage when dragging up the beach?
Author:  MBounds [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
findbluesky wrote:
Thanks for the photo - makes much more sense now. I wonder why the bouyancy doesn't fill the gap entirely.

There are actually two pieces to the foam block that nest together. I think the second piece in the photo has slid back (sticking out of the back of that hull section) - it would go on top of the piece you can see in the front.

Foam is actually pretty heavy. You only need so much to keep the boat from sinking, so that's all they used. Plus, it's pretty easy to assemble - just toss the block in before you glue on the deck.

findbluesky wrote:
Could you sugest anything to put along the bottom of the hulls to stop damage when dragging up the beach?
Beach wheels.
Author:  findbluesky [ Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
I've got some beach wheels for launching but was thinking of something to stop damage when, for example, beaching the cat for lunch. I've seen canadian canoes with sacrificial fibreglass strips along the bottom for this reason and that is what gave me the idea.
Author:  MBounds [ Mon Oct 26, 2009 6:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
I knew what you were looking for - I was being a bit facetious.

Over the years, various products have been made to reduce the wear on the bottoms. None of them worked very well. The best advice I can give you is to avoid pulling the boat up without the wheels as much as possible; lift the boat as much as possible when you do; don't pull up on rocks and rebuild the bottoms every few years.

You can do a bottom job over a weekend, including spraying new gel coat if you want to.
Author:  gary eudy [ Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Hulls are rattling - something's in there!
I smear marine tex on the wear areas on the hull bottoms and when that gets gone I do it again.
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