Hey hole or Bethwaite system for traps on hobie harnesses.

I have 2 of the Hobie Auto harnesses with the Neil Pryde auto rachets on the spreader. Can these be converted to the ball and key hole system? Or do i need to buy new Harnesses?

_________________
Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

There is no conversion that would work for the Auto harness.

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

I suspect you could take the harness to a sail maker and have them remove the plastic ratchet strap and stitch in a standard buckle with nylon webbing. Of course then your auto ratchet spreader bar wouldn't be usable any more.

sm

The comfort and adjustability of the Full-Auto is unmatched in my experience. I've tried many (in pursuit of a key-hole solution), and nothing came remotely close to the Full-Auto as far as fit and freedom: look closely at one and try it on; it is an amazingly well done piece of ergonomic engineering.

But I don't want to die by the hook. So I bought a carbon-fiber keyhole spreader from Jeremy Leonard, at Surf City Catamarans in Santa Cruz, and began the process of fitting the thing to my beloved Hobie Full-Auto.

The pics below show the end result - I don't always love the outcome of my little shop projects, but this one is a success. Hook-up and release are effortless, looking or blind. I think it is a little faster hookup than the hook.

Handles: I've seen two types - I tried the can't miss key-ball handle, but switched to the straight ball-handle, which is slightly easier to insert blind.

Strength is unknown: I've used this for about six months with no indication of any weakness. It remains very rigid, and I have never had to tighten the screws.

Weight: the CF keyhole spreader and the stainless braces have this modified harness weighing about a pound more.

Construction: The only special tool I used was the TIG welder, everything else was crude (hack-saw, hand drill, etc...)

Peace,

Dan Peake
2003 H17SE

You always come up with some amazingly cool stuff Dan!

J

Thanks for the complement Jeremy! And thanks for supplying me the Full Auto Harness a few years back! The Surf City Catamaran showroom being a half hour from my house truly came in handy that day, allowing me to try on a few different harnesses.

Another thing I like about the keyhole system is that it does not scratch the hull while climbing back on-board after a capsize. And while my poorly done pics make it look much thicker and bulkier on the front of the body than it really is, it adds only about the thickness of the carbon fiber material, as the old spreader, by luck, nests very nicely into the rear cavity of the CF spreader. In contrast, the original hook stuck out about .75 inch farther than the "crown" of the CF spreader. So your body thickness overall is reduced with the CF keyhole set-up; unnoticable in practice, but my point is that while it apears bulkier in the pic, it isn't at all.

Peace,

Dan Peake
2003 H17SE