Softness/Delamination on side of hull - Need Advice

I'm working on a ~1977 Hobie 16. My first project boat. Looks like I have some work to do. The boat has been unused for many years. The starboard hull has serious softness/possible delamination in the inside of the hull from the bow to nearly the tramp frame support. The port hull looks to be in great shape. I'm willing to tackle a repair, but this is a large area and I'm not sure if repair is the way to go. Can anyone help? Thanks, Mike Ferraro

My personal advice, having spent the time and money trying to fix soft hulls in the past is.... find a new hull or hulls. Especially if you plan on sailing hard.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Amen to that...depends on your intended level of usage.

I just happened to run across these on eBay, might prove interesting:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HOBIE-16 ... ZSailboats

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hobie-Cat-/11055315 ... 19bd7b53b5

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

Thanks guys. That's what I thought. Replace the damaged hull. Have hull styles changed much over the years? Do you think I can use my good port hull and a replacement starboard hull? Does the year of the hull matter? I plan on painting the boat anyway. Regarding hull replacement, the hulls include the upright metal supports that fit inside the tramp frame, correct? Is it as simple as unbolting the old and rebolting the new? I'll scan the repir forum as well.

Thanks again for your help. I think the ebay posting looks very interesting as well. I'm in PA, so the trip to Deleware is not a problem.

Mike

Mike, you are correct, the vertical pylon is included with the hull. I have heard that the hull profiles changed at some point but I found that suspect and Matt would have to verify it.

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

The outer shape of the hulls has not changed in any significant way since the boats were first built.

Theoretically, you can take any Hobie 16 hull and fit it to any Hobie 16 trampoline frame.

The corner castings have changed slightly over the years to make them stronger and fit better to the pylons to help keep the boat stiffer, but even that shouldn't prevent you from "making it fit".

Thanks everyone. I've begin my search for a new starboard hull. I've seen prices from $20 - $200. I guess I'll just keep looking. Anyone have any ideas on where to look for used parts?

Try this site and see if they have any used parts: http://www.thebeachcats.com They've got classified sections for boats and catarmaran parts. This forum also has a good classified section.

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Mark Van Doren
H16 Seabreeze #112205 (Richard Petty Signature Edition)
H14T Fantasia #47787
San Juan 28