What's a 1997 Hobie 16 in really good shape worth

I have an opportunity to purchase a really clean and barely used 1997 Hobie 16. Can someone inform me as to the approximate value of this boat so I can make sure I get a fair price?

Give us a little more info, how was it stored, trailer included, sails still crisp, beach wheels, original lines and rigging? The more you give us the better we could give our 2 cents.
I'll give you this for a reference point, I paid $1000 for my 88 16 with wheels and trailer, and the boat was in fair shape, no scratches or soft spots. I then replaced and upgraded everything but the mast, frame, hulls and rudders and I would sell it today for $3000 wo trailer and $3500 with.

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Blair T

I love these calm moments before the storm, it reminds me of Beethoven...


'02 Hobie Tiger USA 1152

Thanks for the response Tallguy1.

According to the seller, the boat has been garage kept and for many seasons, it was not even used and just kept in the garage. It comes with a trailer and beach wheels and once again according to the seller, the sails are in great shape.

I have yet to see the boat and I am a total newbie except for the fact that I've sailed Hobie Cats before. However, I have not setup or performed any repairs on one so this is going to be a learning experience for me. The question is do I buy a less expensive boat in the $1000-1500 range or do I get one in good shape and learn without the frustration of a boat in rough shape.

Bloome

By '97 the Hobie 16 was well into the production of the 'new' integrated tracks. The hulls of that era seem to be really well laminated, and they just seem to be high quality boats in general. I would say that a garaged 16, with the sails and tramp in good shape, somewhere between $2 and $3 G's would be about right.

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FWIW, this is from NADA

1997 Hobie 16 SE

Low Retail - $3,040
Average Retail - $3,420

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If you can afford the price for the 97, I would go for it. Sounds like if it hasn't been used much for a long time, the seller may take a lesser offer just to get it out of his way. Worth a try. Post pics if you buy it.

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'88 Nationals Blue
Hobie Alter Signature Model
Sail #11

Hobie Mirage Classic

I GUESS I GOT A DEAL ON MY 83 16 FOR 500.00 WITH TRAILER.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I really look forward to becoming more active in this forum community as I join the Hobie owner's club.

Bloome

I went and checked out the boat. I took some photos but they didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. The depth of field is real narrow so the focus on things wasn't great. Anyway, here's a link to check out my pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rslevin/Hob ... YD-3pysNA#

It seems in really good shape. Here are some of my observations:

• The hulls were really clean except for a couple of minor paper hole chips (see photo 21) and one dime sized chip (see photo 22) which I think might have been caused during transport by the tie down (perhaps a little too tight)
• There was scraping on the bottom of the hulls (see pics 23-25), but from what I've learned this is pretty normal (right?)
• The sails felt real crisp but there is a hole in the Jib (see photo 35) and the main sail was stored still connected to the boom and it seems that the gooseneck assembly may have caused a tear in the tack part of the sail (see pics 43 and 44)
• I couldn't really inspect the rigging lines because they were stored attached to the mast and there was plastice wrapped around parts of the mast with the lines inside. Is that the way to store the lines or are you supposed to remove them when you store the boat?
• The owner told me that she has a couple sets of cat trax connected together so that you don't have to balance the boat on one set. She wants to sell this separately for $125. She didn't have them with the boat but instead they were at her house so I didn't get to see exactly how they had it rigged up.
• Finally, I looked at the serial number and unless I'm reading it wrong, isn't the boat a '98? (see pic

Anyway, I would love the board's feedback about this boat. Please look at the pics and see if you see anything I missed.

Thanks in advance!
Bloome

The pictures of the rudder casting tell the story...looks like hardly any wear (use) at all, and looks like a mouse got a hold of the jib.

A little gelcoat work and she'll be looking like new. Nice 1998 Hobie 16

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Ummm... Bloome, From the pics that thing looks sweet. You should score it right now.

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I think a 4-wheel cat trax would be awkward to load and not really necessary. Most of us do just fine with two wheels. However, our European friends apparently have different ideas. Take a look at this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmbQBStOJU0

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

Awesome. I was thinking that it looked like a quality cat so it's nice to get the community's approval. The only bummer is the hole in the Jib but that's repairable. I guess the question now is price. According to the NADA pricing, the boat is worth $3600. With the trailer and cats, I guess $3800 is a fair price? That's what the owner is asking but she wanted an extra $125 for the Cats.

Looks like a great boat. Like J Eaton states, there is almost no wear on the rudder castings. The wear on the hull bottoms is minimal. No worries there. I would try and talk her down a little because of the repair that WILL be needed on the jib and also because of the chips in the gelcoat, which by the way are very minor. If you buy it, I would definately change the way it is tied down to the trailer. I have cam straps that go around the the corner castings and hook into rings on the trailer. The straps do not touch the the hulls at all. Also, if you buy the cat trax, you may be able to seperate them and sell the extra set essentially getting the one set for free...........maybe. You should not need two sets. You can balance the boat on one set easily enough. Not sure what they look like and how they may be held together as one unit. Go for it and good luck. Let us know how it goes.

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'88 Nationals Blue
Hobie Alter Signature Model
Sail #11

Hobie Mirage Classic

How exactly does one go about fixing the hole in the Jib?