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The hobie 16 is not a good boat for hauling lots of typical camping gear like coolers, propane stoves, cook kits, etc etc. In fact, there is an episode of "i should not be alive" (something like that) where they sail across the sea of cortez with an overloaded hobie 16 and in severe weather the pylons crack the haul, they sank, stranded on an uninhabited rock. With that said...
We sail our 16 to the Manitou Islands on Lake Superior but have done a lot to prepare ourselves.
1.) The first thing we did was double the standing rigging so that everything is redundant. We have a backup for everything to do with the standing rig that we can forsee breaking. We attached extra tangs to the mast in various places and to the boom for lots of rigging options. We also added some extra options for connecting the side shrouds to the haul. Our primary rig is also new and in very good shape.
2.) LARGE flotation bags in the hauls that displace nearly as much water as the hauls themselves. We made ours out of a rubber/vinyl that guys build "pack rafts" out of. Pack rafts are meant to be backpacked in, then floated out. The material bonds with an iron to itself and can be cut and formed into any shape. Different weights of the material and methods for bonding build it into different strengths for either lakes or class whatever rapids. We opted for the lightest method since the haul supports our bags and weight was a HUGE concern.
3.) small hand pump for the "bilge". We added inspection ports to the front and rear for installing bags and also built a system for our pump. We can remove up to 5 gallons a minute of water from our "bilge" with the hand pump.
4.) bailers on each haul. We have bailers installed on the bottom of our hauls. They are similar to finn bailers, pop em open to use them off the wind, close them up wind. the actuators run from the top of the hauls under the tillers through to the bottom to the bailers. this system removes 10x more water than the bilge pump but only works well off the wind.
5.) READ UP ON LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING. My base weight for 3 seasons is only about 10lbs thanks to this philosophy. Base weight includes all the gear I need minus food/water. My tent for 3 people only weighs 40oz, camping stove 0.5oz. etc etc. It taught me what sleep system could get soaked and still keep me warm, what clothing works in all kinds of weather, how to use EVERYTHING for multiple uses, etc etc. Using the philosophy of light weight backpacking has allowed us to really enjoy our hobie sailing and the destination.
6.) small tool kit/sail repair kit. again don't add a lot of weight to the boat here. we fabricated multi tools and shaved as much weight as possible here.
7.) Balast system. We have the bulk of our gear that can get wet (not that it does, read below) under the tramp on a balast system. We can adjust the weight of our gear under the tramp on two axis, all the way fore to aft and side to side. This allows us to use the extra 40lbs or so for two people to our advantage in a lot of situations. The remainder of the gear sits nicely tucked away in a small backpack on board that we can either tether to the mast or wear on our backs for extra weight out on the trap. In retrospect being adjusted on one axis was good enough, side to side, because you can move your body for/aft.
8.) hobie anti pitchpole hydrofoils custom modified in length. you would be shocked at how well these work when you accidentally ramp a wave and plow straight through the next one. They don't always work though and sometimes make matters even worse in severe weather. We modified these with one way hinges and return springs so they only pull us UP out of the water. In the event they start to generate downward thrust about 85% of their working surface area collapses down until the hauls resurface.
9.) only two people on the boat. our combined weight (skin out) is about 330 lbs soaking wet. this reduces the stress on the boat big time. yeah more people = more stable but only at the expense of more stress on the boat. You don't want to push a boat to the absolute limit when your life depends on it do you?
10.) straps for our feet in the event we trap out in severe weather. We've sailed in swells so large the boat had no power between the peaks of waves. The straps really help with controlling the weight and "surfing" the hobie down the waves. They are absolutely crucial in severe weather to even stay on the boat.
11.) safety gear. flare gun, flashing lights/whistles on vests, gps, backup charts, good compass, etc etc. don't cut weight here... your life may depend on it. do what you can to be efficient but don't compromise.
12.) extra grommets for reefing main sale/furling jib. We added grommets to reef the main even further. the stock ones don't shrink enough sail area away in severe weather (ask me how I know). We are in the process of modifying our furling system to set the jib area for sailing too. the stock furling systems on hobies have a lot of short comings in this area. don't try to sale with a furled jib on a hobie...
For keeping stuff dry, LOKSAK. Tested by the navy and is water proof down to 200 feet for two weeks completely submerged. These bags come in a lot of sizes and are very light weight. We use them to keep bears from picking up the scent of our food in the back country and keeping anything dry. They are the lightest, dryest, best option imo for over night hobie trips.
Ok well I hope that gets you started on the right path. I don't suggest taking the hobie on long trips across large water. These ideas work for me and I do not garuntee they will work for you. Small craft on large water is always a bad idea more than a mile or so away from shore.
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