Hobie 18 SX down haul

I have a H18sx for the first time and was out for my second outing when I
encountered a sizable down haul problem. I was completely unable to
feed the sail luff rope down the mast track for down haul and was forced to bag my sailing day. Despite all my efforts, including additional wax application I could not stop the luff rope from jamming up.
I have tried to sail without downhaul before and its a joke, so we bagged it.
The design of the 18 sx original sail places the Downhaul grommett above the bottom most batten, so when down force is applied the sail is being "pushed" rather than "pulled"
has anyone successfully modified this setup in an effort to treat this particular conundrum?
My thought is to shorten the batten and add a second grommett where the batten cap is.
Seasoned H18 owner advice is eagerly welcomed.
Brian

Huh, I'll have to look at mine, I never thought I even used the lower part of the mast track. I remember doing that with the 16. I presume you do not have the outhaul attached

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

Outhaul completely disengaged.
Problem is luff rope bunching up in the stainless steel track guide as it gets "pushed" ahead of the grommett.

eliminate problem...stainless steel track guide?
that's a cheap fix

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Sheet In...Max Out
www.fleet297.org
sailflatlands at gmail dot com

Yeah, what he said. I don't have that SS guide. On the 17 I do but don't use it for downhaul, only raising.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

Much Thanks gentlemen!

Yea, ditto on the stainless steel "sail feeder". More like sail eater. Those things don't do squat except chew up sails. Take it off and just go with the plain luff track opening. You'll want to put a small dab of silicone over each hole and re-install the screws so the mast doesn't leak.

Also, you don't want to let your downhaul up so high that the tack comes out of the track or even near out of the track.

By the way, the configuration with the tack grommet above the bottom batten in not unique to the SX-18. All of the 18 sails have been this way for many years. If it continues to be a problem, I would sail with the bottom portion of the bolt rope outside of the track (at least until you figure out a solution). You could also try simply removing the bottom batten all together.

I wouldn't let it stop me from sailing (but you a correct, you definitely need a functioning downhaul if you want to sail).

sm

I have been sailing 18's for 25+ years. I have had several sets of sails and sailed many friends boats. Some mains just will not feed into the lower track for one reason or another. The particular cut of the sail, the age of the sail (stretched), the actual downhaul set up it's self, some tend to pull the sail away from the mast, lower batten tension, outhaul tension. Either way do not sail without the lower batten as this will effect performance. You need to downhaul in or out of the track to maximize performance. Jim.

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ADDICTION
1989 HOBIE 18 SE/sx wings
HOBIE ALTER SIGNATURE MODEL

Stick a screwdriver through the grommet and pull the sail forward into the track, while someone pulls on the downhaul. If the bottom of your boltrope is frayed you can put tape on it to help slide the sail in the track.

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD