Trying to figure out production date on a friend's Hobie Cat

I'm trying to help a friend with selling their boat, but I don't know the production date on it.

Someone who said he was a former Hobie dealer said the serial # is on the back end of the hulls and I can find out the date from them. But this boat has no #'s on the back of the hulls, just a sticker with a triangle inside a circular field on the port hull to the left of the rudder mount. See photos:





Crawling around the boat, I did see "Jan 1979" stamp-embossed into the edge of the trampoline vinyl near the center of the tramp crossbar. See photo:


The weathering of the boat and the tramp seem to synch up, which makes it look like the tramp is original to the boat, but am not completely sure if I can depend on that as the date of production for the boat also.

One other question, are the rudders shown below on this boat EPO rudders? The shape looks like the EPOs I've seen on Google images I've seen, but the finish and label(s) are gone to know for sure.





Any input on the production date and/or the rudder questions on this boat would be great. Thanks a bunch

The hull numbers should be right above that sticker (which was put on by a prior owner - has nothing to do with the boat's age). They may also be right behind the rudder pin. It looks like the boat was painted, so the paint may have filled the engraving (boat numbers are hand-engraved into the gel coat with a vibratory engraving tool). A light touch with some sandpaper should bring them out.

The rudder system (non-rake adjustable) makes it older than 1983. The tramp could be original, and jives with everything else I can see on it. I would guess 1979, but the hull number is the final determinant.

The rudders are EPOs. Badly weathered EPOs. They can be refinished.

Thanks for the feedback MBounds. Very helpful. This morning I did go back out to the boat and take a much closer look at the back of the hulls. The serial # was small and tucked up under the overhang lip on the rear of the starboard hull. It was a little obscure in places but as close as I could tell, the # was CCMC2263M79B. Is that "79" designated for the year of production? Thanks also for clearing up the rudder make question too.

Yep - a 1979 model year. Built in the fall of 1978. Tramp would be original.

Very good. Thanks a lot.