First sail tomorrow!

first question:
yes, mast rake will improve upwind pointing quite a bit, though excessive rake will cause too much weather helm.

second:
no, your hulls should not be filling up with water! check your drain plugs and for any cracks in the hulls. not finding any, you'll need to perform the soap test. make a bucket of sudsy water and slather the hulls all around the lip, pylons, rudder gudgeons and fittings. carefully blow air into the hull using a vacuum in reverse or similar blower. where you get bubbles is where the hull is leaking.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Thanks for answering the first question. Regarding the second, I know the hulls should not be filling with water lol, but I want to know when they are dry and not leaking, how much does the leeward hull dig into the water? Will it be up to the gunnels, or will the aft portion of the hull be completely underwater? Just wondering what to look forward to once we bubble test it and make repairs

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Chronic Projectaholic
Orange Crusher

That question is better answered by looking at the hundreds of H16 youtube videos- hard to describe.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

Was there any water in the hull when you took the bout out of the water?

If the hull had a lot of water in it then there is a leak. If there was no water in it then you are good.

The hulls will sit low in the water when you are flying the windward hull (or close to flying it) especially if there is a lot of crew weight on the boat.

THe hulls, and inparticular the port hull were full of water when we took her out of the water, she leaked like I sieve...the PO said she barely leaked at all...lol

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Chronic Projectaholic
Orange Crusher

With that much water and the drain plugs in place and no obvious leaking areas, two possibilities come to mind. I would check first the interface between the lower hulls and top deck for delamination, but a more likely possibility is that the foam plugs in the aluminum risers (the ones that come out of the hull and attach to the tramp frame work) need to be resealed or better yet replaced. Also in very heavy air (even with a crew), if you can furl the jib, then do so, you will be able to point better, because you will be less overpowered and better able to shape the main.

Check the plugs also - I too had a bunch of water in the hulls when I first went out in my 81. The reason was the rubber grommets on the plugs were gone so even though the plugs screwed all the way in, they were far from water tight.

No boom vang on the hobie 16 that I have seen and the tang on the boom I believe is just there to cause more damage to the noggin when you get it all wrong LOL

Playing with the mast rake will for sure help you upwind, but like previously stated will provide weather helm up the ying yang and popeye like arms if you go too crazy.

Glad you made it back safe

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1985 Prindle 16

Thanks for all the help! I checked the plugs and sure enough the o-rings are really worn. I don't think they could let in that much water though. I think it may actually be the pylons...on the way out to the beach it was relatively calm and when we pulled the boat up on the beach there was a little bit of water, but on the way back when we were haulin' a$$ and had the leeward hull burried it took on WAY more water. Once I get my shop vac out I will soap test it and post results. We will also check around the gunnels, the PO had gooped some caulking all over them. THis poor boat has been so neglected till now!

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Chronic Projectaholic
Orange Crusher

you will be surprised how much water gets in via the leaky plugs - but yeah check the pylons fpr sure with pressure in the hull. I usedmy tire inflator and removed the end so just the flex hose was showing, then dct taped around until it was a tight fit into the drain plug base turned the compessor as low as possible and watched for the bubbles

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1985 Prindle 16

The only sure way to check the pylons is to remove them from the tramp frame. It is only 2 bolts per hull. You may have to releave the tramp tension to get the frame to release. If you do replace remember to run a tube through the forward foam plugs for pressure relief.

Thanks, I will pull the frame off next time I have a chance. One thing I have to say is this boat is so much easier to work on than any other boat I have ever owned...

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Chronic Projectaholic
Orange Crusher

hey man,
I read your entire post learning a lot as I read. All I can say is that even on a calm day with a few people on the tramp the hulls ride low in the water. (mine are dry) Congrates to you for staying with it because if I had that first experiance I may have run from the sport.
I encourage you to do all that you said as my H16 has changed my life................for the best

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Hobie 16 1980
TequilaSunrise Blue Hulls CCMP1393M80F

Yeah, I do love having this boat. I have sunk a laser >>, had my fireball over the gunnels and nearly sunk a nutshell...so I aint skurd! lol

Come to think of it, maybe someone is trying to tell me something...

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Chronic Projectaholic
Orange Crusher

Just wondering, how do you sink a Laser??????

I was racing an old warhorse >> in cork 96 and got t-boned. It left a hole the size of a softball, and the floatation bags must have been ripped or just empty from years of abuse. We had to have it towed in. I distinctly remember the protest flag coming back into view when the boat resurfaced and thinking it was a bit of an understatement! lol

Regarding the fireball I learned a lesson: When you buy a boat for 700$ and the PO says it's "bone dry" he is lieing. THere was a 3/4" hole throught the centreboard trunk where he had apparently tried to relocate the pin, and water poured through that hole into the hull. If you had looked across the water that day it would have looked like me and my buddy sitting ON the water with a mast sticking up out of nowhere...the water was right over the deck! fun times! lol

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Chronic Projectaholic
Orange Crusher