Just bought a cat! Have some questions and need some parts.

I just bought an 18 hobie can in Florida and I absolutely loved the one time I got to sail it; I just hauled it back to Michigan and am waiting on ice to sail her again. The exact year is unknown, but I do believe it is pre 85 as the mast and boom are metal( someone told me post 84 they are no longer metal.

When I brought it back in I was unable to get the main to come down and ended up having to lower the mast with the sail attached. Is there a modification that allows the sails to come out of the hook easier? When I lowered it the rotation cup thing that hinges at the bottom broke right at the pin point. Should I contact my local fabricator for this part or is there somewhere I should be able to get another?

https://www.backyardboats.com/getattachment/c4655262-e6fd-4814-a3c5-3ee7c1305a4a/18.aspx

heres the parts diagram fo the 18.
I use backyard boats to order all my parts, they are a great hobie dealership to deal with.

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Bruce
78 Hobie 18
#1159

It's best to get original parts for your cat from a dealer.

As far as lowering the sail, pull up on the halyard to the stop and while holding it as far as it will go rotate the rear of the mast to starboard. Then, holding the mast in this position pull the sail down and it will unhook.

Always point your boat into the wind when riging or unriging the sails.

Get back to us and let us know how you did. If it still does not work, your ring that goes into the hook on top of the mast may have a bad knot.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=34284
this thread may help also

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eric, sail #205

I'd recommend that you do a search because your question regarding lowering the sail has been discussed numerous times on this board and is also covered in the FAQ section. Basically what you need to do is remove the "flopper" that is riveted to the halyard hook. Then you rotate the mast one way to engage the hook onto the ring and rotate the other way to disengage the hook. Make sure the boat is pointed directly into the wind when raising and lowering or you'll never get the hook to do what you want.

Contact your nearest Hobie dealer to get a replacement mast step hinge (you will probably want to download the Hobie catalog off this site). The mast has to be brought down directly on the boat's centerline. If you wander off to one side, you will snap the hinge. If you have trouble getting the sail down in the future, flip the boat on it's side, unhook the sail, put the boat back upright, and lower the sail. Then drop the mast. Never try to drop the mast with the sail still attached - it's a recipe for major disaster.

sm

Hi,

Mr SRM is correct ... on that your problem has been discussed many times here on the Hobie H18 Forum .... along w/ many other problems and solutions.

Now to answer your question about "lowwering" the sail we would need to know one very important item ... is your mast all aluminum ... or does it have a comptip??? You see, the hook at the top of the mast was installed on opposite sides depending on whether or not the mast has a comptip .... so to "unhook" the sail to lowwer it you have to rotate it in the proper direction ....

Now before you remove the "flipper thingie" (if you have one, as later production masts do not) please understand what it is for and how it works ...it allows you to drop the sail "single-handed", w/o someone rotating the mast from side to side. Some of us love our "flipper thingies" ... some do not and remove them. It is all about the technic ...

So please spend some time reading/researching the old posts here on the H18 Forum ... there is alot of information .... pro's and con's.

The serial number for your boat should be engraved on the transom just up under the lip ... the last three numbers, along w/ the last letter are the date code for when your boat was manufactured. the three numbers refer to a month-yr and the letter refers to a month. (I believe "A" means Jan, "B" is Feb ... and so on ...) There's a thread on how to de-code them here on this forum or on the H16 forum ....

I know both SRM and I have posted alot of information along w/ many others ...

Mr Stephen Cooley(must5429) is the current H18 Class Champion along w/ Mr Jim Sohn who was the proceeding H18 Class Champion for several years ... please pay close attention to anything they have posted ... both are excellent sailors and true GENTLEMAN .... both share their knowledge freely .... and Mr Matt Bounds is the HCA-NA Race Director and Hotline Editor ... he is a fountain of knowledge/history ... has sailed just about anything w/ a "H" on it ... Those three are "Masters" in Hobiedom .....

WELCOME TO THE H18 CLASS

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

About the hook on top of the mast, you will want to rotate the rear of the mast in the direction that the hook is riveted to the mast. If the hook is on the starboard side of the mast, rotate the rear of the mast in that direction.

Al,

I had never thought of it that way ... but you are exactly right ... that's a good trick to remember which way to rotate the mast ... Thanks for teaching this ol' dog a new trick ...

Now I just went out in my backyard and checked my Aluminum mast and my Comptip Class Racing Mast ... to verify the hook location.

All-Aluminum; the hook is on the left/port side ...
Comptip; the hook is on the right/starboard side ...

Amart: Get yourself a current Hobie Parts Catalog and if you can find one a H18 Performance Manual by Mr Phil Berman .... it may not be in print anymore but Bermans book is our tuning "bible" .....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

Yeah Harry, the main thing to remember is that you are trying to create a gap between the ring and the hook. If the halyard knot to the ring is the proper double overhand stopper knot facing the outside, the direction of turn of the mast determines is you close the gap or you open it.

Hi Al,

The main reason for my not knowing which way to rotate the mast is that both my masts still have the "flipper thingie" .... so dropping the mainsail is no problem for me .... I just "yank" the mainsail up w/ the halyard .... the "flipper thingie" drops over notch in the hook as the ring is pulled higher .... then the mainsail just drops down as the notch in the hook is covered and the ring can not "re-hook" ....

Now for the "hoisting" of the mainsail:
To help w/ "hoisting" the sail I've done/do several things .... I "downsized" my main halyard by one line size (from 1/4" to 3/16") ..... I still use the origonal simple ring that came new w/ the boat , but I tie a single half hitch and then sew/whip the ends together, and it as short as possible ..... before attaching the halyard to the mainsail headboard I spin/twist the halyard several rotations w/ the knot on the aft side of the ring (be careful ... not too many spins ... the direction depends on which side the hook is on ...), this gives the ring a tendency to want to lean/pull forward and slightly to one side ... to much twist and the ring twists completely fore/aft and will not hook .... next I hoist the sail .... until I am just below the hook .... I then wrap the halyard behind my back, place my foot up on the rear crossbar w/ my leg bent .... and I slowly/gently staighten my leg pushing, hoisting the last several inches .... and I "feel" the hook (I'm not looking at the hook, usually I close my eyes and just "feel and listen") ... I can feel when the ring contacts the underside of the hook and starts to slide over it ..... I listen for the "click" as the ring drops into the notch. I do this all the time .... single-handed!!!!!

Now w/o the "flipper thingie", you can use two people to lowwer/unhook the mainsail w/ one person on the halyard and the other over rotating the mast .... or you can try to do it single-handed but that requires standing on the tramp, yanking up on the halyard w/ one hand and over-rotating the mast w/ the other, then you use your third hand to pull down on the mainsail while still holding the mast over-rotated ...... (most time you drop the halyard but I still find it a "difficult" process that also stresses the tramp)

Most people just want to "yank" the mainsail up .... I take a more "Zen" approach I quess .....

(Now my P19 mast has a hook on the port side and no "flipper thingie" ..... so that one takes two people to lowwer the mainsail since you need to (over) rotate the mast to allow the halyard ring to pass by the hook w/o re-hooking. This is were I'll need to use your quideline rule since I always forget which way I need to rotate the mast to lowwer the mainsail ....)

As I said ... some of us like our "flipper thingie's" .... some don't and remove them ... it's all about the "technic" ....

PS: I suggest using sailing gloves w/ the small dia halyard line .... also clean the luff track and lubricate the luff track and the boltrope of the sail w/ "Sailkote" .... expensive but great stuff .....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

i clean the luff track then rub white parrafin wax into the bolt rope. it works good, is cheap, and one box lasts for years.

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eric, sail #205

When I first purchased my H18, I realized after a fustrating experience that "hooking/Unhooking" the main was totally different from my ol' H16 (along w/ some/alot of other things) .... so I grabbed a bottle of cold beer and went out in the backyard one evening and studied how the system was supposed to work ... (maybe it took several "beers" till I became "enlightened") .... then the next time I had the boat rigged I flipped it on it's side and observed how the mainsail hooked/unhooked .... after that I've had no issues .....

I like the "snatch-block" idea ... I'll file that away ... on my H18 I have installed a Murray's Large Tramp pack to keep gear in ... so that may interfear ....

... can you still over-rotate the mast while you have tension on the halyard so the ring clears the hook???

Yes, wax works well also .... until you have "sand" involved .... I sail off East Coast beaches ... and the sand gets/blows everywhere ..... so I can't use the cheaper wax solution ..... I need to use a "dry" lubricant .....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

like Harry, I kinda do the Zen thing.... all single-handed rig/unrig, etc...

I also downsized the halyard, cleaned the track, lubed the bolt rope.

I don't have a flapper.

Raising the sail... I just lay the sail out nicely under the bolt rope guide thing in the sail track.... w/the rotator arm down and the sail free to lift up and feed....the halyard UNDER the sail, back to the rear of the boat...

then slowly walk back yonder w/the halyard..., watching the sail for snags, a batten caught on something, and gracefully raising the beautiful sail... and do the close my eyes and feel the hook catch... no rotation needed on raising the mast... a'la
" Harry's Zen and the Art of Hobie Sailing"

to lower... I lay out the halyard to make sure it's free w/no twists... reach (from between the bows) over the crossbar, give a tug, pull the rotator to the left (boat's right), and move out of the way... and the sail whizzez down... piece of cake.

I put a tarp over the boat first, to keep the sail from falling down onto a wet tramp. Loose the battens, and nicely fold.

Happy sailing, - Rob

Is it that obvious, that one of my favorate all-time reads was/is; "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig (1974)???

.... How do you define "quality" ..... ???

I've always been thankful that one of my favorite "Humanities" professors suggested I read it ...... a life changing book ....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

....obvious to those who have also read it....

the sailboat boat is the perfect classic/romantic.... feel it, understand it, and enjoy it "motorcycle".