Bottom Paint ??

I recently bought a 1980 Hobie 18. Circumstances force me to put the boat on a mooring. I have looked into what antifouling I should use in our waters and for the boat's intended use, and am thinking of using Interlux Bottomkote. Anyone here ever paint the bottom, what paint did you use and did it work well at keeping the bottom growth free ? Also, I would appreciate any tips on how I can measure and mark off the waterline, as I have found nothing regarding this in the manuals that came with the boat.

Thanks for your help, being a long time keelboat sailor, I'm anxious to try out Hobie'ing !

Michael

Hey Mike,

Did you ever get any answer to your quesiton about bottom-painting your Hobie? I'm also in a situation where my Hobie 16 will have to sit in salt water for the season, and i'm wondering if it's even possible.

Thanks for the help!
Andrew

You can use bottom paint on a Hobie, it's gel coat is very similar to other boats. Problems though... Cats do not sit well on moorings. The vibrate and rattle with the slightest chop or ripples in the water. That loosens and damages rigging. They also "sail" forward rather than drift sideways and can overshoot the mooring and flip. Best pulled onto a float or section of dock.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt, can you expand on the overshoot the mooring and flip?

I can see the boat overshoot the mooring with a change in wind direction, but have a hard time to understand how it would flip.

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Marc...
1978 Hobie 16 Keoke, sail# 36 84

Hey, thanks for the quick response Matt,

My Hobie will be actually docked squarely between four pylons using 4 lines, so shifting shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'm just concerned about what these mild waves might do to eventually waterlog and sink my boat. It's a mid-80's boat i'm buying, and I'm thinking if i do a decent job of re-clear-coating the hulls, and applying some bottom paint over that, i should be ok against any waterlogging. Anything else you can recommend for saltwater docking a Hobie?

i can picture the boat being pushed over the mooring with the line now going under the center of the boatfrom front to rear. This would pull the bow down with a tail wind making the aft lighter. one good gust and over she goes.

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat