Hobie 18 restoration and upgrades

Hey Everyone! Last spring i posted her about making my "new" boat sailable. This year I'm posting about making my boat beautiful again! Currently I am in the process of stripping off the vinyl decals and filling in dents will bondo. I have also began sanding the hulls to remove the weak/flaky gelcoat. The plan is to take the boat in to a friend who is going to paint it using an epoxy basecoat, 2white polyurethane coats and a clear coat. Once the paint is done we will be adding black pin stripping that matches the original and also a Hobie logo somewhere on the hulls. A new trampoline was added last spring as well as new standing rigging. All that is left now is to have the jib repaired and the halyards replaced. My question for you guys is if it is possible to put an inspection port behind the rear cross bar and if so, what size and what location is best? This cat has definitely seen better days, but given some time and fresh paint should be good as new! Pics to follow!

You can pretty much put an inspection port anywhere you want on the deck of an 18, including behind the rear crossbar. There are no bulkheads anywhere in the boat, so you don't have to worry about damaging any structural components. A 4" or 5" contoured port is best.

Location depends on the purpose. If you need access to the rear crossbar area for a repair or to install anchor plates, then about 5 or 6" behind the crossbar would be appropriate. If you need access to the transom for repair, then about 22" behind the rear crossbar. There's not much reason to put in a second set of ports unless you need to do one of these two repairs. You could try to stick an access port right in the middle for access to both spots, but it's going to be tight because there's a large foam flotation block in the back of the hull, so space will be limited. You may need to cut the block into two pieces to work.

sm

DO NOT try and put a 6" port anywhere on the boat except where the factory puts it. (Don't ask me how I know)

DO NOT try to put a port without a contoured ring ANYWHERE on the deck of a Hobie 18.

a 5" port with the contoured ring will work fairly well behind the rear crossbar if you feel like you need one that big.

the 4" port with the contoured ring fits the curve of the deck best and gives you plenty of access for almost anything including putting in reinforcement. For ease of access, just do any work inside the hull before you install the ring.

When installing ports behind the rear crossbar I locate the leading edge of the ring about 6 to 8 inches behind the rear edge of the rear crossbar.

Any closer I worry about compromising the integrity of the deck strength @ the cross bar. Any further back, and matching the contour of the ring to the contour of the deck becomes problematic. Matching the contour is even more problematic with the 5" port.

Last but not least, if you aren't sure what size you want to put in, start with a 4" port. If you need the bigger port, you can always cut a bigger hole. If you start with the 5" port, you are stuck with that size even if you don't like it.

Stephen

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If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

I would really not recommend using bondo. Have done so in the past with really poor results. It's not worth using polyester compared to epoxy, the adhesive properties of epoxy are FAR better than polyester. I realize epoxy costs 4 times as much as polyester, but it's just not worth the hassle. I did a beautiful repair on a transom only to have it rip out again a few months later.

I have had very good experiences with Westsystems epoxy.

I'd also strongly second the advice not to put a 6" port anywhere in the hull except for where it was originally. Also second the tip that the 4" and 5" curved ports made by viking are an outstanding fit for the 18 deck.

Do you NEED the inspection port there? I'd only put one there if I had to.

If the decals / stickers are still on the boat, you might want to try a heat gun to remove them. This would eliminate the need for the bondo or other filler. Use the heat gun with care. Then clean up any glue residue with Goo Gone or an adhesive stripper.

I stripped an early 80's boat using a razor blade and no matter how slow and careful I was, small nicks nicks appeared and it made more work. The new stripes and Hobie Cat decal covered everything. If I did it again, I would opt for the heat gun. Just take your time and control the heat.

Good luck.
t-bone

Thank you guys so much for the replies! Ill post pictures soon once ive made some good progress.

Hey! Do any of you guys have the neopreme rail kit? If so how much of the deck does it cover? does it cover all the non skid areas or just those in between the front and rear cross bars. In the catalogue it say "cushions non-skid areas" but just looking for clarifications. Thanks!

I just recently put the die cut neoprene kit on my 18 - Part 16708 in the Hobie Catalog. The rails wrap over the outer lip of each hull and run from about 24" forward of the front cross bar, between the cross bar to about 18" rear of the aft cross bar.

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1984 Hobie 18

So does it only cover the rails or does it cover the deck as well? Does anyone have pictures?

It only covers the rail, not the traction areas on the deck. Primarily designed to prevent slipping while trapped out. Some traction tapes work well also.
I have never seen a way to restore the traction surfaces on the decks, paint tends to fill it in.