Broken Mast hinge

I could use some advice. I'm the new owner of a 94 Hobie 14. On my first day with it I damaged the mast base as shown:



Can this be fixed? The piece is riveted onto the mast. The owner's guide wasn't too clear on how to use the pivot pin to get the mast up. I thought we were doing it correctly, but we must have missed something to have broken it like this.

Also, can anyone give me a good description of what this piece is for? Does it stay in place once the mast is up?:





Thanks,
Mark

Well I can't really tell what's going on in that first picture, maybe you could get a higher resolution pic. The good news is that you can fix anything on a Hobie.

The second picture is an easy one. That is the mast step hinge. You use it when stepping the mast. The unlabeled hole goes in the mast step (the part attached to your boat's front crossbar). Run a bolt through this with a lock nut on the end (key word LOCK nut).

The other hole is labeled 14 or 16. If you have a Hobie 14 you use the 14 hole, if you have a Hobie 16 you use the 16 hole. Line this hole up with the hole on the mast base and put a pin through them.

When connected the link acts as a hinge, but make sure to pull that pin out once the mast stepped.

OK, that explains what's going on. The first picture was of the mast base. The hole in the mast base that the pin goes through is what is broken. The top end of the hole broke off. So from your explanation it sounds like stepping the mast using the hinging mechanism won't work until I get it fixed. If my understanding of the use of the hinge is correct, I could temporarily just step the mast by picking it up and vertically setting it down in the base. Any idea the best way to go about getting it fixed? Thanks so much for the assistance!

Mark

Yes the hole in the base is broken, so the base would have to be replaced to use the step link.

The 14 didn't even have a setp link for many, many years. They are pretty easy to get up as you have described.

Stand over the front crossbar holding the mast balanced. Tip the top end up as you hold one hand high and the other low. "Walk" your hands down the mast till the base is on the ground and the mast is vertical just in front of the crossbar. Lift the mast straight up and set the base into the cup. Lean forward till the shrouds are tight. There are a variety of ways to do the whole thing.

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

Lifting the mast vertically is a great way to lose a foot if you happen to slip. Much easier to tie a rope end of the front shroud; lie the mast back across the tramp, with the lug in the mast base. Have someone pull on the rope, while you push the mast up from the back of the boat. Climb onto the tramp, push the mast to vertical, while your helper unties the rope and clips the front shroud.

Lifting into place...We are talking a Hobie 14 mast. They are light weight. This was the standard procedure for stepping the 14 mast for all the years before the links were created. Maybe 10-12 years? It is really pretty simple, but I agree tieing a line to the base / cleats and having someone help you "hinge" it up can be easier.

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

My 15 year old kid does it all the time by himself, but, its best to have 2 people doing it. One to hoist the mast, the other to stuff the mast into the base then hook up the forestay.
It takes no more than 10 minutes to go from Trailer to water on a hobie 14. Same with a 16, just add 5 minutes for the jib.