$100 H16 Deal or no deal?

Hello everyone, I've been lurking around here for a while and love this site! I just recently did a restoration on my 1969 Sunfish. I was looking at craigslist and found this:

http://bloomington.craigslist.org/boa/2336089819.html
$100 H16 mast, tramp, and hulls

I emailed the seller to see if he still has it and if he can send me more pictures. The hulls look a little rough in the pictures but its hard to tell with crappy picture sizes.

If the boat is solid like it says, should I snatch this up? How much would it cost to get the rest of the rigging that I would need to sail (main, jib, rigging come to mind)?

I've been reading articles on the internet about what to look for in a used hobie so I will follow those guidelines.

So what do you think? Deal or no deal?

I would buy it and re-sell if for some parts.

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http://www.GetWetSailing.com It's A Great Day To Sail!

I think I'd rather keep it. Unless it would be cheaper to sell it for parts and buy another used boat. What would the parts be worth on this guy?

Things I can think of that I would have to get to have it ready to sail:
-main sail
-jib
-rigging lines
-blocks
-rudders
-tiller
-trap setup

Geez these things are going to add up quick

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Zach

Looks more like a $1000+ boat to get it sail worthy.

If I have the room to store, I would definitely buy this boat. If the tramp is in as good of shape as it appears in the photo, that would be worth over $100. Part out the rest for profit or cobble used parts into a usable boat. And $1k for a good sturdy 16 is, to me, a good value.

I would agree but I am also on a college student's budget. I just want to get a hobie with the lowest startup cost thats still able to sail and have the ability to upgrade it as I go.

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Zach

Parts boat.

Parts and talk him down on the price if you can... You are hauling away his trash.

You gotta think about if it's worth it. from the pics it looks like the hulls are trashed, so you have:
a aftermarket tramp, frame(crossbars, side rails and corner castings) and a mast.

If the mast is straight then it might be a ok deal, the tramp might get $50-$100 on ebay, and there are a plethora of 16 frames around, so you would be lucky to sell that.

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

Thanks Tom. I'll go take a look at it and if the hulls are trashed, I'll probably pass on it. If they are recoverable, I'll take it home and figure out if I want to part it out or use it as the beginning of a project.

I'm moving to Florida for the summer so I would rather not start a project right now. Maybe I'll be able to find a good deal on one while I'm down there.

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Zach

Well guys, I went over to look at it today and BOUGHT IT! It's definitely a fixer upper but with a little TLC I think it will be a good boat. It was very solid except for a slight soft spot in front of one of the pylons. I think a little GitRot will solidify that a little.

Now I just need the other parts to get it running. I basically need everything but the hulls, frame, tramp, and mast. Can someone tell me what else I need?

This is what I'm thinking:
-main sail
-jib sail
-rudders assembly
-tiller assembly
-rigging

Am I missing anything?

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Zach

This is just one college kid speaking to another. I am a new to me H16 boat owner my self, and my limited knowledge is based off of being an avid reader of advice from the established go to guys on these forums, and being mentored by local catamaran sailors with decades of sailing experience.

The parts you are in need of to accompany your boat are going to run up quite a sum as you acquire them individually than if you got them all together in one boat purchase (i.e. sails, standing and running rigging). This is just my opinion though.

Personally to me the risk to reward ratio of doing a soft spot repair on a Hobie hull is not worth it. I do not think it is possible to get the hulls structural rigidity restored back to comparable strength of when the hull was originally produced, simply basing that on how the hull is put together in the factory.

IMO $100 or less is a pretty good deal on a Hobie mast, fair tramp and boat frame. Too bad there wasn't a trailer involved in the deal, cause that's a valuable commodity. Buy low, sell high, and save the money towards buying a boat with strong hulls and decent everything else. It is worth the wait to buy a safe toy.

Also maybe you can try getting a H14 instead? Locally in my area those tend to have a lower starting price base and sail-able.

Thanks for the great advice. I was just looking on craigslist today and found a main, jib, and boom for sale for $50. They look to be in good shape. I'm in contact with the guy as we speak. If I'm able to get those things for only $50, I will only have $150 into it and will only have to piece together a few other main items.

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Zach

Way to go Zac. I went onto mash site and saw the sails you mentioned. If you get them you stole them. Keep at it. Few more parts and some elbow grease and you will be on the water. You ignored the naysayers, nice.

I got rudder castings, tiller, and rudders for you. Buy new rigging though. Do not get those used. I repeat do not get standing rigging used! I also have the pins that go on the sides for the shrouds to attach to. I got alot of stuff you can use now that I think about it.
Also I disagree about the soft spot repair. You can make these things stiff and safe again with less work than you think.
Again from one college kid to another, call me.
two zero nine-two five six-four five three one

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Corey
82 H16 project complete

Bad news- I lost out on the $50 main, jib, and mast.

More bad news- the Hobie I picked up is a 14.

So I'll be selling this one to make room for a 16.

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Zach