New down haul,jib cars

Having issues with the new bolt and nut system on the new hobie 16 down haul .Twice now the nut(that holds the down haul ring) has worked loose.Once in a race and I lost the whole goose neck.Also one of my new Jib cars blew up.Pulled right out of the track.lucky the dealer was on sight to replace both pieces.I was wondering if there has been any other issues with either of these parts.Other than this the new boat has been running awsome.

We have had good luck with the new setup, jib cars/downhaul. Our US Sailing youth team just put and ungodly amount of hours on 2 H16 with spins trailing for worlds, and we saw no break down what so ever!

_________________
Brad Stephens
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I've had the same problems with the downhaul system on the 16 and on the 14. The one on the 14 came apart with less than 5 min to go at North Americans. Managed to jury-rig it, get a decent start, lead all the way around the course, only to have one of the bow tangs pop off at the leeward mark and down came the mast.

I'm trying two things - a flat washer under the nut to give it more of a chance to swivel and a new(er) nylock nut that fits tighter.

If that doesn't work, I'll get a castle nut and a cotter pin (kind of like what's on your trailer axles).

Oh, yeah - the bow tangs are now installed with Lock-Tite.

I just bought a brand new (2006) 16 over the 4th of July weekend and already had the gooseneck come apart twice. The nylon lock nut under the downhaul ring doesn't stay put. The dealer where I purchased the cat has told me another fellow that purchased around the same time-frame was having a similar issue. It seems boom movement just ratchets the nut off. The first time this happend, the slider poped out of the luff track and jumped into lake Michigan (can't get much downhaul on new sails). The dealer was kind enough to loan me an old-style cotter-pinned gooseneck until he could get me something more reliable.

I understand the new design is to accommodate the optional 6:1 downhaul blocks but until this issue is resolved, it would seem a waste of money to see these blocks at the bottom of the lake too.

The worst that would happen is that you'd lose parts of the gooseneck. The blocks are still attached at the lower end.

I think they were not assembled tightly enough. I would over-tighten and then back off the nut for freedom of movement of the parts. Then peen over threads on the tip of the bolt.

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

If you are worried about boom movement "ratcheting" the nylock off, place a washer between the nylock and the gooseneck. This way the washer will move instead of the nut.

Solution #2: Get a longer bolt and place a second nut against the nylock. This way the nylock can't back off. The two nut working togeather preload each other so there is substantial friction in the threads. This set up is very difficult to accidentally back off.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Thanks for the suggestions Matt & Nick! I couldn't tighten the nylock nut as it restricted boom movement which Matt indicated. Also, the nut is on the inside of the downhaul ring. I don't think the ring is big enough to accommodate 2 nuts and downhaul line. Is there a bigger ring available? How do I peen the threads when the ring is in the way?

Turn the bolt over, so that the nut is up.

You should be able to get the tip of a punch in there or a blade screw driver to gall the threads. Tap it with a hammer.

Can't reverse the bolt as the nut sits in the downhaul ring.

If you have the new 6:1 Downhaul, you can remove the ring and install a second gooseneck shackle. Then the bolt can be reversed, a longer one used and a second nut. Whatever.

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