baby bob

HI there...
I want to build the baby bob myself 'cause here in italy it is really extremely expensive and also hard to find...
please can someone post the measures or eventually some ideas to build a mast float...
thanx to all
max

Step 1: Find a large, empty plastic bottle with a handle (in the US, bleach bottles work well).

Step 2: Tie to top of mast.

Easy and effective if not high class.

_________________
Tim
Unofficial Fleet 72 Communications Officer and Div 4 Webmaster
http://www.hobiefleet72.org
http://www.div4.hobieclass.com/

I think for real high class, how about a used six pack of beer with the tops sealed?

Ive been thinking about this also and I guess we can conclude here that the volume of a bleach bottle is enough floatation to keep the mast from going under? The one my wife has is 1.42 gallons.

Im thinking about making an aluminum/wood frame just epoxied together which will interface to the top of the mast. I would then use styrofoam and shape it around the frame into a nice aerodynamic tear drop shape (round in the front, pointed in the rear) and then glass/epoxy over the styrofoam.

Hmm, now that I think about it, maybe the $100 or so to buy a new one isnt so bad... Or just carry around a six pack of beer to give to a power boater to help me get the boat upright if ever to flip it over.

After my mast got stuck in the mud when I did a nose dive this April, I got myself such a cheap solution since baby bob is quite expensive here in Germany as well. I calculated that baby bob has volume of about 13 liters but found experimentally that a 10-liter polyethylene container from distilled water works well enough for floating the mast. It is fairly sturdy, has strong handle to easily attach it, and is also resistant to uv and heat.

However, after having it for a while, I decided to bite the bullet and order baby bob after all (still waiting for delivery -- it is apparently shipped from the US which takes a few weeks), because the banging, particularly with weaker winds when I get rocked quite a bit by passing motor boats, got on my nerves. I actually tried to attach it above the mast as baby bob is attached but it keeps coming loose, so I left it hanging. Part of the problem is that my H14 is quite old and has a single wheel on top, so only a single hole to work with. I would have needed to use a metal bracket to make it stay but that would cost money and some work and experimenting.

It took quite a while to get it but it just came in and I installed in right away and tested out. It was expensive but worth it, including the waiting. The boat looks cool, the installation was a snap, and the mast floats like a champion.

By the way, there is no mention of different versions of baby bob in the catalog, but when ordering I said it is for the older H14 with a single roller and got a bob which has metal bracket custom made for this version. I say this because I have earlier seen mentions on these forums of special instructions for retrofitting this bob onto older H14s, thus I expected some drilling and fiddling to have it installed. In reality, I had to tighten a single screw. Thanks the mother ship, I mean Hobie Corp!

We have three floats now...

The original Hobie "Bob" was designed for the Hobie 21 Sport Cruiser. This kit fits any boat, but is really too large for most models. It is good for the larger cats. The larger float rotates (better windage) on a shaft fastened to the mast.

We then made the "Baby Bob" when we came out with the Hobie Wave. This float easily fits the 14 CompTip mast head (same as Wave) and can be adapted (parts and instructions included) to the Hobie 16 both CompTip and older all aluminum mast head.

Finally we came out with the Hobie Getaway. This required more floatation than the Baby offered. It did not need to rotate, so we designed the "Mama Bob"...she is a bit wider...

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

Step 3: Profit!

_________________
Dave

Truth is treason in the empire of lies.

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