Problems engaging the main halyard hook

I recently purchased a '94 H16 and have noticed quite a bit of difficulty getting the halyard into the hook. I have to exert an extreme amount of force to raise the main the last 1/2 inch to engage the hook. I have lubricated the luff track and the comptip portion of the track is in good shape. The main otherwise glides easily up to that point. The amount of force required actually results in a noticeable bend in the comptip. It has been 8 years since owning a H16 but my previous '84 H16 with a comptip never seemed to have this problem. I recently replaced the halyard but have the same problem. Related to this I can just get the gooseneck fully inserted into the luff track with the sail fully raised.
Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Try loosening the outhaul, or take off the boom when raising the sail. Really tight battens will also place extra drag on the sail. Lube the entire track and luff of the sail. it is not just the last few inches, it just feels that way.

I have a similar problem with my 1985 H16. It has been discussed on
this board before.

I noticed on my H16 that the luff track opening on the
comptip is slightly less than on the rest of the mast. My current
theory is that the head of the sail is a little too thick, and as it
goes in the luff track, the friction increases.

Lubrication does help a lot, but needs to be done each time.

When sailing season starts, I will compare sails with some other
sailors'. I may also try raising someone elses mainsail to see if that
makes a difference.

Hositing the Hobie 16 main is covered in an FAQ I wrote some time ago...

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=371

Raising the mainsail of a Hobie can be more difficult than need be.

Several factors can cause the mainsail to be difficult to hoist:

Dirty luff ropes and luff tracks. These can be cleaned with soapy water and a scrub brush. If you want to use a lubricant, keep away from oils and waxes that can attract dirt. Use a dry silicone spray. Most all Hobie sails now have a Teflon threaded bolt (luff) rope to ease the hoisting effort.

Battens and sail shape. The battens stiffen the airfoil shape of your sail. Over tensioning of the battens can cause a couple of problems. Luff protector caps can be forced against the mast and cause drag when hoisting. The battens also force the sail shape into a curve. The luff curve (seen when laying the sail out on the ground, as a large arch) is typical to Hobie Cat main sails. The sails "airfoil" shape is mostly created by the miss-matched mast bend and luff curve of the sail. The luff curve is more than the likely mast bend and when the mast is straight (while hoisting) the difference is dramatic. This luff curve going up the straight mast can cause significant drag and hoisting problems when done incorrectly.

Outhaul. Be sure the outhaul is fully released before hoisting.

Hoist Technique:

Keep the batten tension to a minimum. Hoist the sail slowly, while feeding into the mast opening. When the sail gets about 3/4's of the way up, begin aggressively feeding at the bottom opening and reduce the amount of halyard effort. If the halyard is pulled tight when the sail is not being fed into and up the track, you will have problems. The sail luff will pull taunt and the curve shape will bind in the (straight) mast track. Lower the sail slightly and begin feeding again.

The best way to feed the sail is to stand in front of the mast and reach around either side to "sandwich" the sail between two hands (above the feeder opening) and push the sail up the track. Pull with the halyard, only the slack created, then feed again. If the sail binds, lower slightly and begin feeding again. This technique can be done by one person, but is certainly easier with two working together. It is VERY important that the person on the halyard only pulls the slack up the mast and does not get ahead of the feeder.

Locking the Hobie 14/16 halyard:

Once the sail is fully hoisted (be sure that the sail is fully inserted into the feeder). Pull the halyard forward of the mast by 3-4 feet. Hold the halyard on the centerline of the mast. Pull hard and hold the tension while bringing the halyard into the mast. Release the halyard tension and see that the sail remains fully hoisted. This seats a small bead, in the halyard, under a two finger prong "hook" and the top of the mast. If the sail slips down when downhaul tension is added, repeat the final hoist technique again. Be sure the bead is clear to pass the hook before pulling tension on the halyard.

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

I am going to try loosening the outhaul. It did seem a bit tight as the gooseneck is difficult to get into the luff tract. I will also recheck the battens.

As far a the luff tract, I remember on my previous H16, eventually the tract became very narrow and this made raising the main difficult. I was actually going to replace that comp tip portion of the luff tract but ended up selling it. However on my current 16 the tract is nice and open. It is clean and I have already lubricated the tract and the sail with a dry teflon lube. Again the sail raises easily except for the last 1/2 inch.

Thanks for the advice

That is typical of ALL Hobie 16s regardless of the all aluminum mast or CompTip.

I was VERY surprised to see so many sailors at the last Hobie 16 North Americans (Ventura) that I attended... struggle with hoisting the sails. You would think sailors at that level would know how to hoist sails. They would be hanging their body weight from the halyard and yanking again and again... all the while ignoring the fact that you have to also feed the sail into the mast at the bottom. It would just wedge in and stop. It is not the top few inches it is the bottom few inches that is a problem. I would run down and have to show them how. It is not a problem with CompTips... it is technique. I can do them myself with no problem and little effort. Read carefully my description in the FAQ. Feed up the track and pull out the slack with the halyard then feed again. Really simple with two people.

By the way... the CompTip track is narrower, but extends further aft into the narrower part of the sail aft of the luff rope. It has to be narrower as it can flex more than the aluminum.

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