Hul ID numbers

I have just begun the restoration of an 1981 H18 that has been sitting on the hill for 15 or so years. I am curious about the Hull number meanings.

My HID is CCMH5170M81H-R

I have worked out everything except the -R.

I realize this is not critical but I am curious.

Thank you all in advance for any help.

You're right, looks like you've got an 81, the -R or -S stands for port or starboard. The other hull should be marked CCMH5170M81H-S

_________________
Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

Umm, no.

The "-R" means "Replacement". At some time or another, that hull was replaced. When a replacement hull is ordered, Hobie Cat engraves the original hull number and the "-R".

"-S" means "Second", as in a boat with a slight defect.

Oh? Well that's odd. So you're telling me that I have a replacement port hull and a starboard hull with a slight defect? What sort of defect would result in a hull designation of -S?

Would the hulls otherwise be marked with the exact same HIN?

I haven't noticed any defects with that hull, other than a soft spot I found that turned out to have poor resin saturation on the inner layer (in the deck, just aft of the rear crossbar). When I drilled & filled the soft spot, the epoxy soaked right through the dry/porous glass layer and made a mess of the inside of that hull, which I didn't realize until I went to put in a hull port a year or two later.

Cosmetic defects generally like a minor issue with the gelcoat or graphics, things of that nature. A lot of times it's stuff you wouldn't even notice.

sm

Yes, the hulls would have the same HIN (other than the -R)

The defect may have been on the hull that was replaced. Like srm said, it's probably something you'd have to look very closely to find. Sometimes the gel coat doesn't separate cleanly from the non-skid pattern or there's a ding that had to be repaired. The "S" designation only shows up in the high-production years of the early '80s, when Hobie Cat was cranking out boats by the tens of thousands per year.

Thank you all for the information.
Now to figure out the rigging and what needs to be replaced.