Inspection Port advice - buy this Hobie or stay away?

Hi All,

I have searched this topic, and yet am not sure of the severity of this issue. Here's a picture of a 16' I'm interested in purchasing, but it has Inspection Ports in front of the tramp. OK or stay away?

Thanks,

Jeff

PS - If there is no image here, I will have to learn how to upload.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/6bs68jlmeen76vc/AABWmBDNn57AXP7Z3FLGC9m0a

Hi Jeff,

I don't really have the wisdom to advice on the hull integrity, but I would think it should be ok unless you're really pitchpoling. That may strain the foredecks enough to cause failure but probably not :/

To upload a pic I believe you'll have to upload it to another server such as dropbox or flickr and include the url/link in your post.

-JP

Jeff - We've had our 1979 Hobie 16 for the past 36 years & have had inspection ports in front of the tramp for about the past 30 years. We've had a soft spot in front of the inspection port on one of the hulls about 20 years ago & repaired it easily using the the instructions that Matt Miller provided on this forum. We sail often & have trailered the boat all over CA, Lake Havasu in Arizona & San Felipe,BC. If the boat you're considering buying is in good condition with NO soft spots, & the trailer is also in good condition, & the price is right - then I wouldn't let inspection ports in front of the tramp deter you from purchasing this boat.
I think we got the soft spots because I used to allow our kids to sit, stand, & jump on the hulls when they were young. I know better now and I also keep it covered to protect it from sun damage when it's not being used.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated!

Jeff

Nice looking boat. If all structural points/connections look good you are probably ok. I have a 30 year old 16 with ports in same locations and all is well. It's been sailed pretty hard a number of seasons with no detriment.

_________________
UK Wildcats have 8 now!

1976 H16 27640
1985 H16 89112