New Hobie Cat Owner

I just bought a used 16 a couple days ago. This is my first boat and I am really new to sailing. I got it off craigslist for only $400. It came with a trailer and a bunch of extra parts. Sadly the trailer needs a lot of work, but I think the cat is in pretty good shape. The seller didn't know the age, but based upon my research here and elsewhere on the internet, it appears to be a '73. The hull number is stamped on the forward pylon and is 5341, so if anyone has better information as to the age, feel free to correct me.

I know there are a couple spots in the hull that need to some, but they are pretty small so I think I should be able to handle the fiberglass work. Anything important I should know about fixing these spots?



I've seen some videos about how to step the mast, but the hinge thing they show isn't on my boat. I think I see how it is suppose to work, but looks like it may be broken. Is it? If so, how is the best way to go about fixing it?



The foot straps also are starting to come up from the tramp. What is the easiest way to repair them? Is it possible to sew them back down?



While snapping the photos today, I noticed a sloshing sound coming from one of the hulls. After opening the inspection hatch, I saw it was full of water and had to get a pair of pliers to unscrew the drain plug. The seller told me the last time it was in the water was 4 years ago, so I'm not sure how long this water has been in there. Is this something I should worry about?

I haven't have a chance to fully set it up due to work and weather so I'm not sure what all I'm missing yet. And I'm sure I will have plenty more questions going forward. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Dry the hulls and then determine how the water got in. Sailing it would be the best option if it is in good enough condition. Before putting money into the rigging and glass jobs, you should determine if the hulls are good enough to repair. A search of this forum or TheBeachcats.com should provide plenty of threads on determining how bad is too bad. Having an inspection port is sometimes an indication that fiberglass work has been done. If too bad, you can purchase another fixer-upper and take the best parts from either boat. You might be able to sell some parts also.

Sadly, the trailer is utter crap and I barely got the boat home. It's going to need some work before I'm even willing to try taking the boat anywhere. So I gotta put money into that first anyway.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but based on the pictures, that boat does not look to be in good condition at all. The picture of the transom, in particular, is very worrisome. You have major structural damage at the transom which needs very extensive repair. The hulls have already been painted which may be a sign that other damage is being hidden. The boat is extremely old (certainly early 1970's) and in poor condition. I would be surprised if the hulls do not have any soft spots, especially considering that you're saying there was water sloshing around in the hulls which was likely sitting there for at least four years. The mast base is broken and therefore the mast can not be safely stepped. You don't provide any pictures of the sails or other components, but based on what we can see in the pics, I would guess they are also in very poor condition.

I would suggest you think long and hard before (a) dumping a lot of money into this boat and (b) putting it on the water.

If you're really interested in getting into Hobie sailing, you might want to seriously consider buying a slightly newer boat (something from the mid-80's or newer) which can be purchased for not a whole lot more than what you paid for this boat and which is likely to be in a lot better shape. This one is going to give you many headaches.

sm

+1

This boat is mostly toast.

I would love to just go buy a newer boat, but the next cheapest on craigslist seems to be over 3 times the price I paid for this one. So, if this one can be fixed up, I would rather do that, especially since I have already bought this one.

The only problem spots I have found on the hulls so far is the spots shown in the pictures. The second image is just in front of the forward pylon, which seems to be a common problem area. So any advice on actually repairing the hulls? Steps to follow? I intend to do as much of the work as I can myself.

As I figured, the mast base is broken. Based upon videos I have found online, that shouldn't be too hard to replace.

Any advice to fixing the straps on the tramp besides just replacing the whole thing?

At least make a list of everything you need to buy and price it all out before starting.

Can we have the full picture of the boat? Please post your hulls. The next thing to do is check for any soft spots. Start pressing with your hands everywhere all the way from bow to stern even on the sides. The soft spots are usually in front of the pylons. If they are small they are easily healed with epoxy injections. For extra measures I put three layers of fiberglass on each hull. It gained no more then 1 kg from all of that.

The thing you have on the stern, first you need to unscrew the plug holder and remove it. It is also glued with silicon. The same goes for the rudder holders. Then you need to sand the whole thing. Put epoxy inside the crack, then sand the access epoxy when it drys. The next thing is to put about three layers of fiberglass on it. The quantity of the layers depends of the fiberglass thickens. You will be advised about how many layers and what kind of glass you need in the store. Just explain them what you need to do and maybe show them this pic. After your done, sand it until it gets pretty, then put a gel coat. I also did some kind of finish coat before that. There are a lot of videos how to make it look pretty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz5WCfipaNw

The mast base needs to be replaced. The tramp strap - remove the whole thing and go to a shoe fixer or sewing workshop. They will be able to sew it back together. I had a few holes which were sewed by a shoe maker.

If I am missing something ask. Your major problem is not the crack at the back but the overall condition of your hulls, so please post the whole picture. If you have like major soft spots from bow to stern you can't fix it. I mean, you can, buy you need to inject like a lot of epoxy, which will heavy the boat a lot. Also where I live 1 kg of epoxy costs like 20 euro.

My personal advise is if you can fix it with your own hands and not pay somebody else to do it for you then why not. I also have purchased what some people on this forum may consider crap. But with some work I fixed it into a nice shape and sail it every year on the sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcoketSuoqI

I live in Bulgaria and the cheapest Hobie (like mine) is 2000 euro. Unfortunately I couldn't buy a cat for 200$ like you guys so I ve learned a lot of fixing

You can attempt to repair, however be warned that you will almost certainly be throwing good money after bad.



The small ding in the second picture is a basic fiberglass repair. Grind out the gelcoat around the repair. Inspect the underlying glass for damage. If damaged, grind out until you reach good glass. Then laminate fiberglass repair patches to achieve original laminate thickness, apply fiberglass filler to fill in the weave/low spots, sand smooth and gelcoat/paint.

The damage to the transom is extensive. You will basically have to rebuild the entire transom as it is cracked out and pulling away from the hull. There is a plywood core in the transom surrounded with fiberglass skins on each side and an aluminum backing plate. The plywood is probably waterlogged and rotting out meaning you will likely have to replace the entire transom. There is a thread on here somewhere of a guy that did the replacement, but it is not a simple job. You can attempt to just wrap a few plys of glass around the edge of the hull as described above, but that is not a proper repair and will probably fail in any significant wind. The hull is basically done.



Not necessarily hard to replace however you may end up also having to replace the mast step (on the front crossbar) to match the new base. These parts work in pairs and have been updated several times since your boat was manufactured. Replacing the mast step is more involved than the base. At the very least, you are looking at buying a mast hinge to go along with your new mast base.


The straps can be sewn back down to the tramp. This should be the least of your concerns.

sm

I went over the hulls, and I found 1 other soft spot. Its in the same location (in front of the forward pylon) as the small crack shown in the original set of images. Both sides about a hands length long. Everywhere else seems solid. Even the spot on the transom doesn't give when pressed on it.



Do you happen to have a link to the thread?



Here are more pictures of my hulls.

Wow, the boat looks like its a real mess,, all I know is that I have been there and got half through restoration and gave up as the cost were well ahead of what I could have bought a good one for. It would be a major rebuild and even then you may never get the hulls into safe sailable condition. I feel bad for you as you have already paid out money for the boat.....I just doesn't look like a project that would or could be done on a budget. Sorry brow.....

_________________
06 getaway -- always remember, man with both feet in mouth have no leg to stand on.

Why would anybody add inspection ports on the stern? I thought this is the most solid part of the boat and delamination is impossible? Look at the trailer on the last photo. It has been rotting for years. I imagine the boat was with it this whole time. I really don't have an opinion. It looks really bad, but if you say there is only one soft spot..

Looks beyond salvageable.... Sorry

_________________
Catamaran Racing Association of Michigan - Marketing Officer
USF18 - Social Media Manager

2010 NACRA Infusion
2004 F18 Hobie Tiger - SOLD
Hobie 16 - BREAKPOINT - SOLD

Parts boat...

I actually don't think it's that bad. I don't see ripples in the side like I do with badly delaminated hulls, and I don't see sunken pylons. It's kind of ugly with the worn McDonalds paint job, and the warehouse-rack trailer spar didn't work out so well, and there is a repair on the starboard bow, and they will always be heavy old hulls, but really I think it's mainly that transom that is a concern.

I can't tell if the hull bottoms are worn through to the fiberglass or if it's just the paint that's worn off. If it's raw fiberglass then that should be coated when the transom is repaired.

It may not be worth $400 but it's yours, and you need to clean it up and assess it a bit more. Dig out all of that flaking epoxy around the transom... it's not doing anything for you. Remove the gudgeons and start scraping and chipping. Let the hulls air out. The hiking straps are really a pretty small concern. I cut them off my last boat... never used them.

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages