Do i need new Gudeons?

What has caused this on the back of my boat and whats the best way to fix it?

What happened? Lots of sailing...

Yes the gudgeons look very worn and should be replaced. The loose gudgeons likely put additional stress on this area. People who sail in surf launching conditions would typically cut the area out. You can too. Notch it out the raw glass and gel coat to seal.

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

Looks like you've been trailering the boat with the rudders on. Take a hacksaw and cut out the damaged section of the lip where the rudder pin goes through. Seal the seam with 3M 5200. Fix the ding in the corner with MarineTex.

Swap out the gudgeons and get some new rudder pins for a tight fit. You might take a look at the newer one piece gudgeons to clean it up even more.

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After you get this replaced/repaired, in order to prevent this from happening again, tie a piece of thin rope about 1½-2 ft. long from the padeye (this is the thing on your rear crossbar that your traveler rope goes through & then you tie it off with a figure 8 knot) to where your tiller attaches to your tiller crossbar (hinge yoke assembly). [I've been sailing our H16 for 27 years & I still had to look up the name of these parts.] Anyway, you want to limit the amount of travel that your rudders make when you tack or leave your boat unattended while you jump off to go for a swim or beach it with your rudders up, but still partially in the water. Have your rudders turn enough to complete your tack, but not enough to damage the rear of your hulls.
If you trailer your boat with your rudders attached - DON'T! But if you do it anyway use this same thin rope to secure your tiller crossbar so that your rudders don't move.

What is 3M 5200 and MarineTex, and where can i get it?

Marine Tex, in my opinion, should only be used on Hobies in an emergency repair when you know that you'll grind it out and fix it right later. Just mix up some polyester resin and seal the raw fibers after you cut out the damaged section. You could gel coat it if you want, but there is no foam core in this area and it's probably not even necessary. Alway, use what the boat was made of for repairs. Polyester.

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HobieNewBee,

You would get a lot out of attending the guest expert program at the Santa Cruz harbor Friday April 27. Look up the address for Surf City Catamarans to find the location. It starts at 10 am. Greg Thomas from Hobie Cat and Jeremy Leonard of Surf City Catamarans will discuss how to set up Hobies and get the most out of them. I think the class will be mostly geared toward the H16, with Jeremy focusing on new sailors and Greg focusing on more advanced sailors. There will be an on the water part of the clinic as well, so bring your boat if you can. I guarantee you can get more out of that class in a day than you can learn by yourself in a year.

Jason Moore

5200 is a adhesive sealant. MarineTex is a two part epoxy used to repair holes, rudder tips, just about anything. After hardening can be easily shaped by sanding.

Any marine store will carry both. West Marine is a good source.

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Thanks for all the help. the resin i can do. Plenty of experiance with surfboard repair. And the class sounds like it could help me out alot. Thanks

The Other Jason Moore