Unfamiliar jib set up

Hey everyone,
I was just doing my daily ebay search for hobie stuff and I came across a boat, seller says its an 86 H15, but it doesn't look like the european version with the skeggs. You can see it here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1986-Hob ... 7914QQrdZ1

If you look closely you can see that what appears to be the jib cam cleats are attached to about the middle of the sidebar? There also doesn't appear to be a traveler track for the jib. Is this something from hobie or something custom from and individual. I'm not looking to buy this boat or anything, I just wasn't familiar with that setup, doesn't make sense to me. I was wondering if anyone could comment.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Looks like a 14 with Turbo kit. Someone did a custom job attaching the jib cleats to the sidebar - they are supposed to go on the tramp where the large patches and grommets are.

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Tim
Unofficial Fleet 72 Communications Officer and Div 4 Webmaster
http://www.hobiefleet72.org
http://www.div4.hobieclass.com/

Ok Thanks tjp,
I think you may be right. I had just never seen cleats in that location and it made me wonder. I thought something seemed a bit unusual. I wonder if they worked well in that location?

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Yeah, that is a 14 with some customization. I like the rack in front of the mast, can you imagine what would happen as you added weight to that. Those bows already like to dive.

That position of the cleats looks like it would work for a spinnaker!

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Its a Hobie 14 Turbo, the rack in the front is for a small cooler. Fun little boat

Yes it is an old Igloo Cooler holder made for a 14/16. Be sure to put a bungee over it when closed. Wave hits it is overboard.

Doug

It's not an '86, either.

Maybe an '83 at the youngest. Hull graphics changed in '84.

Funky paint job. Those cleats on the sidebars would rip into your rear end - that's right where you want to sit going upwind in moderate air.

I thought it seemed a bit different. It also seems that if you were working the jib sheets that you would have to allmost be pulling them across your lap. I bet that is a workout.
I was reluctant to even post anything here about it but it seemed so weird to me that I had to.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Actually, you would not be pulling it across you lap because you would be sheeting in from the other side, right?

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

You may be right. I thought about that after I posted. But how open would the slot between the jib and main be like that? Without jib traveler cars, and a cleat loction so far away, that would create a pretty wide angle wouldn't it? Not to mention a really flat jib when fully sheeted in. It seems like it would work well downwind, but maybe that's it? It seems to me that the only way to shape the jib at all would be to control it from the windward side using the windward cleat, but it's kind of hard to imagine it all and how the jib would react to that cleat location.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Yeah you would have a really open slot, it would work well downwind.

Are you sure that there are not jib travler cars, something with just a block and no cleat, maybe they ran through a block on the front cross bar and then back to those cleats, that would be a pretty nice set up.

Also wouldn't an open slot work well for a reach? For some reason in the back of my mind that keeps making sense.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Where in NC are you? What are you looking for?

Hey Gemmar Star, I live just outside of Fayetteville, NC. I'm actually around your area pretty often as my girl goes to school in Wilmington. I'm actually not looking for a 14. I just happened to see this boat on ebay and the location of what I suspected to be the jib cleats peaked my curiosity. I figured I'd ask the folks here for what they thought. I know that hobie sailors are an ingenious bunch of folks and I didn't know if maybe that location was popular at some time or another.

But since you asked, I am looking for a set of good used H16 hulls. Mine have gone critically soft and I think they are beyond anything other than an extensive professional repair. It has been tough with bum hulls this windy April here in NC. If you know of anything I'd love to hear about it.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

If your down here you should try to hook up with us. I keep my boats in front of the Blockade Runner.(we sail every friday afternoon) I will keep my eye out for you on the hulls. Have you ever set your boat up there before? I recall helping someone once from your area.

Thanks very much for the invitation. I'll have to take you up on that here soon. I haven't set up there before, I'm actualy a virgin to ocean sailing. I had planned for this year to be the year that I was going to start trying my skills out in the swells but unfortunately my hulls had a different idea. I've spent a fair amount of time on those shifty lake winds to where I feel comfortable enough to do the right things at the right time on the 16, so I'm ready to try it out in those persistant coastal winds, where I don't have to tack or jybe every five minutes.

I'll actually be there this weekend, Friday-Monday. I'm not sure what time I'll be there on Friday, got to help my little sis move home from college. But, if you have some free time over the weekend or just to contact me you can e-mail me or call me at (910) 527-7203. I'd love to have a group of folks to sail with. Not to mention some local folks to talk hobies with, all of my friends have loved sailing on my cat but I haven't been able to talk any of them into getting a cat. Not yet anyway

Are you with that big group of cats on the, I gues its the inlet, near the southern point?

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909