Stiffening Hobie 16

I recently helped another sailor "glue" up his H14. The difference in performance and speed is noticeable. The boat no longer "racks" as it begins lifting to windward. The only flex or play in the boat now is just whatever is inherent in the overall structure of that size and of those materials. Previously, you could lift one bow by 7 or 8 inches before the other bow would lift. Now you only get about 1 or 2 inches before the other lifts.

The key to doing this correctly is to get the hulls set up so they are level and square. We chocked up the front and then used a jack to lift one hull stern to get level, and carefully measured diagonally to obtain square. Once you get these in place, let the boat set until the epoxy has set sufficiently. We used a Gel Epoxy called Rod Bond (Trondak U-40 company) which was developed by a friend of mine who was among the chemists involved in developing the epoxy systems for the Boeing Aircraft Company in the late 1940's and early 1950's. It is a gel consistency (think vasoline thickness) and is ideal for bonding these surfaces with these clearances. System Three would likely have something similar.