How much should a single hull weigh?

I'm trading in my hulls for a new (to me) set since my old ones had the ports in the front and I found a new set that does not. In the process I noticed one was quite a bit heavier than the other so I weighed it - 136 lbs! OH MY! The other was considerably less but I didn't weigh it. The new hulls were 95 lbs each and they felt lighter than the other light one.

Am I still over weight with the new hulls? Is 95 lbs each OK? They will be drying out all winter in the garage and I plan to repair a few soft spots and do some buffing this winter.

I was able to fly both of the old hulls in heavy wind but I did notice a difference. It's amazing how much the sails can lift in a good wind.

Anybody know where I can find the proper weight of a new Hobie 16 hull?

Thanks,

Scott Laughlin
Omaha, Nebraska

136 lbs is incredibly heavy for a single hull. That's twice what it should weigh.


Newer boats (from about '95 onward) that are minimum weight have hulls that weigh between 67 - 72 lbs. In the earlier part of this time period, Hobie used to engrave the hull weight on the transom. They stopped doing it several years ago.

The short answer is yes; you are still overweight with the new hulls.


Probably. If the hulls are pre-1984, then they would be heavier since the boat minimum weight was higher (340 lbs then vs 320 lbs now). They were built heavier, but not necessarily stronger. At 95 lbs, they've probably picked up some water, too.

My '98 has a 66 carved in the transom, that means it is 66 pounds?

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Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Yep. I'd bet your other hull is heavier since Hobie would try to match hulls together so that the combined weight was about 140 lbs.

Thanks for the info! I figured they were a little heavy since the hulls are old. The gel coat is in great shape and they don't have the ports installed. I'm hoping with the dry weather here they will dry out a little this winter with the plugs out.

Any hints on how to speed this up? A fan blowing into the plug hole for a few weeks?

Thanks for all the good information.

Scott Laughlin
Omaha, Nebraska

Circulate warm, dry air through the hulls and you'll be amazed.

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Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

One of my hulls is 65 pounds, the other is 66 pounds.

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Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Then I would keep quiet about it, since you probably have a boat that is under minimum weight.

You really won't know (accurately) until you go to a North Americans and have it weighed.

That won't be anytime soon.

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Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Trey, you should try to make the 2008 NAC at Clear Lake, IA. Those guys are crazy fun up there and we should have a great turnout.

I'm a total noob, but how do you weigh the hulls?

Use a bathroom scale on a hard surface.

Weigh yourself
Weigh yourself holding the hull

Difference is weight of the hull.

I will jump in here and say... my hulls from an 1980 and 1982 boats weigh in between 84 pounds and 88 pounds... come on... go and weigh your hulls... maybe we can get a good average.....???

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•Present boat -1998 Hobie 16 Solana Sails furling jib[/size]