Sails for discontinued designs?

I had recently made a post in the 20 forum about whether or not the 20 would be a good boat for me, as it turns out the 18 sounds like the better choice. But today I got to thinking... In the discontinued designs, are new sails still being made by hobie??? I know that all of the discontinued designs still have hobie sanctioned regattas, and that many racers continuously upgrade to newer sails to have the best edge on the course, but does this apply to the discontinued boats as well? From what I have gathered, good sails are vital to the performance of any sailboat. Are aftermarket sails not allowed on discontinued designs to participate in hobie sanctioned regattas? I know in open regattas this isn't a concern. If not I can certainly see why, I understand that strict one-design sailing more or less levels the playing field but what happens when the design no longer produces new sails? And keep in mind, this post isn't meant to stir up anything, I'm no huge racer or anything yet. It's merely curiosity as I am a total newbie to racing sailboats and still trying to learn everything about this great company and the rules applicable to racing.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Hey James. Hope all is well out there in NC. Hobie will be making 18 sails for a long time!! No worries.

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Thanks Jeremy, I would have thought that new sails wouldn't still be made for discontinued boats. That's great news. Got to love hobie!

Everything is good on this side. We had week of freakish 70 degree December weather for a while but it has finally gotten cold I hope everything is going well with you also. My sailing buddies all love those sheets I ordered from you a while back.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Define cold James. It's been down around zero here at night for the last month.

Jeremy, thanks for the shirt and the corkball. I will be needing a few other bits and will be sending Stacey back out again.(Girl with glasses)

Karl, you got me there. It's cold for us NC guys. It was in the low 20's this morning, highs in the 40's. Ice on the windshield this morning, you know, it's getting rough around here. . I actually had to wear pants today . Nah, I'm just messin'. I know you guys have had it rough up that way lately. More reason for you to make that island hoping trip your talking about.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

HA! Nice pic. I was wondering who that was, thanks for supporting my shop! You'll have to come out next time Genmar and go sailing off the beach with us. Surely the ladies told you that we invited them to go out with us that night! Figuring they were on a womens road trip we would show them the fine hospitality of Santa Cruz. They had already found the shady part of town, and we wanted to show them the cool parts. It's a good thing they didn't go, we caused nothing but trouble and definitely stayed in the shady part. .


Stacey is your Fiance, no? Congrats!

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Yea she is actually (June 29th). How did you know? I was actually in DC picking out a ring probally that same day she was in Santa Cruz with you.She is bummed that she didnt go out with you guys,her friend Dawn was tired.After seeing her pics I cant wait to get to get out there for some surfing and sailing. If you are ever out this way let me know .-thomas

I don't wish to be a butt here, however..... Jeremy stated that Hobie would be making 18 sails for a long while and I beg to differ. Last time I went looking for an 18 jib Hobie had none, it would be months to get one, and Murrays had 1 jib left with no idea when they could get another. Hobie makes noises about supporting the discontinued lines but I don't think that is the reality. When the parts in stock are gone I believe it will be hard to get anything from Hobie in a timely manner. Yes, it is possible for them to provide parts if you can wait for them to run a small batch of what you need, but it certainly will not be as it has in the past.
Abbman, no one in the area you race will ever question aftermarket sails on a 18, they will just be happy to have you, so don't let yourself be worried about new sails. Build your boat the way you see fit and bring it out to play.
Later

Aftermarket sails, good for open fleets, maybe a Hobie Points regatta, beyond that, no.

I have fought that thought for a few years. I want new sails but.........

Perhaps Matt B. can give us some insight.

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1989 Hobie 18 Worlds Boat, Magnum Wings & Spinnaker
1987 Hobie Holder 20 #273

dale.vanlopik"at"att"dot"net

Hobie Cat makes sails for the discontinued models, but they make them in batches and the market is thin. I can't blame them for not sitting on a bunch of inventory. That's just not good business.

Depending on when your order falls in that cycle, you could get lucky or you could have to wait a while until they make more.

I've been fortunate that whenever I've needed something for my 14, it's been in stock, or I've only had to wait a few weeks.

It's unlikely that aftermarket sails will ever be allowed for class racing. The two main manufacturers each have a seat on the 5-member IHCA Rules Committee. Even if that change did get past the rules committee, it would have to be approved by ISAF, since all but the H-20 are ISAF International Classes.