Help a noob buy a boat

Brynn,

Thanks ever so much for sharing in your adventure!!! I had some chuckles reading it. Yes, get someone out with you that has sailed a hobie before, you will learn a lot, a lot faster.

A dock or a ramp might not allow you to place the boat into the wind and it will want to take off as soon as you get a sail up!

Launching of a beach is easier as you set your sails on the beach and facing the wind, pull it around and into the water with sails loose, push off and tighten up once you are moving and the rudders are down!!

Even I can do it!!

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Dale Guthormsen

Where to be, On the Edge
2008 hobie 16

Welcome to the club. Your adventurous attitude has all the hallmarks of a long future as a sailor.


Yep. Also there's rarely other boats around putting pressure on you to get moving (except other cats), and you won't run into docks and other boats because of wind shifts. Also, compared to just about every other boat except maybe a steam boat, cats aren't as maneuverable while at the same time fast and unwilling to point into the wind as quickly as a monohull. Beach launching is much less stressful.


It is suggested to cut the jib battens short. So short that they don't stick out past the sail, then drill a hole for the batten tie. Or short enough that just the end caps stick out. It has also been suggested to pass the halyards around a shroud to keep them out of the way of the jib, but I've not tried it yet. Sometimes, especially in light wind, when a jib batten is hung up on a halyard you'll just have to get up and grab the jib's leech and the halyard it's hooked onto and pull the two apart.

Right. The second stopper (meaning the one furthest from the main sail) shouldn't be a concern, but the age of the halyard should be. Consider getting a new one. At least inspect the one you have.

Also, you mentioned the halyard cleat breaking. Yep, drill out the old rivet and pop a new one on. I hope you're not using the cleat the secure the sail because it's not designed for that.

Also you can add a holder on the mast about a foot below the tang, on the same side as the jib halyard cleat. Then when you rig take both halyards and hook them in the holder take them down to the jib cleat and Finnish them off there. Take the remaining halyard line and neatly coil and stuff behind the halyards to keep them. As for the jib battens tie the caps off good then take duck tape; i use white and lay a piece on either side of the batten ,to cover the last 6 inches of the sail & batten cap. this will prevent untying, and the sail from wearing out from rubbing on the mast.

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Bodhisatfa

I thought I might point out that the battens actually seat into the end caps on the sail. I did not realize this and one batten was tied in nicely but not seated. when we got into some real heavy wind trouble one afternoon the batten actually stabbed through the sail.

so when you put them in check to make sure they are seated!!

_________________
Dale Guthormsen

Where to be, On the Edge
2008 hobie 16