An informal Pole on your H16's age

My family had a hobie cat 16 way back in the early 70's. I am wondering if anyone knows what year it was. The sails were white and the hull was blue. The sail number was 988. I'm guessing that it was from the late 60's.

The Hobie 16 was not introduced until 1971, so that's probably what year it was. Maybe a '72.

1981 free!

I have two 16's now
1980,#56037
1981,#75008
also my 21SE #404 (brought new in 1989)
I started out with a sunfish in 1971,a 1969 boat
and my first Hobie was a new 1985,#86264
Bill 404 21SE

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Bill 404 21SE

Hobie 16s: (both mine and my son Xander's)
1976 Orange (censored) box
1977 Yellow (censored) box (The guy took my laptop so I took his boat, long story)
1989 Nice boat
1988 blue one that sank at a regatta when the stb hull snapped in the middle
1987 Xander's good boat, found it had been stored for 15 years.
My new boat averages out to be a 2000 (with all the parts I have put together on it )

Hobie 14
I have had 5 1972s (including the infamous Cindy)
My new boat that I raced last year was a 74.
Xander had a nice 77 for a while.

Wave
2000 We call her Katrina (since she barely lived through that down south)

Hobie 20 1995 (loved that boat, but it scared the piss out of me)

Hobie 17 we just got an '86 from St. Louis and an 88' from here in CL

Hobie 18 I have had two of them, but never sailed either. Just bought them for the parts. I did shoot one of them with my compound bow and cut it up with a chainsaw.......that was fun.

I think thats it. Hey, I have only been sailing hobies for 9 years!

1976 s/n 20227

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H16 s/n 20227
H17 s/n 3735
Tiger s/n 1066

1981 bought in Feb 2009, expect 1st sail next weekend. Boat, trailer, sails in decent shape, etc., $300.

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David

1976. Bought it this July for $500 with a nice trailer. Paint fell of after a month. Stripped the rest of the paint off, repaired some delam areas, repainted last month, looks good as new! Best money I ever spent in my life.

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Mims, FL

1988 16, $1000 with wheels and trailer. Not much of that original purchase is left though, new rigging, sheets, Aussie jib, new harken blocks, rebuilt rudder system, hot stick, Coronado main and red jib, tramp... Basically a new boat, one piece at a time, don't tell my wife!....

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Blair T

I love these calm moments before the storm, it reminds me of Beethoven...


'02 Hobie Tiger USA 1152

1981-82. Sail number is 65135. My Wife's uncle bought it and sailed it in Kansas City, Kansas.
I have had it here in Daytona Beach since around 97. Tramp was damaged by hurricane Charlie. Curently waiting on the arrival of a yellow vinyl tramp so I can get her back on the water!

My current Hobie is from '87. It was my 3rd H16 and the only one that I bought new.

Anyone have any idea how high the H16 sail numbers went? Saw a pic somewhere with a sail up in the 109,000 range, that's the highest I've ever seen.

1983 Tequila Sunrise 16, yellow hulls, original yellow (faded) tramp. Sail # 77889. Boat was $1500 without trailer. But in super shape. Original equipment, but nothing missing. Replaced standing and running rigging, cleaned and polished hulls with poliglow, fantastic results. Replaced old Seaway blocks with new Harken 6:1 for mainsheet, replaced old jib cars with current Hobie issue swiveling cam cleat rigs by Ronstan. Boat runs great, sails are in super shape, prior owner kept the boat out of the sun and weather when not sailing. Cover your boat! Dry your sails, put them away, don't wrap em on the boom and leave them outside! A ripstop tarp can be had from Meijer or Walmart for $40 big enough to totally cover the 16 and then some. A few bungie cords and you are in business once you cut a slit for the mast.

Also 1979 Keoke 16. Dont recall the number offhand. $500 with trailer. I really just bought the boat to get the trailer to buy the 83 '16 listed above (which I bought the very next day with my new (old) trailer, having dumped the Keoke junker boat in my yard that morning. Left the boat for dead last summer. It was missing a lot of smaller bits, tramp was wrecked, hulls sun damaged and bad patch job in a couple of places on the hulls. Then learned Keokes were sort of hard to find, and wife said "either fix it up or get rid of it." Replaced all standing rigging, refinished hulls with poliglow, some patching and gloss spray paint (which amazingly matched the hull color). Fixed up the rudders with stiffening kit, new connections between tiller bar and rudders. All new running rigging, but using old school Seaway blocks (going for the "restored" look). New orange tramp to match original as best as possible from SLO Sail and Canvas. Spent way more than the boat cost (which was next to nothing) but it looks great.

A lot of decent boats can be had for modest money, but be careful to look for the missing parts. the Hobie parts catalog is great to see what is needed on a complete boat. I discovered later that my 79 was missing the gooseneck, and not only that but somehow it was disconnected from the boom meaning the rivets will need to be drilled and a new gooseneck installed. The little stuff adds up fast. A new tramp is $300. Be sure the sails are in good shape, for the older boats they simply can't be replaced unless you scrounge another set from someone. They simply aren't making the older style (very pretty) sails anymore. They aren't even making some of the colors of Dacron sailcloth anymore. Just out of curiosity I looked to see if all the colors of a Tequila Sunrise sail were even available in sailcloth and they are not even manufactured. Another reason to baby your older sails.

RPDealer

1972!!

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'72 Hobie 16
with
#56 Gonzo Nationals

HATS OFF TO HOBIE ALTER,TALK ABOUT A GENIUS,THANKS MATE!.

The numbers are well over 112000 now.