Just bought one................

Probably in a totally in advised manor !!

Hi all. I've just bought a hobie 16 ( like 1/2 an hour just bought ).

It's definitely going to be a bit of a project but hopefully not too horrific, there will be a lot of questions to follow and hopefully pics.

My first few questions are this

1. Where do i get a new rudder blade on the cheap ?
2. There seems to be a lot of movement where the vertical pylons plug into the sockets on each corner of the tramp frame, this allows the hulls to move somewhat independently of each other. I guess the holes especially in the pylons get elongated over time so bigger bolts could help and maybe some type of sleeve. Am I thinking in totally the wrong direction here, or is this about right ?
3. Most of the other boats on the beach seemed to have retrofitted inspection hatches right in front of the fwd pylon. Mine doesn't is there a reason for this ??
4. Mine seems to be rigged for single trapeze. Are there any mods requires for a double apart from putting another wire on ??

The boat is on a beach and the trailer is at a house that just got sold, I don't have a tow hitch or any money. I will get the boat home soon and then begin my little project.

Thanks

Ben

Congrats!

Where are you located? I have some extra parts including rudders and a tramp frame from a 1981 H16.

_________________
1980 18 foot class A Unicorn catamaran
1977 Super Sunfish (sold)
1979 Hobie (sold)
1983 Hobie 16 Hawiian Sunset (sold)
1981 Hobie 16 Tequilla Sunrise (sold)
2008 Hobie 16 (sold)
2023 Hobie 16
Founding member of the "San Dimas Yacht Club"
John

Hi Thank you,

I'm in Savannah / Tybee island ga. Just go the rig down and the boat on the trailer ready to come to my house for the work to start.

Ben

Congratulations on your new purchase!

A couple of answers to your questions

1. People are continually parting out boats and selling rudder blades. Keep an eye on the for sale section in this forum
2. You need to be more clear on where the movement on your corner pylons and corner castings are coming from. If the pylon is moving inside the hull, that is a real problem. It means the shoe, in which the pylon is attached to the hull, is loose and will need to be reglassed to the hull. On the other hand, if the corner casting is loose on the pylon, that is an much differerent and easier to resolve problem.
a) The first things to look at are how tight your tramp is. It should be VERY VERY tight. Rule of thumb, the side bars should be bowed in about 1 to 1.5 inches. Tightening the tramp can definitely help tighten the boat.
b) Check the rivets in the corner castings to the cross bars. Sometimes, they get loose over time. If they are, replace them.
c) Finally...Over time the hole in the pylon enlarges and the bolt no longer keeps the casting tight on the pylon. That leads to movement, which slows the boat down as you sail through waves/chop. As these holes become elongated and not just uniformly larger, the only method is to epoxy the frame together. Its not as big of an issue as you might think. A summary of steps can be found at this link http://www.thebeachcats.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=82&theme=Printer. The end result is a very tight boat
3) INSPECTION PORTS. Rule number 1. Don't cut into your boat. Rule number 2. Don't cut into your boat. Rule number 3. Don't cut into your boat. Of course...there are exceptions. If your hulls are still solid (when you rap your knuckles on the top of the hull in front of the pylons or anywhere else, the noise you hear is sharp and clear and it feels hard vs. soft and mushy), you don't need to do anything. People usually cut into the top of the hull as part of repair job.
4) Finally...you can add another trap wire very easily by ordering it from your Hobie dealer. I have seen double traps from one wire, and adaptors that fit on the mast to make singles doubles, but the quickest way is to just order another set. Putting them on is a cinch. One suggestion however. If you don't know how old the rigging on the boat is...just invest in all new rigging. The peace of mind on a choppy gusty day, to know that your mast will stay up...is priceless.

Have a great time with your new boat. Now you just have to wait out the Spring thaw to get it on the water!!

_________________
2001 H16E (European Boat) Sail #108348 Cabo
Club Wave
1991 H14T (Crushed by a Tornado)
2006 Bravo (sold)
1986 Hobie 16 (sold)
1981 Hobe 16 (sold)
1980 Hobie 14 (sold)

1. We're here to help, but your closest Hobie dealer and Hobie fleet are your best bets. Make friends with them.

2. Replace the shroud anchor pins. Unless you know exactly how old the pins are, just replace them. If they aren't already bent then keep them as spares. I've witnessed two dismastings because of broken anchor pins, and one dismast due to a broken bridal tang, so those might be on the list of things to replace, too.

Very many thanks.

Drej I am pretty sure option c is the culprit where the lack of stiffness is concerned. Thats a great article and sounds like exactly what i'll be doing.

I will think very hard about new standing rigging.

Thanks

Ben

Ben,
My wife and I do quite a bit of sailing around Jekyll Island. In fact, we are going there Sunday and Monday (12/27-12/28) to do some sailing. We have a 1980 H16 and would love to have another Hobie to sail with.
I hope to see you out there.
Thanks!
Eric Weller

_________________
Eric Weller
2006 F18 Capricorn
1980 H16
Keep the pointy side up!

Hi Eric,

I'm sure with the state of the boat and my wallet I certainly won't be going near any water that soon. However I'll let you know as soon as I'm floating.

Sounds fun

Ben

In the article on epoxying the boat together the author mentions other methods including mechanical shims.

At the risk of a long story I may well want to take the boat apart next year to do a paint job which I can't do this year. Because of this I'm not quite ready to take the plunge and epoxy the whole thing together. I am happy to epoxy the castings to the beams in fact only one casting to beam joint was wobbly the rest I will not touch. The worst joints are the pylons to the castings.

Does anyone have any details on shimming these joints? Do you turn the boat upside down and bang them in or is it more high tech than that?

The bolt holes in the pylons are hugely over sized and egg shaped, the castings not so bad but there is some play with the original bolts. Has anyone enlarged the holes and used a cylindrical bushing ? Is it ok to drill the castings ?

Thanks

Ben

Ben - Hobiecat sells a "Pylon Sleeve" that slides inside your pylon - barely (very close tolerence). cost is $20. It's not in the Hobie catelog and has no part number. Have your dealer ask for it by name. Matt Miller knows about this. Tap it in genty as far in as it'll go. Then cut the remainder off with a hack saw at the top of the pylon. One pylon sleeve should work for two pylons with a little left over.
I was advised to use brass shims at the aft end (pointy end) of the pylons - which I did. Put one end inside the pylon where the foam is and bend the rest over the top and down the outside of the pylon. Use several shims for each pylon.
When you're ready to re-assemble the tramp frame (corner castings) to the pylons it should be a very tight fit, so get some help. Lightly grease the top and sides of the pylons and shims and make certain that the pylons and corner castings are lined up perfectly before tapping them down. Don't tap one down and then another!. Assemble fore and aft on one hull at the same time; or better yet, if you have enough help, line up all four corners and tap them all down together. Remember - Very Close Tolerences!
Drill a hole through your new "Pylon Sleeves" and insert your bolt and tighten the nut.
Then, tighten the lacing on yout tramp VERY TIGHT!
I did this to my 79 H-16 last summer and have used it a lot since. It's very tight.
Good luck!
Richard

And never, ever use a metal hammer on the castings.

Use a rubber mallet, or even better, a dead-blow hammer.

Many thanks gents,

Any idea who is the nearest person to tybee ga to order these from. Sounds like the way to go for me. The other thing that scared me about the epoxy method was ending up with the hulls not parallel, then you're buggered I would have thought.

I have a dead blow rubber mallet. Will use it.

Thanks again

Ebay is a great place for rigging and extra trap lines. Good prices there

_________________
Hayden 1988 national H16

Ben - Tybee, GA.....I have no idea where your closest Hobie dealer is located.
In this day and age you're probably just as well off with an online Hobie dealer.
You might try [email protected] (831)359-5918. They ship parts and accessories everywhere, plus you can talk to a knowledgable person about your boat parts and repairs.
I never met Jeremy and we have a great Hobie Dealer close by, but Jeremy has a very good reputation and has an online store.
Good luck with your repairs, Ben.
Richard