Deck thru fairlead

Is there any problems in relocating the fairleads used for the trapeze shockcord i.e drilling through lip on outside of hull.

3 types of grommets "OE" as far as i know. the beefier set is on an '83, the "Hole only" and the Brass looking set on a '78.

Not sure why someone would want to do that, but no, it would not be a problem to relocate the fairleads. In fact, it is totally permitted by the class rules.

8.b) Trapeze shock cords may lead from different fairleads than those supplied by the HOBIE CAT CO. but shall lead through the hull flange.

sm

Years ago, Harry Murphy, a long time H18 sailor posted an interesting article how to re-jig the bungees, using 4 micro-blocks on each hull and 52 feet of bungee.
One micro-block at the bow side and one at the stern side, with two tied with spectra to the two existing bungee holes.
Run the bungee from the J&H handle down through one of the centre micro-blocks, forward to the front micro-block, all the way to the stern micro-block,
then turning 180 back to the other centre micro-block and out to the other J&H handle. Supposedly, it ran much more freely, and allowed one to trap from near the stern.

See if you can do a search on this Forum for the original post. SRM, did you ever see this done?

I often thought of doing it....and never got there, as I was having too much fun on the wings of my SX-18.
Plus there was the cost....

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Yes, I have seen it done and used to race against Harry. It is sloppy. The bungee will be exposed on top of the flange, so it gets in the way of your feet and you will be standing on it. It is also not class legal. You can also just put one block each at the forward and aft tie off points and then use one long continuous bungee, still lead thru the hull flange fairleads. I did that for a while and it is cleaner but you will still be standing on bungee cords. Best setup IMO is stock with 3/16 bungee, especially if you aren’t running wings.

sm

Thanks guys - i was just looking to separate the two trapeze as they tend to get tangled at times. I've seen people move the crew trapeze to the dagger fairlead in front of the beam but i don't like that either. I might just move the jib trapeze to just behing the front beam.

If you have a decent amount of tension on the bungee cord, tangling should be pretty minimal. The cables may become slightly “intertwined”, but one quick yank and they should pop right apart. It never seems to be a major issue for me.

Keep in mind that if you do move the front fairlead forward, it will get closer to the front bungee tie-off point, reducing the length of bungee travel. If you go that route, it may make sense to run the crew’s bungee to the aft tie-off and the skipper’s bungee to the fwd tie-off in order to maximize the amount of travel for each trap line.

sm

Hi Aussie,

No issues to move the fairleads. I have done this. I moved the crew fairlead to just aft of the main beam. Ideally it should be just in front of the main beam. I highly recommend this to make it much easier for your crew.

You can’t use the dagger board hole because the fairlead doesn’t align with the curve in the flange.

I retained the original fairlead and shockcord and use that to tie off the mainsail downhaul rope.

To install a new fairlead you will need to use a 16mm drill bit for wood. I also recommend using 4mm bolts with cap heads to attach it, not rivets. The bolts should be tapped in and with the use of araldite when screwing in. Make them / cut them the exact length needed so the bolt doesn’t protrude thru into the space under the gunwale.

I also moved the saddle under the gunwale further forward along the bow to provide for longer shock cord.

My boats own Facebook page and the website has photos of our layout.

If you are in Sydney, feel free to contact me and come and look at our boat.

To further assist your crew, we have also made the dagger board shockcord to attach to the inboard side of the dolphin striker, not to the outer gunwale. This works! It makes it less cluttered for the crew.

_________________
John Forbes
Hobie 18 Reimagined
Sail # 490
Boat name: 18@heart
http://www.hobie18.fun
https://www.facebook.com/Hobie18catamaran/

I agree with srm, my trap lines may clang together while sailing, but never really become tangled. I'd suggest shortening or replacing the shock cord first, maybe with a bit more tension on them, and see if it solves the problem for you. The shock cord can get tired pretty quick if you sail often. I'd also try to reduce any excess line in your trapeze system, so you have less to get tangled.

_________________
Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238