H18 in VaBch... this guy!

I had an H18 in high school and then again in flight school... been almost 20yrs since then. It's a 1992 and I found it in Maryland as a donated boat to a museum. It appears to be in phenomenal shape for 30yrs old... as far as I can tell, it had a few seasons of use, likely when brand new, and then sat for a long time. Other than new sheets and some touch-up paint, it doesn't need anything to get it in the water. It could use a polish, tramps, and full line replacement, but I'm gonna try and squeeze the rest of this summer/fall out of it what I've got... winter project will be a makeover. The hiking straps are all toast, which will be interesting.

I'm very tempted to remove the Formula1 decal and polish the outside of the hulls before I put it in the water... nothing like faded '90's pink hurting my ego. It'll get some blue vinyl hull stripes if I get the Formula1 off just for some flavor.

QUESTIONS:
HOW DO I CLEAN THE JIB!?!?!?
TOUCH-UP PAINT ON THE MAST/WINGS/CROSSBARS... light sand and some Rustoleum paint/primer in a can?
A LIST OF ALL THE DIFFERENT LINES AND THEIR LENGTHS?
ANYBODY SELL A SLEEVE/COVER FOR THE JIB?

Also, this boat will be stored on a public beach during the season... will be a 200yd walk from the car to the boat. I intend to remove the rudder assembly, daggerboards, main/boom when I leave it. Any ideas for a transport system? I was thinking about a padded surfboard travel bag... won't be light, but I'm a big guy. Ideas?

Nice find.

Not sure what’s going to remove those stains on the jib. I would start with a mild detergent and a medium bristle scrub brush. Maybe move to some bleach diluted with water if that doesn’t work.

The Hobie line guide can be found here: https://media.hobie.com/2010_archive/support/pdfs/LineGuide.pdf

You can get a jib snorkel (cover) from a Hobie dealer or Murrays.

I would probably look into getting a Wheeleez cart or similar if you plan to move a bunch of gear a couple hundred yards across a beach.

One thing to consider, if you plan to remove the hull decals, there will almost certainly be a “shadow” of the decal left behind on the hull because the gelcoat will still look new where it was protected by the decal. Even with polishing and waxing, it is likely to be visible. Also, based on the hull number, your boat is a 1990, not a 1992.

sm

I used a large padded fish cooler for my 18 daggers. Old sleeping bag for rudders.

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ADDICTION
1989 HOBIE 18 SE/sx wings
HOBIE ALTER SIGNATURE MODEL

Solid info... don't want to compound too much gelcoat off just to remove a sticker, so maybe a big decal of some kind to cover the space... American flag?
https://www.amazon.com/Truck-American-D ... 08&sr=8-50

Thanks for the link to those lines... gonna swing by my LBS (Local Boat Store?) and get a full set of lines, cost be damned.

And of all things, the wife has been scouring the internet for a set of used "colorful" sails. Plenty of 16' sets, but 18's be rare'ish.

Great find, excellent H18 you have there.
Suggestions:
For your main & jib sheets, get Robbline (or equivalent). Easy on the hands, floats, runs nicely through the blocks, I think I had 9 mm for the main and 7 mm for the jib. SRM please confirm sizing, and suggestions for alternatives, like Salsa.
Check the shroud anchor pins, new ones are advised. Only available from a Hobie dealer.
Service the rudders, especially the delrin screw.
Run some bungee across the front cross bar, the jib tangle preventer.
Check the gaskets on the porthole covers.....you might need new covers.
Same goes for drainplugs.
enjoy enjoy enjoy

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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.'

Wow, nice find!!!

I would just replace the jib. It's likely pretty blown out anyways. Whirlwind sails sells new 6oz white dacron jibs for $400. I love the pattern on the main though, pretty cool! You can also pick up a jib snorkel on ebay, there are a couple of sellers that make them.

I've used oven cleaner to take off adhesive on the deck rails, and found it to be excellent at inadvertently removing the painted on name as well It may help take the decals off, but I'd test it on a small area first. Like srm said, you'll definitely have a shadow.

Looks like you've got a set of original EPO's there, which are an excellent find! I'd get a set of rudder covers on ebay for $90. They really help protect the rudders. Also, if you plan to remove the rudder system, I'd get the newer style rudder link kit. It's a bit pricey at $150, but it's worth every penny to be able to disassemble the rudder system and not have to carry that awkward 3 piece system around with all the hinging parts flopping around on you. Also a much better system (much less slop). I also bought a hobie deluxe sailbag for my main, jib & boom. Daggers and rudders I usually carry separate, would definitely be a big heavy bag to carry all three... maybe get a kid's sled to drag it all across the sand?

For lines, you can a complete new set of running rigging and a complete set of standing rigging on ebay for cheaper than the sum of the parts, but I like to pick and choose my lines, so I usually get my running rigging from my LBS

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Mike

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