Pricing Question

I have been looking for a used Hobie & have found a very nice 1988 Magnum in great condition. This boat has really been taken care of very well. It includes a boat box, sail tube, beach wheels that fit right on the trailer & some type of custom cradle that works with the beach wheels. They also have an extra rudder & a set of harnesses. Included is a custom cover that encloses the boat. The trailer is probably a 1998 that looks very sturdy. They are asking $4,600. I don't think I will find a nicer boat but am concerned that I am paying too much.

Thoughts?

Fyi... If it is a 1988... it would be an SX, not a magnum.

The difference is described in this link:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=12780

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

So I am trying to interpret this hull number.
I looked at the other posts that talked about these IDs

CCMC1703D888

Help !

Serial numbers are described in the sailing FAQ and support pages: http://www.hobiecat.com/support/index-sail.html

http://www.hobiecat.com/support/warranty/sailserial.html

That is 1988. Could be the H18SX or possibly the H18 with SX Wings. Difference can be seen in the sails.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The last four characters stand for

D- April
8- of 1988
88-1988 model year

$4600 seems a bit steep to me. Check the sails carefully, especially if it is an SX. The mylar sails those boats come with are notorious for delaming. Does it have EPO rudders or new wires and sheets?

What he said. If it's an SX then it should also come with a spinnaker, but it is possible the boat is a standard 18 with Magnum or SX wings bolted on. Until the boat was discontinued in 2003(?) Hobie offered the standard and SX models. One sure way to know if it is an SX is the sail - it's mylar, and by now very likely delaminating.

Last question.
With this Hull ID (CCMC1703D888) is this a Coleman or Hobie manufactured boat ?

ALL the boats were manufactured by Hobie Cat.

Coleman Co. owned Hobie Cat from 1976 - late 1988.

Matt, '79 -'88 were Coleman ownership years? I always thought Coleman bought in around '83-'84 until late '88. What prompted all the delamination issues around '85. I knew of three 18s that were given hull replacements in that window due to the boats basically coming apart. At one point I thought those were the red glue boats that came apart, but I currently own a '84 redline and its solid as a rock.