Partial crossbar reinforcement?

Greetings all. Newbie with an old boat checking in.

I’m acquiring a 1986(?) H18 from a gentleman that is moving. It’s a freshwater boat, and the main use will be with my wife and 2 kids on local lakes. We have minimal sailing experience, so it will spend most of the time sailing with both hulls in the water...for now. I’ve been on the boat once and didn’t note any soft spots or delamination, just a deck repair aft of the rear crossbar. The owner is taking me out again next week to practice rigging & basic handling.

It looks like it has the reinforced anchor plates for the shrouds, but not the 4 plates for the crossbars. I may have found one last pair of anchor plates at a shop. If I can get them, is it worth getting just 2 plates and installing them on the front crossbar outboard only? I’m unsure if that would that unbalance the load and put the hulls at more risk.

Thanks in advance!

It would certainly not put the hulls at more risk. If the boat is an ‘86 I would definitely install them. Look up under the hull flange where the crossbars attach and check for cracks at the corner where the hull meets the deck. Small hairline cracks in the gelcoat are fairly normal. Any large cracks are a sign that the hull is failing. You can also reinforce inside the hulls by adding glass or carbon to strengthen the hull/deck joint, but it is an involved process. I did a write up with pictures on this forum several years ago detailing the process. You might be able to find it with a search. That said, if the hull hasn’t cracked after 34 years of use, you are probably ok.

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Thanks for the insight. The pair of plates is ordered, and I’ll take a close look at those areas once I get her home.

ETA: The plates were out of stock when I made the order anyway.

Just to add to srm's comment, the forward crossbar is under much heavier load than the aft one. If you can only reinforce one, go for the forward crossbar. But also like srm said, if it's lasted this long, you probably don't need to worry too much... but the brackets are cheap insurance. Also, if you're not pushing the boat hard, double trapped in 15-20+ mph winds, you're probably fine without them, but it doesn't hurt to add them!

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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

Here is the thread on internal hull reinforcement with carbon/glass.

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=49780&hilit=Hull+reinforce&start=0

sm