Newbie owner Roller furler question

Greetings-

I am a new owner of a Hobie 18. Got what I think was a pretty good deal. I have examined my cat and the hulls appear to be in good shape with no cracks or softspots anywhere, rudders are good. The main sail is in like new condition, missing a jib though. All the rigging is complete and functional. Came with nylon suits for sailing, fenders, an extra new main and miscellaneous spares. The dagger boards have minor chips on the back, maybe from careless placement. That will be an easy fix. Came with trailer too. Two questions- the roller furler- is that spring loaded for retraction? Mine appears to be repaired & doesn’t seem to auto- rewind, if that’s the way it works. Seems like it should be spring loaded. Second question- hull ID numbers- are they etched into the stern of the port hull? Thanks for your help!

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Hobie 18, Coronado 25
Shelton, Washington

You know your a sailor when....
You check the price of "for sale" boats, even though you're not buying one.

The furler is not spring loaded. There is a line on a internal spool that exits out of a hole in the back port side of the furler housing. This line should be spooled in before raising the jib. When you want to furl the jib you pull this line out and the jib furls up. When you pull the jib out unfurling it this line winds back in on the spool ready to be pulled for furling again.

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

Ok, cool. Thanks for the tip. I saw what was supposed to be a Hobie 18 jib for sale that said it
came with a batten. Does th 18 jib have a batten?

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Hobie 18, Coronado 25
Shelton, Washington

You know your a sailor when....
You check the price of "for sale" boats, even though you're not buying one.

ID numbers are etched into the stern of both hulls.

Stock H18 Jibs do not have battens, you can't furl the jib if it has full battens, and can't furl it properly if you have half battens.

http://www.catsailor.com/bb_files/2500.jpg

The main has full length battens, the jib does not.

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Tom
Fleet 259, Central Coast CA
H18 ('81)
H18 ('85)
H20 ('97)
H18 ('78)

Yeah, I couldn’t see how a batten would work on the jib either, especially when coupled with a roller furler. Thanks for the help.

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Hobie 18, Coronado 25
Shelton, Washington

You know your a sailor when....
You check the price of "for sale" boats, even though you're not buying one.

Look carefully as you mount the furler. It is directional in that if mounted one way the furling line rubs against the plastic housing, and will wear. mounted the other way, the line runs freely in and out of the opening in the body... As i'm sure it was meant to.

Totally agree with raisehull. The exit hole should be on the back port side of the furler housing, straight shot back to the crossbar, port side. Jim.

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

Thanks for your input guys. I will also check to make sure the furler is mounted properly- as Raisehull suggested. I spent most of the day cleaning the Cat. Found a great solution called 30 second Outdoor cleaner. Its available from Lowes for $10.00 a gallon. You mix it 1 to 1 and use a scrub brush or rah. It makes everything look new! "Cat-astrophe" looks like new now. Additionally, I went through the rest of the gear and discovered what was supposed to be a new main, turned out to be a new jib. So I have a complete set of sails now. Would have been nice to have a second new main, but the jib looks great. I have some nor chips to repair on the aft section of the dagger boards, should be finished with that by the end of the week. Hope to go sail the cat for the first time this Friday. Thanks again for all you help guys.

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Hobie 18, Coronado 25
Shelton, Washington

You know your a sailor when....
You check the price of "for sale" boats, even though you're not buying one.