Useful life of a H18?

Hello,

New to the forum, Hobie sailor since 1980, currently own a 1985 H18 SE sail number 10934. I believe it is a redline boat. It has just developed the front crossbar cracks and the port hull is leaking considerably.

I have two questions:

1. Where would I source parts for the repair? I am aware that there is a reinforcement support for the problem area.

2. Any opinions on the useful life of 31 year old hulls?? I have a few very small soft spots but no other visible damage than the front crossbar area. I'm considering a new boat although I am very smitten with this one. I do sail her on Lake Michigan every year in heavy weather so there is significant stress on the structure.

Thanks to all who answer and keep the forum going!

If the hulls have cracked, then you need to repair the fiberglass. That would be the first step. I repaired a set of 1985 red line hulls a few years ago which had been cracked at the front crossbar for many years (they always leaked heavily). There are countless sources online that sell composite materials that you can use for your repair. I like uscomposites.com.

Repairing the fiberglass can be quite involved and time consuming. Below is a link to a thread I posted after doing the repair on my boat.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=49780&hilit=repair

There is also an updated hull anchor plate that you can install on all four front cross bar bolts where the crossbar connects to the hull. This kit is available through any Hobie dealer and is definitely recommended.

sm

Great info thank you for your input.

How has the 1985 repair fared in the meantime?

I am leaning towards repair first, shop later if needed.

kentfry, the early to mid 80's boats are particularly susceptible to cracking. The early boats were significantly overbuilt and used a lot of resin, but in doing so Hobie's quality control suffered somewhat and boat weights varied and were overall heavier than they "needed to be." Of course, the boats were also much cheaper than they are/would be today. In the 80's, Hobie focused more on quality control, trying to produce boats with a little more consistent weight, and produce an overall lighter boat. While the boats were great at the time of production, their longevity suffered a bit. The recommended reinforcement at the crossbar and the crossbar reinforcement kit strengthens the highest stressed point on the boat, and builds some of that longevity back.

As far as useful life, a lot of that depends on when it was built, the environment it's sailed in and how well it's cared for. Salt water boats that are left outside in the sun with water in the hulls have gone soft and wasted away in as little as 15 years or so, while boats that are rinsed off, covered, stored inside, kept dry and out of the sun have lasted close to 40 years. My freshwater '78 is very much starting to show it's age after 38 years, I doubt it will last more than another 5-8 years. However, it hasn't been stored indoors, and has had to survive harsh midwest winters. I would think 50 years is not out of the question for a well cared for boat.

_________________
Mike

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

+1
.....but, it depends how you use it. If you sail them like we do here on the central coast of CA we can get 2-3 years. LoL

Lake sailors in Kansas maybe 60.

_________________
H18 '85
H18 '89 "Knotty Passion"
H20 '96 "20/20 Vision"
Fleet 259 Central Coast California

People bash on the Redline boats but I have both a 84 and 85 freshwater boats that have no cracks and no soft spots. One is even a magnum and didn't get reinforcement plates installed till 2 years ago when I bought it. My 80 was way more cracked and soft, but it came from salt water.