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 Post subject: Hobie 18 hull alignment
PostPosted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:49 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 6:05 pm
Posts: 14
Hello all, I hope the new year is treating you well. I have an older Hobie 18 1981 that I will be sailing at Huntington this summer. I have heard that during the early years there was little if any quality control. I was wondering if anyone has ever aligned their hulls on an 18 and how to go about making sure that they are square and parallel.

Thanks for any input


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 10:13 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
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Location: Jersey Shore
This should probably be moved to the Hobie 18 forum.

To answer your question, I don't know about there being "little if any quality control" in the early years. I think some aspects of the boat design were probably controlled better than others. The hull layup itself has always been scrutinized and that is apparent in the various weights of the hulls throughout the years. But the hull alignment is controlled by molded parts (the hull deck), cast parts (the corner castings), and extruded/machined parts (the crossbars), so all of this is likely to be well controlled.

Anyway, you can certainly check the alignment of your hulls by using a tape measure and measuring the distance from one bow to the opposite stern and then taking the equivalent measurement on the other side and seeing if the measurements are the same.

The problem is that if the measurements are within about 1/4" or so, it probably doesn't make much difference and if the measurements are out by more than 1/4", there isn't a whole lot you can do about it anyway. If the hulls are out of square, you can try bedding the crossbar saddles in epoxy and pulling the boat square with your mainsheet blocks, but it is a lot of work for probably not much gain.

On a 1981 H18 that is going to be raced, I'd be more concerned with the hulls being soft and/or heavy. I would check the entire boat for soft spots and cracks under the hull flange. And I'd keep the hull covers off as much as possible (maybe even put a small fan inside each hull) to get the hulls as dry as they can be.

sm


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 1:01 pm 
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Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:20 pm
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Location: South Boardman, Mi
I would also add the #1 thing you can do to improve your boat is to sail it. Sure things like hull weight, foil type and condition, and sails make a difference, but your own skills make a much bigger difference.

And if you are truly worried about hull alignment, just keep one hull out of the water at all times and it shouldn't be an issue.


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:50 pm 
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Thanks for the input. All that you said is very true and has been taken into consideration.


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