New to me H18 - Weird halyard cleat on mast

Hi all,

I have spend the last two weeks learning as much as possible about my new H18.

I have a 78 ( E788 ) cat, with new style EPO rudders. The dagger wells are flanged top and bottom.

I think a previous owner maybe had a funny idea about the main halyard. There is a block with a cam cleat attached to the mast that I haven't seen on any other H18.



https://mega.nz/#!ODABRQ4L!CK8HetpwEYMMMAnoPieFiJJvRuvVjgwHpN0e4HNxVow

Do any of you have some idea of what this might be for? Worth keeping?

Thanks!

-Ted

Definitely not original equipment.

My guess is that the previous owner was having problems with the halyard latch, so they installed this cleat.

Agreed. Most likely the previous owner got frustrated with the hook system and looked for another solution. The hook system can take some getting used to and has caused a lot of headaches for some sailors. However, once you figure out how to make it work, it actually works quite well.

That cleat could also have been used if the previous owner sailed solo often and needed a way to make hoisting the main easier - pull the halyard, cleat it off, feed some mainsail into the luff track, pull more halyard, etc.

sm

Thanks guys!

The plastic luff track on the comptip is damaged, and the sail is really hard to raise. I just got a good used one to fix it with. The alu section will be here next week. I think the previous owner didn't know about Sailkote...

The mast has the latch 'flipper' still installed. I guess I should remove it.

Any thoughts on whether the Aussie ring would work better than the regular ( version 2, I guess ) ring?

Downhaul system?

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

Hello Ted,
How about a picture of the top of the mast?

I agree with SRM this looks like a main halyard fix for someone that had problems hooking the ring to the hook. If you can add a picture of the top of the mast we can confirm if the hook is missing or altered. I disagree that this is down haul, the block would be inverted if it was used that way plus the line in the block matches the line tied to the halyard ring.

Are you sure this is a 78 or could it be an 88? last 4 of the serial number will confirm. (were black crossbars available in 78?)

Where are you I see snow?

_________________
Corkguy H18, Tiger, Wildcat

Corkguy - You're right - It's an 88 ( E788 )

The top hook is fine. The flipper is still in place - maybe that's the problem!

Thanks for the replies guys!

My responses are a bit out of order due to waiting for new user post moderation.

I guess I could keep that stuff there to aid singlehanding. I don't think that's in the plan this year, as we are new to cat sailing. The Rockland harbor is reasonably well protected, but I'm not ready to send my teen age son out alone - yet...

It looks like I might be able to add a small block there and upgrade the downhaul a bit. 4:1 should be cheap and easy.

you have to pay attention to what is going on when raising the main. if you do it correctly you can both hear it and feel it lock in or unlock(feel it only on a really windy day) when dropping. I would recommend practicing on a nice quite day a few times. Many silicone lubes are recommended for the sail track. i just use paraffin wax on the bolt rope and lasts for quite awhile. it is also quite cheap.
Yer foto link is already gone

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

Set up with 8:1 downhaul on the mainsail. Anything less than 8:1 and you aren’t getting enough on when it is windy.

With the halyard hook and ring, the Aussie Ring is not strong enough. The ring elongates as it is only 3/16”. You should use a 5mm ring with a nice 1/4” twist shackle. All these are shown on my boats own Facebook page. See link below.

To raise and lower sail easily, do it with the rig tension OFF. Make sure the boat is directly head to wind.

Enjoy.

_________________
John Forbes
Hobie 18 Reimagined
Sail # 490
Boat name: 18@heart
http://www.hobie18.fun
https://www.facebook.com/Hobie18catamaran/

I've got the ring with the offset eye.

It seems that Hobie started off using a plain ring and a twist shackle, and then changed to the one piece designs after a few years.

Going back to that as you suggested is an easy experiment. Thanks!

I am planning to flip over the sheave and cleat that's on the mast now and adapt it to a downhaul. I have a few months to look for the rest of the parts to finish it up.

Ok. Please also check out all the photo and video albums on my boats Facebook page for lots of neat ideas with boat set up. All my ideas are based around making the boat nicer to sail, less bruising on knees and bums, less torn wetsuits and most importantly a happy crew. If the crew is happy and getting around the boat faster then you will go faster.

Oh yer, I also design it to be faster to rig and unrig. First to the BBQ wins.

_________________
John Forbes
Hobie 18 Reimagined
Sail # 490
Boat name: 18@heart
http://www.hobie18.fun
https://www.facebook.com/Hobie18catamaran/

"First to the BBQ wins"

Mmmm Better than any trophy. Hence the heavy crew!

I haven't joined Faceborg. I can see most of the content, I think. I just get pestered to sign up every few clicks.

Your site is a great resource. Interesting to compare your setup with what Berman was running in the early 80's.

I found a posting yesterday that said the comp tip came out mid 80's, so perhaps Berman's advice doesn't consider that factor. Certainly no mention of it that I remember.

You might be a good person to write an updated / revised edition of the H18 Performance manual. Berman and Murray's might participate in publishing and give you a cut. Probably won't make you rich, though...

Thanks. I’ve got the Berman books and others. More for their historical value though. A lot has changed since then with nearly every off the beach cat, the main one being mast rake, and lots of it. The increased mast rake has many knock on effects such as different draft position on the main, centre of effort changes, load on rudders, bow out, sheet harder, jib slot changes, etc all which, if all acted upon in unison, can lead to a smoother ride and more height upwind. But it’s still one of many factors to a faster boat.

In my opinion, the biggest advantage in boat speed, balance, pointing and thus general acceleration comes from good rudders and boards. Hobie have produced up to 11 different rudder shapes since inception to try and make the boat steer better and allow tighter sheeting without stalling the blades. In Australia nearly every H18 uses after market (Finline) rudders or new EPO3 rudders. The Finlines fit the H18 nicely. The EPO3’s need a fair amount of work to suit the H18 rudder assembly as they are originally designed to suit the H16 castings, but their shape and construction is nice.

On the Hobie 18 the stock standard dagger boards need LOTS of work to stop them humming, mainly on the trailing/aft edge and also by reducing slop in the trunk/case. In Australia nearly every boat uses after market (Finline) dagger boards to ensure a smoother (quieter) ride and thus better performance upwind. Start sanding down those trailing edges to an even, sharp edge.

_________________
John Forbes
Hobie 18 Reimagined
Sail # 490
Boat name: 18@heart
http://www.hobie18.fun
https://www.facebook.com/Hobie18catamaran/