AntonLargiader wrote:
Aha. Thanks. I was wondering because the pics I saw of that hybrid track system showed cars that looked awfully similar to mine (which are 2000).
So is this right?
- pre-'95 was riveted on metal track. Don't know if there were any car changes. There were several different cars over the years. The earliest ones had integrated cleats; later ones (about 1982) had just the block w/becket and the cleats were mounted on the crossbar. There were many aftermarket jib cars, mostly to facilitate adjustment via lines instead of the pins/holes. It was common practice to remove the pins or wrap them with wire under the pin cap to keep them from engaging the track.
- the first integrated track was shallower with pins and holes to position the cars
- shortly afterward the track was deepened and the cars looked the same but had adjustment with lines - this corresponds to the introduction of the front corner castings with integrated turning blocks.
- in 2004 the roller-bearing cars were introduced (and will only fit the deeper track)
- at some point Hobie introduced the "Lo-Profile jib block" kit as a retrofit for the old steel track. These have been around for a long time.
So any '95 shallow track will have holes, right? Not necessarily.
You cannot talk about "Model year changes" in Hobie 16s like you can automobiles because the production numbers are so low, especially after 1990. Hobie 16s are essentially hand-made - there is no automation involved, except for the plotter that cuts sailcloth. Changes made their way into the boats after the inventory of old parts was used up. 1995 was the low point of the "bad times" for Hobie Cat. They had just been sold (for the third time in 7 years) and they were starting to import parts from Europe (the integrated track crossbars and corner castings). They were trying to use up inventory that was just lying around (and essentially "free"). There was a lot of variation in the details.
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