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My boat's an 81 but almost never been sailed. Gorgeous condition. It should be stiff enough considering it' been sailed maaaaaaaaayyybe 15 times in it's life.
Yeah, but it's still probably heavy. Remember the saying, "Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly is to the bone"? Same thing goes for stiffness and weight. You can fix a loose boat. You can't fix a heavy boat.
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That way our race gear should be good for at least 2 seasons.
With proper care, rudders will last indefintely. I've got a set of EPO's that are over 20 years old and still going strong.
Jibs will last (meaning "ultra-competitive") 2 - 3 years depending on how much use they get. They'll still be good for sailing, you just won't be able to point as high and/or the leech will start to flutter.
Mains last a long time - 6 years is not uncommon. Hobie 16 sails are not like monohull sails - the full battens keep the sail from flogging itself to death.
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How much are new fiberglass rudders, and a new suit of sails? 2k sounds like a hell of a lot... Does hobie do the whole "sail with our sails or don't sail at all" thing?
White fiberglass rudders - $220 a piece. (Carbon - $250 each)
Jib - $365 (white) $490 (colored)
Main - $752 (white) $871 (colored)
If you're going to run two sets of sails, you'll need two set of battens - it's a PITA to switch battens - add another $170 for main & jib battens.
You can sail with whatever sails you want. If you want to race, the Hobie Class Association requires Hobie Cat brand sails at sanctioned events. It's no different than any other one-design class that requires sailmakers to measure and pay royalties for the "button" that makes their sails class legal.
Hobie Cat brand sails are high quality and are made in the USA.