Help! 1978 Hobie 16 rigging

Hi. I just finished the hull and trampoline restoration of my 1978 H16. The hulls were delaminated and the tramp frame had a broken corner casting. Now that i have finished that, i just installed a new trampoline and i want to get all new ropes before i throw her in the water. Does anyone know where i can find a complete list of what i need? My ‘78 is all original parts (no automatic travelers), so i don’t think some of the complete line kits on eBay are correct for me. Any help is appreciated! I know next to nothing about these boats other than i love them. I’ve also never sailed a 16, just a smaller hobie (main sail only) at a resort in my honeymoon. Is there anyone in NC willing to help a newbie out? Thanks!

Not sure what you mean by automatic traveler. Some of the earliest H16's (well before 1978) had a unique main traveler setup, but these are rare. Most boats have a single sheet for the mainsheet and the traveler which routes through a cam cleat centered on the rear crossbar. If you have this cam cleat on the rear crossbar you have the normal setup and the line kits should work fine.

https://www.murrays.com/product/01-391/
or dig through the parts guide:
https://media.hobie.com/digital_assets/ ... h_2017.pdf

Are you talking about the main traveler with lengths of line on each side that wedge into a crude jam cleat and tie off to the pylons? What I'd do in your situation is go grab 50ft. of cheap rope, twine, string, etc. from the hardware store and run it through, adjust the length to your liking, mark, then measure and see what you get. It would be pretty frustrating to order some expensive line just to come up short. Don't forget to travel out and push the sails out to mimic worst case scenario.

Call Charlie at Sail & Ski Connection, Myrtle Beach, SC ph (843) 626-SAIL

He hasn't posted back, so maybe you are all set. When I got my '79 H16, I bought cheap rope at Home Depot to get the boat rolling and learned to sail. (some will debate that I ever learned to sail)

Then over time I started replacing it with good line from the local Hobie dealer and online. The Home Depot stuff is fine for starting out and let's you figure things out. The biggest drawback is that it wears out faster and has some stretch to it.

It sounds like in your original post you were taking about the Jib travelers. I also have the old ones, and they do probably have different length than the new traveler system. Again, I think the easiest way is to get cheap rope and install it long, then cut it down over time. Just be sure to leave enough length to go out on the trap and still control everything, especially downwind when the sails are all the way out on the other side of the boat from you.

Enjoy, and welcome to the addiction!

_________________
Steve
2017 Hobie 16 "Cayman" sails 114795
1985 & 1973? Hobie 14 "Sea & Ski"