I have been sailing a Hobie Wave for years now and recently picked up a 1980 Hobie 16. We mainly sail recreationally and I’m not too fussed about maximizing the setup for the time being. But our club does have a friendly race series that I plan on eventually joining with my 13 year old son, and so I would like the boat to be capable of being rigged for racing when the time comes.
The boat appears to be in good condition but I have a few questions about some issues I spotted:
1. One of the shrouds is looking ‘tired’ so I plan on replacing it. But I have read on this forum that the length of the shroud has changed a few times over the years and the current version is quite a bit shorter than the 1980 version. I measured the existing shrouds and they are both 19 ft from end to end. Does anyone know the length of the current version of the shroud? I was planning on picking up a 10 hole shroud adjuster to account for the shorter length of the shroud. Will the 10 hole adjuster be enough?
2. The other shroud is missing the twist toggle at the bottom of the adjuster. I would replace it, but the supplier in Canada is currently out of stock and I can’t see any other options in Canada. Before I look at international shipping, do I really need the twist toggle if I otherwise compensate for the shorter length by moving the shroud adjuster up a few holes? I would use the 10 hole adjuster on the side that is missing the twist toggle.
3. When setting the mast rake, the best that I can get with the existing setup is the 3rd hole from the bottom. This is on the shroud adjuster that has the twist toggle intact (5th hold from the bottom on the other side with no twist toggle). But at this setting, the forestay is under a good amount of strain and there is no chance that we would be able to connect the forestay the next time we raise the mast. The existing forestay is 17’ 2” end to end and already has two 10 hole adjusters on it. I guess I could add a third adjuster, but I was wondering if I could use the old ‘tired’ shroud as a forestay? I believe that the replacement forestay is 18’ 10”, so my existing shroud would only be a few inches longer? I could replace the jib hank with a 5mm or 6mm version to account for the thicker plastic coating.
4. Lastly, the hull seems to be in good shape with no soft spots. But there are quite a few patches where the gelcoat is flaking. Each area is fairly small and no bigger than about 4 or 5 square inches. Is this something I need to address immediately, or can I wait until the end of the season in the Fall? Or is this simply a cosmetic issue and I don’t really need to worry about it if all we do is recreational sailing?
Any help would be appreciated!
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