Mast Float to Help Solo Righting?

I was wondering if anyone who uses a mast float is able to right their 16 solo. When I am trying to right my boat solo I am always stuck with the tip of the mast a few inches below the water and cant get up any further. With the help of someone at the mast tip lifting it out of the water I am usually able to get it the rest of the way myself. So in anyones experience will this allow you to right the boat yourself if is it still not enough?

I have a mast float on a H-16. The reason is because most of my sailing is done in water that's only about 20 feet deep with a lot of mud on the bottom. If I turtle it's going to be a pain in the butt to get the mast unstuck.

I've not found the mast float to make a difference in righting the boat. I need to use shroud extenders to get the boat upright without help. That being said, I see the possibility of with the right combination of sailor weight, wind speed, and wave conditions that a mast float could give the extra boost needed. But then again, with the right conditions, I've gotten my boat upright with me doing nothing more than positioning it right in the water. The wind was that strong it pushed the boat upright without any effort on my part.

Jim Clark-Dawe

I have not heard much about using shroud extenders on a 16. Which kind do you use or did you just rig something up yourself? If it works well for you when youre solo that seems like a pretty simple solution to righting as opposed to a water bag or pole or something, right?

I got mine through West Coast -- https://westcoastsailing.net/hobie-16-s ... ng-system/

There are several threads on shroud extenders in this forum. Sometimes they work great, sometimes they don't work at all. But I've heard the same thing about bags and poles and having 350 pounds worth of sailors. In other words, figure that sometimes you boat just isn't going to come up.

Worst problems seem to be gusty winds with very deep lulls. Gust knocks you over and you're left trying to right your boat in a lull. The wind is an important ally in righting your boat.

Jim Clark-Dawe

jclarkdawe is right on point. A bob will help keep you from going turtle, but it does not otherwise help with righting. In fact it adds weight at the very tip of the mast...the worst possible spot.

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16

Joe Bennett has some good videos on this. His site is Joyrider tv on the tube.
I took my bob off as I sail open ocean mostly and turtling won't hit bottom. It doesn't help with righting the capsized boat, just from keeping turtle. Just get the boat mast facing windward by standing on front of hull to get hull to pivet, (tramp will act as a sail) throw your righting line over the raised hull around the shroud anchor and lean back. If you have to time the gusts or use water bag, so be it. I sail solo and don't have too much of problem, but it's probably because I'm 6'5" and 240#.

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'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16

Bobs just keep the mast from going turtle, no help in raising other than that.

How many people have righted an H16 solo that has turned turtle?

If your mast is reasonably sealed, getting it on it's side from the Turtle position is not that hard. I have been able to do it solo. Getting it up on 2 hulls from there is where I have issues. Even with 2 people it is MUCH easier with some wind. I was in a fun race is super light air and to be nice I went to pass a small mono-hull to leeward when a gust came up. Since we were in really light wind, I was way up on the windward bow to keep the sterns out of the water and made the mistake of leaving the mainsheet on the tramp. When I started to heel over the mainsheet slide off the back of the boat and if I went after it, I would have flipped. My other option was to turn up, but since I was only a couple feet downwind of another boat that I didn't know the skipper of, I couldn't turn up. I did the honorable thing and flipped it. It was REALLY hard to get it back upright. Fortunately there was one other H16 on the water and he helped me right it. It was quite embarrassing, but a great lesson. Always keep the mainsheet with you no matter how light the wind.

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Steve
1979 Hobie 16 "Orange Crusher"
2017 Hobie 16 "Cayman" sails 114795