Hull flex . . .

In high winds (20+) and high surf (6' to 8' swells), how much flex, if any, should there be in the bows of an H16?

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Happy Sailing,

David

How much flex?

Hard to measure, but every cat will twist and allow the bows to change height compared to each other. The 16 will certainly flex over large waves.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I have heard from others that if you have a tight boat when you lift one hull at the tip of the bow the other hull should start to rise before you get the hull you are lifting more than 6 inches. Is this a good way to measure how tight the boat is?

Thanks Guys,

Just wanted to make sure that my boat is not getting ready to come apart on me. The boat itself is pretty tight. It's strange that I never noticed this until a crew ( I sail solo most of the time) brought it to my attention. Went out this week-end and was able to take notice. There wasn't a lot of flex but there was some, especially whenever the stern of the leeward hull was the only part of the boat in the water. In the aftermath of "Dean," the waters off the SoCal coast have been more like a "theme park."

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Happy Sailing,

David