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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 10:41 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:13 am
Posts: 18
I´m posting a link to the only 17 for sale in DK. After having received good advice in this forum I´m somewhat concerned that the boat might be in bad shape since it has a jib but no spreader bar. I can install one but could the boat have taken damage having sailed without one? And how do I determine if it has?

https://www.dba.dk/hobie-cat-17-cat-der ... 058202846/

I have read though a lot of posts on the 17 forum and I get the feeling that the 17 is very fragile, one person states that he replaces front crossbar every season? The 16, Tiger and 21 I have owned all seemed to be of excellent quality, especially the 16 and 21 seemed indestructible. I have, not by choice, found myself in winds around 35 knts. but still felt fairly safe. Is the 17 a bad choice?

I am considering a 16 or restoring an 18 but but I do like the single hand focus with the 17. Nevertheless, does the boat in the ad look reasonable? I can ofcourse install a spreaderbar myself.

And thank you for a great forum and a fantastic community.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 1:46 pm 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
The front crossbar on the 17 is prone to corroding and cracking, especially in a salt water environment. The critical inspection areas are hard or impossible to see with the boat assembled, so regular disassembly is recommended. The most common area (where the backing plate rivets to the inside of the crossbar) can be reinforced with aluminum sheet to beef up the area. I’m not aware of any crossbars suffering total failure, but it is something of a weak point in the design, so keep an eye on it.

Other than that, the boats are pretty sturdy and just about any other damage can be repaired with moderate skill and tools.

For the boat in your pictures, I would just inspect the condition of the hulls forward of the crossbar. Check for any cracks, soft spots, or wavieness in the hull surface. If all looks good, then it’s probably ok. Then decide if you want to continue to use the jib or just run the boat as a unirig. If using the jib, then definitely install the biw spreader.

sm


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 4:10 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:13 am
Posts: 18
Thank you very much for the reply, I will check it out thoroughly. Is it possible to buy a new one if and when that happens, since the boat is not in production anymore? What do people do to prevent the crossbar from corroding?


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 5:21 pm 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
Not sure about whether or not new crossbars are still available. To prevent corroding, carefully remove the dolphin striker rod and rivets that secure the stainless backing plate inside the crossbar. Coat everything with tefgel and re-install. After that, rinse everything thoroughly after sailing in salt water and disassemble the boat at the end of every season to give everything a good cleaning and inspection.

sm


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