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PostPosted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:49 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 9:16 pm
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I've been sailing lots of different monohulls through my life; I used to race Tornado cats too. Thought I knew enough to get an old Hobie 14, and take the family to the lake on hot days on Lake Folsom.

First time out, seemed ok, we raced around in pairs. Each kid and I, wife and I. The wind started building, and two kids want to go again - 15 and 18 years old. I'm about 175 lbs. Something tells me that is too many people, and too much weight, but what happened surprised me. And I mention this to be service to others.

First, when in irons after trying to come about, we capsized, GOING BACKWARDS! I was trying to back wind the sail, and the sturn just sunk in a gust and swell, and we pitched back hard, and in we went. I had never capsized a Hobie, and kids have minimal sailing experience, let alone capsizing. With some effort we are back up, a bit cold, far from the beach, but going. Found a soft spot on the starboard hull inside, where we were standing.

The wind had really built. Started to see some white caps. Chose to sail hard up to hopefully make my beach without another tack. We were really slogging. Boat didn't want to go, and we were riding low. Then POP, the windward shroud snapped. Mast was down, we we are in the middle of the lake. I've never lost a mast sailing.

A very nice Catalina (i think) 25 sailing couple saw us in distress, called a rescue. A very professional rescue crew showed up, and towed us in.

We managed to loose a batten, sunglasses, and a shackle and pin. But, we are home safe, and I can't thank the people that rescued us enough.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 8:44 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:34 pm
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Location: Hartland, WI
I've seen an overloaded 16 go over the same way. Looks odd when the bows just rise straight up.

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83 yellow/ white decks Hobie 14 Corando turbo
82 yellow hulls Hobie 16 Cat Fever
84 yellow hulls hobie 16 Yellow Nationals
plus a few extras that I'm restoring


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:20 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
A 14 can and will capsize in any direction. The optimum crew weight for a Hobie 14 is about 150 - 180 Lbs, so yea, I would say you were a little overloaded. I'm 200 Lbs and have nearly gone over backwards on a 14 myself.

I think that unless you're planning to mostly sail solo, you should probably look at getting another boat. The 14 is one of the most weight sensitive boats ever conceived and it just doesn't perform well with more than one person on board (as you found out). Also be careful about soft spots, especially since you said you already found one. Soft spots are an indicator that the hull structure is failing and they will just get worse if they aren't repaired.

Sailing an overloaded Hobie with soft hulls generally does not end well....

sm


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 4:58 pm 
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Thanks for the comments. I'll take your advice seriously.

Is there a best way to inspect for a soft hull. I can press on it, or knock on it, but should I be looking for anything specific?

As for why it pitched up and backed into the water, I've been thinking it may have been that I had the rudders hard over, as I was trying to back out of irons. And, I suppose, when the boat pitch up in a swell, and was moving backward quickly, the rudders being nearly 90% to the transom, just dug in, and acted like a plow driving the hull in backwards.

I looked to me like we were going to sink
cpnsoo wrote:
I've seen an overloaded 16 go over the same way. Looks odd when the bows just rise straight up.
. I have never capsized a boat backward like that.

Live and learn. Just glad this past time is forgiving. In aviation, overloading is generally curtains.


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:20 pm 
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Looks like the hulls are soft in a few places. Worth trying to fix, or shall I drive it to the dump?


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:54 am 
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Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 5:24 pm
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Location: New Hampshire
Well it's up to you on the worth of fixing it but,You have sailed it once at least.

If it was me and I had it, I would fix it and enjoy it. If you can get the kids involved it could be a fun bonding time they will always remember.

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82 Yellow hull16 '81 Boomer nationals 20.9 on GPS
83 White hull 16 No sails "Clean and Purty Now!"
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 1:58 pm 
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Are there good tutorials, or is it something I'll have to learn through trial and error?

I've heard one approach is, if the hull is a fiberglass sandwich, then drill through the first layer, and stop before the second, then fill the cavity with resin. This boat was built in 1979. Any idea what type of construction?

I was also thinking of installing expansion ports, in the deck, and working down that way. But, I haven't thought that through yet.

My biggest concern is that I spend time and money, and mess it up, if it turns out I made bad assumptions.

Thanks


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:23 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:34 pm
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Location: Hartland, WI
Port hatches just weaken the structure. And between the pylons there is a styrofoam block taking up space . It serves as a preserver in case of a hull failure. So if you plan on working on the midsection you'll run into those.
You want to use a thin epoxy that is meant for repairing rotten wood on boats. One name brand is git rot, there are others.
How large are the soft spots?
Hulls construction is pretty much the same throughout the years.
You don't need very large holes to inject the epoxy, you just need a syringe with a small tip. That way the syringe is against the outer layer, so when you inject it'll fill both the inner layer and outer layer around the foam.
Companies that sell the epoxy usually have the syringes also.

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JKK
83 yellow/ white decks Hobie 14 Corando turbo
82 yellow hulls Hobie 16 Cat Fever
84 yellow hulls hobie 16 Yellow Nationals
plus a few extras that I'm restoring


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 2:59 am 
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Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 2:53 am
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You have to fix if the soft is in front of the front pylon. If between the pylons its not so critical.
You did the Hobie salute with the bows vertical.
The 14 will capsize 4 ways.
Steve

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 11:41 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
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Location: Jersey Shore
There are tons of discussions on this site regarding soft spot repair do's and don'ts. There is also an article on it in the FAQ for this forum.

Yes, all Hobie 14s are (more or less) the same construction. That is, they are all fiberglass/foam sandwich hull construction. You can do an epoxy injection to re-bond the skins.

The problems with the injection repair occur when the damaged area has gotten too large, it ends up consuming huge amounts of epoxy. If the soft spots are relatively small (say one square foot or less), then they can often be repaired by injecting. However, soft spots are generally an indicator that the hulls are breaking down. Injecting resin just helps to delay the inevitable.

To do the repair, mark out the affected area of the hull. Cover the entire area with masking tape (to prevent resin drips). Drill a series of holes (generally about 2 - 4 inches apart) into the hull. Use a drill stop so the bit only goes through the first layer (about 1/8 - 3/16 inch deep). The syringe should fit snugly into the holes. Mix up a batch of epoxy and begin injecting into the holes. Epoxy should flow out of the adjacent holes. Once all holes have been injected, let the epoxy cure. Peel off the tape while the epoxy is still "green".

sm


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