Hobie 14 Deck Side Beam corroded, bent - stay popped out

Last year I bought a very old Hobie 14. I noticed immediately that one of the deck side beams was a little bent, but they were only asking peanuts for it, so I bought it anyhow.

We leave it on the side of the river, near home, with the mast in place. Looking out the window yesterday, I couldn't see the top of the mast poking up behind the trees as usual.

I found that the side stay rivets had popped out of the deck side beam, and that it was a bit corroded there.

I am the worst handyman you could possibly imagine, so I would prefer to replace the side beam than to try to straighten and reinforce it.

Is there anywhere in Australia that sells Hobie 14 side beams? (Or anywhere else, I guess?)

On all the Hobie parts shop sites that I've found, the deck beams are not listed, as far as I can tell.

You can cut down (cut shorter) a Hobie 16 side bar if needed. Then place the tang in the same position.

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

I can’t find anywhere in Australia that sells them either. Any ideas where I can get them?

Distributor website: https://www.hobie.com/au/en/

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

Thanks, Matt. Looks like that should work. Unfortunately, my search skills seem to be lacking and I’m not sure what search term to use to find what I need.

Judging by your sig., I’m hoping you may be able to tell me what to search for. Is that something you can help with?

PS. Actually, does this look right? …

https://www.hobie.com/au/en/parts-and-a ... 5D=sidebar

Mine is not black, but I don’t think that matters. Also mine is a 14, not a 16. But as you said, it can be cut down to size.

Clicking on the item doesn’t work though, so not sure if I can buy it from there.

Yes, that is the correct part. Sidebar.

Try the dealer finder: https://www.hobie.com/au/en/dealers/

You need to select "Fiberglass Sailboats" and the city / state you are in to bring up the closest dealer carrying sailboat parts. You can also google Hobie sailboat dealer in your region.

Here is a result that carries sailboats using Sydney...

https://totallyimmersed.com.au/

Also ask about used parts.

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

You said that the sidebar on your boat was a little bent, but that doesn’t seem to be the problem. It seems like the issue is the holes for the shroud tang corroded and the rivets pulled out. So in that case, I think you could probably just relocate the tang an inch or two farther aft and re-install it (drill new holes and install rivets). Or remove the sidebar, flip it over, and drill new holes to install the tang in the original location on the opposite end of the bar.

sm

Thanks for the suggestion. But it is not either/or. It is both. The rivets have popped out through the corroded metal AND the sidebar is bent.

In fact although it looks only a little bent, pushing down on it (as though to straighten it) reveals that it is also cracked most of the way through.