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 Post subject: AI Spinnaker Kit
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2021 10:27 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:54 am
Posts: 7
I recently received my asymmetrical spinnaker kit. One of the noticeable differences in my assembly and what is shown on the Hobie factory spinnaker kit installation video is that the masthead halyard assembly fits loosely on the top of the mast. In the factory video, the Hobie tech bumps the masthead fitting onto the top of the mast seemingly inferring that it must be a slight interference fit requiring a slight pressure to get it to stick onto the top of the mast. Mine is totally loose and would fall off it turned upside down.
Reasoning that the boat should be upright and the halyard would have some downward force on the assembly I reasoned that must be the way it is.
Yesterday as I was furling the mainsail to bring the boat back to shore, the masthead assembly fell off and got tangled up in the mainsail furl; keeping me from furling the sail up. Fortunately, the wind was manageable and I was able to sort out the furling well enough to make it back to the dock and lower the mast.
The ID of my masthead assembly where it fits over the mast is 34.7mm or 1.37”. Does anyone know if there is a difference between the AI and TI masthead assemblies for the spinnaker kit? How do these dimensions compare with what others have?
I have reasoned that I could put some tape around the mast head making it larger in OD so it would fit better. However, it would be nice if it worked out of the box. Any thoughts?


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 Post subject: Re: AI Spinnaker Kit
PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:07 am 
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Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:46 pm
Posts: 3
Good morning. I am wondering the exact same thing. I just installed a spinnaker kit on my 2021 TI this weekend. The masthead assembly is not the correct diameter for my mast. I used non-adhesive tape to fill the gap but I am not particularly happy with this solution.
Also, I found that there is too much interference between the top of the mainsail and the spinnaker halyard line. I found it nearly impossible to furl the mainsail without the mainsail batten snagging the line. I am going to try trimming the batten as low as possible. Since the masthead assembly isn't engineered correctly for the TI anyway I am wondering if maybe it makes sense to try extending it to give additional clearance for the spinnaker halyard?
Anyone else experiencing these issues?


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 Post subject: Re: AI Spinnaker Kit
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 2:41 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 2863
Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=62594


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 Post subject: Re: AI Spinnaker Kit
PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:06 am 
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Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2021 1:12 pm
Posts: 63
(erik) wrote:
The masthead assembly is not the correct diameter for my mast. I used non-adhesive tape to fill the gap but I am not particularly happy with this solution.


I found that if you put a half twist in the webbing at the top of mast, that increases the effective masthead diameter such that the topper fits quite securely.


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 Post subject: Re: AI Spinnaker Kit
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:44 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15030
Location: Oceanside, California
Nothing has changed with the sails or the topper, so not sure that this is not the way it has always been?

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


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