Mast base issues

Twice now, sailing on the west side of Maui in typically leeward areas, on really blustery days, where the wind turned terrible, 0-40 mph, my mast base in the hull has jumped out leaving my sail leaning over precariously. It happened the first day I bought the kayak, I assumed it had broken on the previous owner and he didn’t disclose it to me. I went home, lined it back up, screwed the base to the hull and it worked fine for several sails. I took it to Kauai and sailed the Napali coast in full summer trades with no issue. But yesterday it came out again. Both times it happens where the wind turned awful, and I had the sail “reefed”, with only about 4 feet out due to the change in conditions.

Has anyone experienced this problem? Is it exacerbated by sailing the sail partially furled? Did it just happen due to being hit by a gust? I didn’t thread lock the stew into the hull after the first time this happened, but maybe I should this time? Any advice from someone who has experienced this would be greatly appreciated.

Also on reassembly, should the turnbuckles be pulling tension together, basically pulling up on the hull? Or should there be force extending the turnbuckles thus pressing the mast base to the hull?

It appears all my questions are already answered in the v brace thread and in the Hobie video attached…

Sorry to see you are having trouble with your TI mast.

Need a bit more info to give you a proper response.
- Year of your TI
- Any pics of the mast receiver attachment point
- Pics looking down into the hole that the V brace screw goes into.
- Pics of the V brace set screw by itself next to a ruler to verify length.

I am assuming you have read the sticky post on this subject (V Brace set screw): https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=66542 If not recommend reading this.

My experiences:

I sail in rough offshore conditions with the sail reefed a fair bit of the time. The V brace set screw on the bottom eventually wears out. Hobie did a redesign from a 1/4 inch stud to a 5/16 inch stud starting with 2016 hulls.... For good reason... the 1/4 stud just is not up to the forces.

I have had my TI mast tip over (break off from stud in the bottom and the mast leans over about 30 degrees). Note the mast did not break. This was the older 1/4 inch stud. I my case the actual fail point was in moderate wind conditions. Upon repair and with the expert help from Andy LeVine (Tackle Shack (Florida)) we were able to remove the broken embedded stud (nothing sticking out) with a new 1/4 inch V Brace set screw and replace the mast receiver which was also had excessive wear. My failure was from an accumulation of wear over many sails.

I do an annual inspection on this bolt and replace it if there is any wear. I also inspect the turnbuckles for proper tightness. I now sail the 2022 TI with the larger 5/16 set screw.

The turnbuckles should have equal tension (turns) on both sides. Not pushing down or pulling up (based on my TI). Tighten the V Brace to get it stiff without expanding the hull. Then lock the nuts. Others could comment.

So....without any additional information....my best guess.... a) you have a broken V brace set screw stud in the bottom of the mast receiver....maybe only one or two threads are catching above the break point. Again... this is just a guess based on limited information. This is based on your comment that you were able to reattach the V brace set screw but it failed again in rough conditions... thus may have a hidden broken set screw. OR b) you have a partially stripped receiver nut (what the V brace set screw goes into).....

_________________
Jim
Hobie TI 2022 - Offshore rig - Outboard - having fun!
Hobie TI 2021 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie TI 2016 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie Kona 2014
Hobie AI 2015 - sold
Hobie Rev 13 2014 - sold
Hobie Outback - 2008 - sold

As a rule, I never use my sail in wind conditions exceeding 20-25 mph. The TI is a plastic-hulled, light-duty daysailer. It's my opinion that it was not designed for heavy winds. Not only is it possible to damage the boat in multiple ways in such conditions, but it also significantly increases the likelihood of a life-threatening capsize.

Whenever I'm sailing and the winds increase beyond 20 mph or so, I immediately furl the sail and use an onboard motor for propulsion. This is far safer for the boat and the passengers. Without the sail, the TI handles rough sea conditions surprisingly well, at least enough to get safely to shore.

If you want or need to sail in harsh conditions, you're going to need a more sailworthy boat.

Well typed, 40 years ago when I sailed a hobie 16 the same was true. There was a point where sailing just wasn't fun/safe anymore. Better to sit on the shore, tell stories, flirt with the girls and drink beer.

Agree with the comments above on wind speed....

Still trying to help the sailor fix his TI....

_________________
Jim
Hobie TI 2022 - Offshore rig - Outboard - having fun!
Hobie TI 2021 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie TI 2016 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie Kona 2014
Hobie AI 2015 - sold
Hobie Rev 13 2014 - sold
Hobie Outback - 2008 - sold