Bob,
From what you describe this sounds exactly like what happened to my boat. How's it going, have you gotten the new Screw Socket yet? I eventually repaired mine and have not had any problems since.
When I first reported about this problem in June I felt strange. Perhaps it was just an isolated occurrence to my boat. But now that our TI's have been out there for a while and we're sailing the heck out of them, this and other mast support problems are beginning to occur
. I'm still not entirely sure what causes the Screw Socket to break, but this is what I learned in the process.
To start, what makes this had to diagnose is that prior to the Screw Socket actually breaking, I didn't
(see) anything wrong. None of the nuts/bolts or Turnbuckles
(appeared) to be loose. Even if they were loose, it was impossible for me to apply enough force to replicate the same conditions that are applied to the Mast Receiver when the boat is under sail to actually see something moving, ie. to know what to tighten. However... when I was out sailing and come about, I was
(hearing) what has
now become the much talked about
"popping, thunking and knocking sounds" coming from the forward Cross Bar area. At the time, I just didn't understand the significance of what was taking place.
I can't say for certain that my forward Cross Bar was loose and causing the similar sounds mentioned in these excellent posts; it could be related?
viewtopic.php?f=71&t=37312viewtopic.php?f=75&t=37442I saw no wear marks on my Cross Bar near the Clamps to indicate there was any movement or slippage. I think it is possible that both conditions can produce the same sounds, and this too is possibly a contributing factor as to what's causing the Screw Socket to eventually break. However, the top of the V-Frame assembly is not directly connected to the Cross Bar Clamps. It is attached to a brass insert in between the two the bolts that come down from the top for the Clamps.
My hunch is that this problem is more related to the Turnbuckles going out of adjustment due to the general flexing and expansion and contraction of the hull, that occurs over time.
If someone is hearing these kinds of sounds, it's a pretty good indication that one part of the V-Frame system is loose and therefore other parts are now being put under more stress; eventually something's going to break. Get it checked out and fixed ASAP. I don't think it's the fault of the screw at the bottom of the V-Frame Base per se. The Screw Socket is just the weakest point that will bear the most stress when either the Turnbuckles are not pressing down enough against the base, or the lok-nut on top of the Screw Socket is not tight enough, or the Screw Socket itself is loose. Everything may
(look) and feel tight, but IMO the only warning one would have as to there being a serious condition prior to the screw actually breaking is what your
hearing when you go sailing.
To replace the broken Screw Socket I had to first remove the forward Cross Bar, Mast Receiver and the V-Fame assembly. Hobie sent me a new Mast Receiver (Thank You Very Much) because one of the nuts that a socket bolt goes into thru the Cross Bar, was spinning instead of holding fast. I think this is a bad design that doesn't allow for easy removal. The nut should be assessable from other angles.
Eventually I was able to get to the broken Screw Socket which came out easily with a pair of vice grips. It didn't appear to have been installed with loc-tite.
In reassembling, I used blue loc-tite when I inserted the new Screw Socket into the brass insert at the base of the hull. According to Matt, there are no torque wrench settings for the Turnbuckles, but his advice was very helpful
.
I basically put everything back together by turning the Turnbuckles until the V-Frame Base just started pressing down over the Screw Socket. I then used the lok-nut and Turnbuckles together to press the V-Frame Base against the base of the Mast Receiver until it was tight up against the bottom of the hull. I expanded the Turnbuckles just slightly more and stopped. For now I'm using two 1/4 -20 stainless nuts with loc-tite, tightened against each other instead of a lok-nut on top of the Screw Socket. Every things been holding tight so far and I'm no longer hearing any popping or thunking sounds coming from that area when I go sailing.
I'm glad that Hobie now has a new/stronger screw for this repair. It's Part # 88991215 but it's not listed in the Parts Catalogue. It looks like this. Note: The top of the screw is slotted not "hexed"
like the old version.
I believe it replaces Part# 79528001 which is listed in the Parts Catalogue and described as: Screw 1/4 - 20 X 1-1/4 SCKT SET.
I hope this information serves to helps others. I think there's more than one variable involved here, which makes the repair slightly more complicated in terms of getting the right tightness on all the moving parts.
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