I just recently bought my first Hobie Cat and im completely new to the sport aswell. I have only been joining as a crew a couple of times before. A few of weeks ago a Hobie Cat FX one was listed at a website quite cheap very close to me and i went and bought it (After inspecting it without really having a clue what to look for). After picking the boat up this past weekend i found a few things which was not very satisfying... But as i have litterally no experience of these boats i dont know if this is a complete disaster or if its actually fixable, and thats why im turning to these forums. I can add that i live in Sweden and there is not a bunch of these boats around.
The first thing that i somehow missed while inspecting the boat is these 2 dents in the mast, they are both located very close to the bottom of the mast. I have been reading the forums and have found a few threads regarding this. Is this something that could cause the mast to break while sailing and will i be forced to buy a new one before using the boat?
Is this possible to fix without buying a new mast?
The second thing is this area where the gelcoat has come off and the structure underneath actually feels quite soft and it also makes a little "crushing" sound when i press it even with my fingers. The area is located almost directly under the front beam under the boat. I have been reading about soft spots but im not sure this is the same thing...?
If anyone on these forums has any ideas/thoughts/tips regarding these concerns i would love to hear them.