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 Post subject: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:28 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:19 pm
Posts: 4
Thanks in advance for everyone's help, guidance and opinions. I have been using these forums for years now and they have been a HUGE help.

Ok so here goes...

I currently own a 16 and 18, live on the gulf coast and use mine primarily at the beach to go out around the rigs. My 18 has developed some soft spots forward of the front cross beam, so I am now leery of taking it out in anything over 1 foot seas. There are a couple of local boats that I could look out to replace mine, mainly another 18 and miracle 20. I thought the miracle 20 was gonna be the way to go, until I started reading some of the posts in that board and realized that it is more of a race machine than a simple beach cruiser.

I love the speed of the 18, but I need something that is tough and durable. I have never been around a 21 before, but in watching the videos it appears that it should be possible to raise and lower the main while offshore. Can this be done safely in smaller seas? Would you consider the 21 a structurally tough boat? Is this boat easy to beach launch?

Ideally I would like something that I could take offshore, drop the sails, go for a swim, try to spear some fish, raise the sails and head back in. Any advice, thoughts, or comments would be greatly appreciated.


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:41 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:34 am
Posts: 267
Location: Banana River , Fl
You can furl and raise the H21SC main off shore. However, I don't have, but wish I did, another pulley at the base of the mast or cross bar to add a little purchase power to get the head of the sail to the very top of the mast. The manual shows one, but my boat wasn't rigged with one when I bought it...and well, it's on my list of things to do...

Why is it important? Standing under the mast and looking up, you may think that you have reached the top, but when looking from a distance off the boat you might be 6 to 12 inches short. This may not sound like a big deal, and maybe it hasn't happened to everyone, but depending upon the type of luff track you have at the top of the mast (aluminum or plastic), it is a big deal. My experience in the past with the plastic luff track has resulted in the sail pulling out from the luff track and getting jammed...meaning you need to lay the boat over on it's side to clear it. Another contributing factor is the type of line you use for the halyard. Some stretch more than others. Here's a pretty good guide that tells the story. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorView?langId=-1&storeId=11151&catalogId=10001&page=Running-Rigging-Fibers

Overall the SC is a GREAT boat, and once you upgrade or pre-plan for the above you should have no issues. Furl the sail around the boom, and your tramp is clear w/o fear of the crew stepping all over it. Plus on the SC you also have a forward tramp, a cabin and ample hull storage for storing fishng gear, or pvc rope ladders to aid in beaching of the boat.

Hope this helps.

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TC


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 11:28 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:01 pm
Posts: 15
TC,

My 21sc main halyard came rigged WITH the block for the extra purchase you are looking for. The block is actually part of the HALYARD, not installed on the mast. It's a Harken 083 bullet block with becket. It seems that the halyard was cut approximately in half, then each half attached the block so that if you laid out the entire halyard, you would have approx 25ft of halyard, then the block, then another 25ft of halyard. When installed and the mainsail in the lowered position, you have the halyard shackle attached to the head of the main (at the boom), then the halyard runs up the mast, through the sheave, then the block, then more halyard running back down the mast to the cleat at base of mast. As you raise the sail, you are pulling down on the halyard and the block is coming down toward you. When the sail is just about fully raised, the block is approx 2-3 feet above the cleat. You then take the bitter end of the halyard, run it down through the center of the cleat, then up through the block, then down toward the cleat again. You now have a 2:1 purchase to get the halyard tension you want. I'll try to post some pics, because I'm not sure if I follow what I just wrote!
-Jimbo


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 3:30 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:34 am
Posts: 267
Location: Banana River , Fl
Great! Just what I need, a new clapper to bang against my mast and keep me up at night :lol: Maybe that's why the original owner took it off...

I should have looked at the parts manual prior to posting, it's shown on page 3. For some reason I thought I'd either read or heard of others attaching a block to the mast or cross bar. Maybe not.

Thanks for the reply.

TC

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TC


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:57 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:01 pm
Posts: 15
Don't worry, it the block won't bang on the mast at night since it will be only about a foot from the sheave at the top of the mast when the sail is down.

-Jimbo


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 5:41 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 11:13 am
Posts: 5
As far as the head falling out of the luff track, I had the same problem. It eventually got so bad, I couldn't even raise the main without it falling out where the metal meets the carbon fiber of the comp tip. I went to Schurr Sails down in Pensacola, and asked them to put a slug at the head. It actually cost less to do that than to reinforce or replace the bolt rope, and it has worked perfectly for over a year now.

I actually love the fact that it's so easy to raise and lower the main. I stop quite often while sailing to go fishing or swimming, and the furling main is a life saver. I usually like to drop the main and just sail under jib to the spot I want, since furling the jib only takes seconds. I also keep an anchor in the forward compartment of the cat cabin for easy access.

You do have to be careful beaching it, though. I was single handing it one day and was in some pretty heavy wind. There were too many swimmers to safely turn upwind before beaching, so I had to go straight onto the beach. Even with the main all the way out, I rode completely up onto the beach to where the water was about three feet behind the stern. I got help from two jet skiers on their way out. I never would've been able to get it back into the water on my own.

Mine is a 2000 model, and it has no soft spots at all. I usually launch and recover it alone, without ever getting the trailer wet. I have the Trailex aluminum trailer with front and rear rollers, so it's just easier keeping it out of the salt water. All I do is take the winch cable to just behind the axle, lift the bow onto the rear rollers, and clip the boat into the winch. Then I hold the cable as I walk up to the winch and winch it right up without a problem. I've never tried to use the cat trax, though. I'm not sure how easy it would be, considering how much the boat weighs. Since it came with the boat, I'd assume it's possible, but you'd probably need help with it.


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:08 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:09 pm
Posts: 2
Gents,

When I bought my SC two years ago the previous owner suggested the following method to keep the main from pulling out the luff track at the mast head and it has worked for me.

I leave the boom unpinned from the mast and raise the main all the way to the top. When the main is at the top the boom is about a foot above where it attaches to the mast. I then use the Cunningham to pull the boom down and pin it to the mast.

Ben


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 Post subject: Re: Hobie 21sc Potential
PostPosted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:08 am 
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Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 6:52 pm
Posts: 65
Location: Treasure Island, Florida
I had attached an additional block to the lower halyard attached to an old down haul hook, instead of using the horn clete. I placed the hook into the hole for the mast stepper. to prevent catching on the way up, I put a small circle compressed on the halyard just above the block.

this set up allowed me to pull the main taught.
I have no pictures as both of the boats are now in the graveyard.

i did have the pull out problem but resolved it bu always insuring the head was in the aluminum part of the track as well as having an extra fabric installed on the rope at the head.

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Jerry Malone


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