Newbie Question abput rigging

I just bought a older hobie 18, looks like I need a mast hinge to couple the mast to the boat. The pic is below, thanks in advance for your help. Also is it advisable to sail this boat alone?
[img]http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp539%3A9%3Enu%3D3394%3E392%3E355%3EWSNRCG%[/img]
dennis

Your pictures aren't showing up so I can't say for sure but if there's not a floppy dome shaped oval piece of crappy metal at the foot of your mast you need a hinge. They do break easily if you're not careful stepping the mast. They cost about $30.

As to the second question it depends on your experience and the conditions. An 18 is a big heavy boat with a lot going on. For an average size/fitness person it might be difficult to drag it on and off the beach/step the mast/or right the boat if you capsize ( do you have a righting system?). Raising and lowering the main can be challenging solo as well.

In addition you've got daggers and rudders to raise and lower (mistakes can get real costly real fast). Daggers cost $550. Rudders cost $250 if they break, if they don't you could tear the transom off.

There's 2 (or 3 depending on how you look at it) sheets a downhaul, an outhaul the rotation adjustment a traveler and a furler to worry about. That's a lot of lines to manage.

Obviously a lot of people (including me occasionally) single-hand. You just need to consider your experience, familiarity with the boat, sailing environment, and weather conditions. When I first got my 18 I put myself into a number of difficult situations needlessly out of a false sense of confidence. You will have a lot more fun if you don't do that.

Somewhere on this or one of the other forums is a story about a very experienced sailor who decided to solo out to a lighthouse several miles off shore in New England. He didn't make it back. That affected my attitude dramatically.

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

yes, you need the mast base...

http://www.murrays.com/mm5/merchant.mvc ... gory_Code=


http://www.mariner-sails.com/assembly.asp?id=23213

at the bottom, called the hinge.

NOT advisable to sail solo until you're very familiar with the boat and the area in a variety of conditions...AND have a PFD, radio (marine VHF), and even some signal flares, etc. You sail over somewhere, hang out for an hour... the wind dies... you try to sail back, next thing you know a front is coming or a huge thunderstorm is overhead. In 1 hour you went from a calm sunny day to the world coming down around you... you do NOT want to be caught out in that... and certainly not single-handed.

RobPatt's message about signal flares and a VHF should be noted. I see a lot of Hobies on the water without even PFDs. The same marine laws apply to Hobies as any other boat. In FL that means 1 pfd per passenger(each should have a whistle and each adult pfd should have a knife), a throwing ring or equivalent with line, an anchor with line, a horn, flares, and dye packs. If you go out at night you need a light. If you have a Cheetah and a kicker you need a fire extinguisher. The VHF is not required but it's a good idea. A cell phone in a dry box is a good replacement if you have coverage. GPS if you can afford it.

My rookie year we were real casual and left the pfds on the tramp. Now no one gets on my boat unless they're wearing one or are on the trap wire. There are other people on the water and you don't have to be the one doing something stupid to end up in a world of hurt.

Question: Does the harness count as a pfd?

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

Question: Does the harness count as a pfd?

No, only a coast guard approved flotation device counts, CSGA I think is how they define it. I have some race jackets that don't count either, its got something to do with how you float when knocked out.

If you are on busy inland waters like the place I sail, with fishermen, windsurfers, pontoon boats and other sailors around, you can sail your hobie 18 alone almost as easily as any other boat. You sound like a guy who has his mast already up, and just wants to know if you can singlehand your 18....in that case the answer is YES ... if you need to you can even furl the jib and have no more lines or controls to deal with than a Hobie 17, or a Getaway or any other small sailboat for that matter...
Most of the warnings above are not aimed at the fact that you are thinking about sailing your 18 singlehanded..they are from you identifying yourself as a newbie.....and we see a lot of new guys who buy a hobie of any size and get all cranked up and head out solo offshore, on small craft advisory days, with no help in sight, and no backup plan. You can get hurt doing that on any boat...if you take your time..have help around, safety equipment aboard...and pick a day and venue that are within your skill level you should be able to solo your boat .
That said, you really should do your best to find crew during your first year, and really go out of your way to find other experienced hobie sailors to sail with in your area. You can save yourself from a lot of hard knocks education by hanging around with some people who already know, not just the boat, but other things like local weather conditions etc...and in my experience sailing with other hobie sailors is more than half the fun of owning the boat in the first place.