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PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:20 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:34 pm
Posts: 5
Hi all:

I am a newbie to Hobie and really appreciate the value that this forum provides to people like me. I've learned quite a bit just reading through all of the posts.

I just bought an '81 H16 and am really excited to get her out on the water. She's in great shape with the exception of a large soft spot in the starboard hull. No worries, though, I bought a used starboard hull for $100 and now I'm in business! I plan to be sailing her solo most of the time and will launch and retrieve her solo from both beach and boat ramp. I have a few questions for you all pertaining to the launch/retrieval process.

BOAT RAMP
Most of my sailing will be in a protected bay in salt water. I'd rather not dunk my trailer in the water if at all possible and have read that people using boat ramps back their trailers up to the point where their wheels stay just out of the water, then push the boat off the trailer by hand. I don't think I'll have much trouble doing this (I'm 6' 1" and 230 pounds).

However, I can't see being able to get the boat back on the trailer by myself unless I submerge the trailer. I have no winch on the trailer. Any ideas on how to get her on the trailer by myself w/o submerging the trailer?

BEACH
I don't have Cat Trax and would rather not spend the money on them unless absolutely necessary. The beach that I will be launching from most of the time is very well packed (cars drive on it everyday and rarely does anyone get stuck). How do I get the boat on and off the trailer by myself in this scenario? For that matter, how do I get her on and off the trailer in my own yard if I want to work on her w/o the trailer?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Jack
'81 H16


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:36 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
When on the beach, to get the boat off the trailer, simply pull it off. Stand at the rear crossbar, grab the boat at the aft tramp lacings and pull it off the trailer. It will slide off the rollers fairly easily. The only issue may be that the bow will drop off the roller when you get to the end of pulling it off if the trailer is too high. Not much you can do about that unless you unhook the trailer, pull your car away, and then lift the trailer tongue up and pull the trailer out - too much work.

To put the boat back on, stand between the hulls at the front crossbar, holding on to the dolphin striker post. Pull the boat forward on the ground until the bows are at the rear trailer rollers. Lift up on the crossbar so the bows come up and step forward to get the first few feet of the bows on the rollers. Then walk around to the rear crossbar and lift the crossbar up and walk the boat forward on the rollers.

The same thing could more or less be done on a boat ramp, but obviously you will be getting wet. Also, boat ramps tend to be pretty slippery. Personally, I would just back the trailer into the water. It will be much easier. Just be sure to rinse the trailer after doing so and service the bearings every few years.

sm


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:18 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:32 am
Posts: 424
Location: Lake Gaston, NC
Put a small winch on the mast stand. Tie the line around the front crossbar in the middle. I use the same winch to raise and lower the mast on the 21 that I pull the boat on the trailer with. The smallest size boat trailer winch is plenty big enough. With a winch, it doesn't matter how tired sore, or hurt you are, it's easy to get it back on the trailer. If the ramp is steep enough that the boat will slide off on its own, the winch-even with the ratchet off, lets you easily control it going back.

No need to "submerge" the trailer. I wouldn't even get it wet. Back it down so the rear rollers are close if you can, but even if you can't, keep the trailer wheels, or at very least the hubs, out of the water.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:52 am 
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Location: Satellite Beach, FL
I try to back it down so that the wheels are wet but the hubs are not. The waves dictate how close I can get because sometimes they splash up onto the lights.

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Zach


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 12:11 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:34 pm
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Thanks for the input guys! Now that I know I should be able to get it on and off the trailer by myself, I feel much better about heading down to the beach. Our beach is such that I can unload the boat straight from the trailer into the water without a ramp. I was really concerned about getting it back on when I was done, but after reading srm's post I feel confident that I can do it.

And, I went ahead and bought a winch for the trailer based on Tom's comments. It was only $30, which seems like a small price to pay to make my life a little bit easier.

Now...off to switch out my starboard hull. Looks like it's as easy as pulling the boat off the trailer, taking out two bolts, tapping it loose w/ a rubber mallet, then pulling it off and putting on the solid hull in the reverse order. Should be that easy.....Right???

Jack


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:13 pm 
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Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 1:20 pm
Posts: 493
Location: Clearwater, FL
Jack,

To reload the trailer, I set the trailer's wheels about 2-3 feet from the water's edge. I then walk my floating H16 forward (using the dolphin striker bar) until the bow tips are just on top of the trailer's rear rollers. From there, I loop the trailer's 2"x25' winch strap/hook around the cat's front cross bar next to the mast step. I now can manually winch the boat up onto the trailer. I usually pause this process when the transoms are just barely out of the water. With the hulls now at a steep angle, I can remove the hull drain plugs and drain any water out of the hulls. Next, you can continue winching the cat forward and guide the bows so they gently come down on the trailer's front rollers and then continue winching until you have the cat in the proper place on your trailer.
Image

Leaving the winch strap attached to your front cross bar will also prevent the boat from rolling backwards on the trailer when driving, etc.

I used to lift the boat from the rear cross bar, but my tramp made it too hard to see where my front rollers were in relation to the bows.

If you want to take your boat off the trailer at home, make sure you either have the trailer connected to your vehicle or have someone stand on the trailer tongue so it will not pop up while you are pulling the boat off onto the grass. You may also want to take your rudders off before you pull your boat off it's trailer onto the grass otherwise there will be a lot of stress on the rudder hardware (since the rudders will only go up so far).

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Tim
84 H16
82 H16
87 H14T
Tortola Sails: 115222
Blue Prism Sails: 88863
Clearwater, FL
Image


Last edited by Tim H16 on Mon Sep 06, 2021 9:58 am, edited 4 times in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:15 am 
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Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:28 am
Posts: 23
You may need a trolley with four wheels. This will help pull the boat up easily. However, the best practice is to use a trolley with two wheels.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 9:47 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:34 pm
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Thanks everyone for all of your help!

Jack


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