Tensioning of bridle bar stiffener rod

Went outside the breakwall last saturday in 15-25 winds. Buried the bows once in a rogue wave, she popped back up without pitchpoling. Then noticed the adjuster bolt had popped out (in the area of the furler) of the front bridle bar. (Not sure terminology). Realized this put all the stress of both sails on the bridle bar. Sheeted out and limped back to port. Pretty scared of a dismasting as the bar was a- flexin. Question: Is there a suggested tension on said adjuster bolt. Wondering if the original owner might have had it too loose. The 2 locknuts are about halfway up the bolt.-tx-scow

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Hobie 17 Newbie

I don't think that's an OEM part. The spreader bar on the OEM system is the same extrusion as the boom and the furler is not attached to it:

Definitely not stock and it looks like the bar sits much lower to the water than the OEM system.



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How'd you get the image!?!!! I have been trying for two days to post a picture LOL. Now I will try this Tapatalk picture host. Test:[quote author="@admin" source="/post/3/thread" timestamp="1504279287"][quote author="@admin" source="/post/2/thread" timestamp="1504279048"]Check out the crossbar for my h17 jib


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote][img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170901/726581c1c67e67747f852993820fb6b4.jpg"][img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170901/69b113a21769de9646fc6df0d4bef015.jpg"]
[img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170901/db4e8528e580326516fecdf48ee0559b.jpg"]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]

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Hobie 17 Newbie

Ok the pic didn't work. I'll try again later. So what do I have here? The title says 1995 17' Hobie Sport. I'll have to get it out and look. Also I've printed the manual, will look there. Are there any pros or cons to the jib being mounted lower like that? It appears it might not work in tandem with the main sail with the height difference. Tx

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Hobie 17 Newbie

It is a custom setup. The jib is much larger than a stock Sport jib and the bow spreader looks like it is from a NACRA. The attachment to the bow tangs is certainly custom and as you can see from the picture Matt posted, the bar on your boat is much lower than the stock setup. I don't think the assembly manual is going to be of much use.

The disadvantage of having the spreader bar mounted so low is that it can hit waves in rough conditions which will slow the boat down and could potentially lead to a capsize or damaging the bar itself.

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I keep thinking I wouldn't like to fall on that during a big spill.

Tha mainsail has the Hobie logo, was sold as "racing sails". From what u guys are telling me, it appears there would be a bit to do to make her class legal, but not worried about that right now. I will measure sails, esp the jib next time out. I fell in love with the boat because of the squaretop and the colors. One thing, with the jib so low, sheet gets hung in the mast step EVERY time we tack. Previous owner installed jib tracks and some ratchet/reversing blocks that are giving me fits trying to figure out usage ( no jib cleats on the crossbar). I had the jib tracks all the way astern which I believe exacerbated the jib sheet hang ups. I wonder if he scavenged a nacra of all that stuff. I plan on drilling/ pinning the adjuster so it can't pop out again after I tighten the day lights out of it. The shrouds, forstay,and trap wires have to rig at the highest point on the mast tang, which is contrary to the manual. The jib is supposed to have a cleat for the jib halyard which I don't see, so we tie off to the shackle which is a PIA. Quite the conundrum for a neophyte sailor like myself. Luckily, I met a Getaway owner(12 years cat experience) at the ramp, he gave some tips and even took me out on the Getaway. He says he'll come out and crew the H17, I hope soon. Thanks Don! I think/hope he wants to compare what she'll do in a big breeze. Thoughts?

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Hobie 17 Newbie

You need to install a "preventer" to solve your jib sheet hangup problem. The same issue exists on the H18 & H20.

You would need to rivet an eye strap to the front if the mast about 2 feet up. Then tie a bungee to the outside corner of the dolphin striker, pass it through the eye strap, and back down tied off to the other side of the dolphin striker. This will keep the sheets away from the mast base.

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Hi, just back from San Francisco. What a sailing mecca they have there. Just beautiful conditions for sailing EVERY day. Lots of huge cats on the Bay, and I found a few H17's in various stages of outside storage/dis-use in Sausalito. Wish I had more time to look up some fellow Hobie enthusiasts. Back to the Bridle bar situation. I was going to reinstall and tension the adjuster screw, then drill and pin it so it can't pop out again. Occurs to me that pinning it will eliminate/diminish flexibility when the situation re-occurs. There is a lot of length ahead of the front crossbeam to twist and deflect between the two hulls and I'm concerned about locking them together there with such lightweight fasteners, they being the 3" long bridle chainplates below the deck flanges, and 1/8" stock stampings attaching the "custom" bridle spreader bar, which is directly attached to the deck "anchor pin" with clevis pins and ring dings. Manual shows Hobie set up with "lower bridle rod" which would be WAY more flexible when burying a hull. Of course, what we're talking about here is a catastrophic deck/hardware failure resulting in a dismasting, all during fairly intense wave/wind conditions. Do I try to retrofit this custom bar with lower bridle rods? Buy used Hobie bridle bar set up? This will require new forestay wire, etc. (Starting to sound like the typical used boat nightmare that we all try to avoid.) Or just put it back together and use it as a uni rig. Not real happy. I just want to go out and sail this thing. Maybe the previous owner just sailed inland lakes with low waves..- --H

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Hobie 17 Newbie

Or option four is to ditch the jib/spreader bar setup all together and sail it like the designers originally intended - as a uni rig.

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I've seen that problem solved with 10 hole chainplates at each end to raise the spreader bar.
I would be interested in knowing where the spreader bar came from.

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Rick Whitehurst

H14 #2800