This is the seventh instalment detailing the updates to my ’77 H14, which will ultimately result in a modified (“Mini 16”) Turbo configuration. Hopefully this information will be useful for others facing similar issues with their own boat. As I said before, I believe the part numbers listed are correct, but if you are ordering, please verify!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 7
SUMMARY
The origin of this piece was simply a point-form listing of changes I wanted to incorporate in my H14, along with lists of the parts required. There was so much information in my original modification plan, covering most every area of the boat, that I felt it might be a useful resource for those in the same situation I was, so I decided to write the narrative and post it on the Forum.
The process of carrying out a detailed inspection, listing deficiencies discovered and modifications needed, determining parts required and then documenting and recording the repairs or replacements is routine procedure in aircraft maintenance, where I’ve spent most of my career, so that’s how I approached my old ‘Cat, and I found quite a few things that needed attention as I got into it.
I’m fortunate to have a shop that specializes in aircraft and helicopter structural repair, so I have access to tools and materials that most Hobie owners do not, but I don’t think that many of the changes I’ve made to my boat couldn’t be done by the average owner with some mechanical skills – some, like the tramp grommet installation for the Turbo jib blocks, would have to be farmed out, and making up the standing rigging would be impractical without a professional Nicopress tool – but it certainly would not be impossible. The task I was most concerned about was pulling the stainless pop rivets, since I only have a consumer grade hand tool suitable for aluminum pop rivets. But in desperation, I tried a pneumatic/hydraulic rivet puller we use for Cherrymax blind aircraft rivets, which worked perfectly. Sometimes you just luck out.
REFERENCES
I can’t stress enough that there was no original thinking or any new ideas on my part included in this article – rather, it is a distillation of information found on this Forum, and in the wonderfully informative Hobie Hotline issues and other information I found online. On the basis of the extensive knowledge base available, I looked carefully at my own boat, and not surprisingly, found quite a few deficiencies, and I included my findings in this piece.
As I said in Part 6, what inspired the project in the first place was an online blog about converting an H14 to the Turbo configuration. This conversion doesn’t incorporate the furling feature – rather the boat is rigged as what Dan Berger referred to as a ‘Little 16’, with a removable jib. I made some minor changes to that configuration, but most of the information I needed was in that blog. (Since my boat sits on the beach all summer, I didn’t want the furling feature, which leaves the jib in place permanently exposed to the weather). You can read the blog at:
http://midwestsailing-teh.blogspot.com/ ... erger.html As for setting up the boat in general, I’ve found no better advice than Bob Curry’s Hobie 14 Catamaran Tuning Guide, which can be found here:
https://www.thebeachcats.com/news/84/ho ... ing-guide/HOBIE HOTLINE ARTICLES:
There is a lot of useful information in the archived Hobie Hotline articles. I’ve listed some of the maintenance-related material I found helpful. The page numbers refer to the Hotline issue page number, not the pdf page number. You can find the Hotline material here:
https://static.hobiecat.com/2010_archive/hobieclass/,
and here:
http://www.w1dm.com/projects/HOTLINE/Hotline.html The articles I found most informative were:
Summer 2010 Pg 14 This Old Hobie – Setting Up the Hobie 14,
a compilation of advice from Hobie 14 greats Wayne Shafer and Bob Curry, with added comments by Hotline staff. The article is also available at:
http://hcana.hobieclass.com/hobie-tuning/,
(Sadly, I note the passing of Wayne Shafer on June 02 2020).
and these, available at:
https://static.hobiecat.com/2010_archive/hobieclass/ Fall 2010 Pg 10 This Old Hobie – Get the Rudder Slop Out!,
Winter 2011 Pg 12 Drilling Rudders,
Spring 2011 Pg 18 Fine Tuning Rudders,
plus
March-April 2008 Pg 14 This Old Boat – Fiberglass Repairs
May-June 2008 Pg 16 This Old Boat – Blind Hole Repairs
July-August 2008 Pg 16 This Old Hobie – Spraying Gelcoat
July-August 2008 Pg 12 This Old Hobie – The Bottom Job
November-December 2008 Pg 14 This Old Hobie – Non-Skid Repair Part 1
January-February 2009 Pg 12 This Old Hobie – Non-Skid Repair Part 2
March-April 2009 Pg 14 This Old Hobie – Rudder and Daggerboard Trailing Edge Repair
May-June 2009 Pg 14 This Old Hobie – Gelcoat Chips and Dings
July-August 2009 Pg 14 This Old Hobie – Installing Reinforcing Bulkheads
September-October 2009 Pg 14 This Old Hobie – Pylon Shoe Repairs
March-April 2010 Pg 12 This Old Hobie – Pylon Repairs/Frame Gluing
Fall 2011 Pg 8 Aluminum Bits
Fall 2015 Pg 12 Leaks
Thankfully, I didn’t need any of the information on hull repairs, but it made interesting reading and might be of help to readers here.
HOTLINE MAGAZINES from the 1990’s and prior are available here:
https://www.hobie.com/hobie-cat-racing/ Hobie Hotline - April/May, 1976 Pg 10 Mast Rake-How & Why's
Hobie Hotline - January/February, 1977 Pg 28 Does your Cat sail like a Dog?
Hobie Hotline - March/April, 1978 Pg 26 Rudder Hassles and Excessive Weather Helm
Hobie Hotline - March/April, 1978 Pg 10 We Blew It (Corrects rudder rake measurements in HotLine_1977_09)
Hobie Hotline - January/February, 1980 Pg 14 Backyard Boat Repairs (Fiberglass repairs)
Hobie Hotline - January/February, 1983 Pg 56 Hobie Hot Tips – Rudder Maintenance
Hobie Hotline - March/April, 1983 Pg 15 Turbo Power
Hobie Hotline - March/April, 1991 Pg 14 In Tune - Stepping Out
HOBIE 14 SUPPORT
Hobie provides a wealth of information regarding the H14, not just fixing but sailing, safety etc. here:
https://www.hobie.com/support/hobie-14/ including Manuals & Parts Guides, Care and Maintenance, Instruction Sheets, etc.
Hobie 14 / 16 Parts Guide (US)
Hobie 14 Manual - Original
Hobie 14 Turbo Jib Manual
I also referred to the following guides:
Hobie Cat Line Guide (for lines and sheets)
Hobie Cat Wire Guide (for stays, shrouds, trapeze, etc.)
(I couldn’t find direct links for these, so simply google the titles and the links to the pdf’s come up.)
Next Up and last: Tooling and (hopefully) Photos