Getting an '81 H14 ready to sail

Starting to put my recent H14 purchase together. Seems like a nice toy to play with. Hulls and rudders seem OK. Will likely need some tuning for the rudders and tightening on the tramp (among other things)...


Tramp seems to be in good shape generally, but needs new straps put on. Could probably use a nicer tiller extension, but it may do as is...


Looks like the tramp straps have been sewn more than once. Hope a new install will hold...


Going to try the half plastic golf ball recommendation for a mast "bearing"...


Mast looks good but should seal it as possible. I may try to put on a Lobster Buoy for a mast float..


2nd boat is Precision 14' dinghy (toy). Modifying the rail system to hold the H14 (and the Dinghy for end of season removal)...


The roller bars from H14 trailer were "scavenged" for use on rail system. Should work OK...


What was left of the stripped down H14 trailer was used to move a Shore Station lift for the dinghy. Awaiting install at pier (right side)...


Rail system to left (for H14). Shore Station to go at pier end to right (for the dinghy). Green is the color of this lake around the 4th of July...oh well...


Next steps include getting some parts for putting on a trapeze (dolphin striker, wires, "dogbones", adjusters), a righting line/system, maybe a mast step link (hopefully someone with a Hobie cat nearby can lend me theirs), and other miscellany.

I have a question about mast rake for the H14...when sailing an H16 without jib, I saw some recommendations to tighten the forestay (reduce rake) to help turn through irons. I've also seen recommendations to shorten the side stays on the H14 (more rake) to improve performance, especially for trap sailing. Thoughts?

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I got a good deal on the Shore Station lift, which is pretty much overkill for the dinghy, but it should do the job. Before I found that, the plan was to build the simplistic launch I used to use for my H16 years ago. I don't know where I found it, but it was cheap and usually useful (unless lake levels, winds and waves caused problems). For grins, I include the basic plan here in case someone can use it...


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Parts for the trapeze install will be arriving first. The straps may end up waiting until the end of the season I prefer to do the tramp removal just once. I also ordered a couple of the 7X15 lobster buoys to see about building a poor-person's H14 mast float (and maybe one for the dinghy).

For the trap lines, I'll be replacing the 1/4 inch shackle with a 5/16 shackle on the (single) mast tang. Per the H16 manual, the rear trap wires are supposed to go on the shackle shaft and the rest (including front trap wires) on the ring. Is it better to put H14 (non-turbo) trap wires on the shaft to keep them clear of the shrouds? Using the H14 trap seems more like using the H16 rear trap. Per the H14 manual, and it appears you can go either way, though the shaft install seems to be associated with having a turbo furler jib.

Some uncertainty about a righting system...Top recommendation is for a simple, knotted line connected to the dolphin striker and kept on the tramp in a bag. I probably wouldn't go for a pricey "official" bag, but maybe can find something lying around like a fanny pack...maybe sew on some velcro. I got used to the simplicity of the Hobie Easy Rite on my H16 and I thought about a DIY version of that...I have a fair amount of bungie cord around. The other alternative seems to be the Hawaiian system...seems a bit more complicated with the extra blocks. One question on the H14 is whether there is a need for the "chicken line" when on the trap. I used it some on the H16, but it's been mentioned that the jib sheet can keep you locked in with the H16 (and H14 turbo I assume). On the "base" H14 there's no jib sheet, so is the chicken line of more benefit?

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Before you trapeze off this boat, you'll need to add a dolphin striker kit.

_________________
1984 H16 "Mister Rogers"
1984 H14 "Sundays"
2000 H20 "Jet"
Sheet In, Max Out

Indeed, I need a dolphin striker, and, luckily, I found one to re-home through this forum. This is definitely an original. I love the retro casting look. I ended up using stainless rivets (I think that is standard), so I needed to get a "real" rivet tool (well, an "inexpensive", two-handed Harbor Freight tool at least). I'm a little concerned about stainless/aluminum corrosion. So I put some sealant around the joint and put Noalox around the rivets. Hopefully that will last a few years...

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Positioning the rivets...Love the retro striker casting


Rivets in with some sealant around the piece and Noalox in the rivet holes


Looks as good as could be expected


Ready for continuing setup. At this point, the H14 is on the rail trolley and the dinghy is out on the Shore Station lift

Putting up the trapeze parts was pretty straightforward...

Trap wires and "can't miss" rings from from Murrays. I found a pair of adjuster "ropes" from my H16. And picked up a couple blocks for the adjusters, also from Murrays...


The H14 came with a "standard" 1/4" shackle for the shrouds. And my mast was old enough to only have a single tang hole...


According to the H14 manual, the turbo upgrade uses a 5/16" shackle for shrouds and trap lines, so that's what I acquired...


Putting it all together, with bungee I seem to have lots of, looks just as would be expected...


Also going up with the mast was my DIY "Lobster Bob" mast float discussed in another post...


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For the righting line, I decided on a DIY version of the Hobie Easy Rite that I am already used to. Having a bunch of bungee cord around helped make the decision. I decided to use 1" nylon tubular webbing (from REI) as the cover for the bungee... about $15. This is a pretty common approach. There was a you-tube video for threading things into tubular webbing, and it was useful, though the instruction of sewing the inside material to a dowel should be followed. I taped the bungee, and it started coming off about 4 feet from the end of the webbing. Luckily, I got it the rest of the way through without having to start over. I left the bungee in for the full length to avoid cutting and sewing the tube. It made tying the needed knot (figure eight follow through) a bit of a challenge, but eventually it got done (and hopefully will hold). The webbing is 30' long with useful length (after knots) of maybe 26'. The idea was to have about 6' or 7 ' available when pulling the line taught, hopefully not too long or short for easy righting, including from turtle. The length of the internal bungee was adjusted at the second knot to keep reasonable tension on the line so it stayed out of the way.

Tubular webbing with bungee threaded through...


The figure eight knot was a hassle to tie around the aft pylon(s), and it's a bit bulky. It should hold...


Putting it in place, I found the middle hole of the dolphin striker seemed like a good place to thread through. It will hopefully keep the line well away from the water...


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PS...This setup does not provide for a "chicken line" to hold onto when on the trap. If it seems to be an issue, I can add some line to allow mounting back by the rudder pin instead of the aft pylon. Probably won't be needed...

The rudders seemed like they could use shims, so, in checking out the details, I found that the rudder pins were, shall we say, in need of "repair". In fact, these were original nylon pins, long ago replaced by aluminum as the standard. They probably broke apart long ago, but definitely would have been destroyed when I trailered the boat without removing the rudders. Luckily, I had some 3/8" aluminum solid rod to build a set of replacements. Glad I didn't venture out before finding this...


Getting closer to my maiden voyage on this H14...

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I had a small amount of anti-slip tape in my pile, so I applied it expeditiously to the aft ends of the rails and hulls...hopefully in useful spots. I also mounted my "outboard emergency engine (paddle)" to the tramp...


I actually did get out for a maiden run with the H14, and it worked pretty nicely. Not quite enough to get in the traps. Unfortunately, before I went out, I tried tightening up the battens and managed to create a rip at the leech end of one the the batten pockets. I tried going out without that batten (probably #4), but it wasn't very satisfying. Looks like I'm gonna pay for a repair. I also found that some of the battens are real Hobie tapered fiberglass. The other two are some foam-core stuff. For my recreational use, it's probably no big deal. But if I find a source for replacements, I'd probably go with it. Then, I found that the rudder release tension was way too low. Even under lightish conditions (maybe gusts of 12), they'd pop up occasionally. I found a tune video (for a 16) recommending setting tension up to 12KG. I basically set it as high as I could and got to around 10 or 11KG. Hopefully, much better.

I had tried raking the mast as far as possible (lowest sidestay holes). But at the most-raked adjustment, I started getting rubbing of the back of the mast base (ball ?) against the mast step (cup ?). So I brought the sidestays up a hole and tightened the forestay to the max. The mast now seems to rotate well.

There is also a problem with the connection of the boltrope at the foot of the sail in the boom slot. The boltrope keeps disengaging from the slot at the leech end. I assume this is a common problem, but I didn't find discussions about it in my search of the forum. Maybe there are ways to beef up the rope or add something like the tramp clamp to hold things in. The previous owner tied down the outhaul plate to the boom at the leech end. Unless folks have other recommendations, I'll probably do the same.

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If your rudders are popping up in light wind, its possible that the tensioning screw needs to be tightened, but its also possible that the cam is not rotating fully into the locked position. When this happens, the rudder will seem like it’s locked down but it will release very easily. Check the rudders with the boat on the trailer lock them down and make sure that the cam rotates all the way and clicks into place. If the cam is not fully engaging, you will need to reposition the cam plate in the upper casting (newer rudder castings) or redrill the hole in the rudder blade (older rudder castings).

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I think the tensioning screws are working. As I tighten them, the release force required goes up. It didn't get quite as high as I might have expected, and I didn't want to force-tighten the screws more and maybe cause damage. So there could be some binding somewhere causing a limitation. I'll verify if things are working next time I get out. Someday I'll probably do a disassembly/cleanup and see what's going on.

I did shim the rudders, though I'm not sure it will keep them from humming (didn't on the maiden). I still need to try aligning them. My understanding is that, with the rudder(s) down, the trailing ends should be 1/8" out from leading ends...

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I took another couple outings with the H14. The rudder tension now seems to work pretty well. They stay down at speed, but do pop up when they hit the massive weeds near the shore.

I decided to lash down the clew to the boom. A bit of overkill, but that resolved the issue of the sail separating from the boom at the clew, at least for now...


I've also had some problems with the outhaul. The outhaul jam just doesn't work very well. I had to put in a stopper knot to have it hold. I'll end up putting a small cleat nearby for a better, adjustable hold. For now it's functional...


As for sailing on this lake, there are some issues with rogue waves that threaten to bury the leeward hull. While it's a big lake, part of the problem is that there are some really big boats roaming about. If you're close when they go by fast, you can be looking at 5' waves. Across the lake, they can still end up 3+ feet and come out of nowhere...

I'll probably start a separate thread on this...but the last couple H14 outings were to test out the trapeze setup. The problem is I don't quite remember how to get into the trap. Seems I need 3 hands on the H14...tiller, mainsheet and trapeze handle. I've seen H16 videos where folks get into the "dogbone"/ring while still sitting on the tramp. I tried setting my adjusters to allow that, and I end up too low (horizontal to the tramp) when I get out on the line. If I adjust higher, I need to do a quick maneuver to get up and into the ring. So far, I can't remember or execute that maneuver (safely, at least). I'm looking for advice and/or a pointer to a good, illustrative video. Is it like...cleat mainsheet...grab handle while holding tiller...get out...uncleat mainsheet before burying the hull...or what?? The winds have still been relatively mild, so there hasn't been a pressing need to get out on the line...just practice...

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PS...starting to find some useful videos (in general...not specific to H14/turbo yet), but this one emphasizes the use of tramp straps for stability in getting out. Tough for me since I still don't have straps. And it still seems a stretch to get into the ring while still being in full contact with the tramp. I think having the adjusters long and getting close to parallel to the tramp is just the way it'll work...

And now it's time for a REVEAL...

I guess this isn't your ordinary Hobie 14, but some kind of promotional deal with what is likely a unique sail...


That's Christopher Cross's album cover/logo art from the early 80s, and a reference to AM 920 WOKY in Milwaukee, also from the early 80s. I didn't follow Christopher Cross, but I see he did sailing related songs (like "Sailing" and "Ride Like The Wind"). Also an active sailor in Austin, TX, though lately suffering from COVID-19. He may even be on this board...

Anyone with interesting background on the boat...or at least the sail?

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My tiller/rudder joints were very loosey-goosey with the old style connections that had inadequate nylon washers installed (didn't get a picture, but here are the washers)...


I found a source for nylon saddle washers that seemed to be the right size and were definitely the right price (and free shipping) from Full Compass. I didn't really feel like spending for a whole new kit, especially with the added shipping charges. The fit seems quite good...


After completing the upgrade, the steering has definitely tightened up.

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