what to look for????

Ok so after Looking at many 16's this week and all of them having severe soft spots in the decks and after selling my 14 turbo today I have decided to go with an 18 I can pick up at a good price

What do I look for on these boats? I haven't seen any post in the 18 forum about delamination but alot of posts saying these boats can be fixed

I have alreadin inspected this boat once, the hulls seem solid, there was one small area on one of the decks that flexed a little when I pressed on it but no where near what I encountered on some on the 16's I have looked at

any help on what to check would be greatly appreciated, I don't mind doing some work but don't want to buy a boat that is helpless

The delaminations are indeed easy to fix. I've fixed a bunch on our 1980 18.
Things to look for: This depends on the year. You can tell the year of a Hobie by the serial number (there's a guide on the Hobie website under support).

post-88 (89 and on): You should be all set. This boat will have all necessary reinforcements (shroud anchors etc) and enough glass to support the crossbar.

between 87 and 88: You're all set for the rudder, since it should have the plastic cam and the new style castings. However, the front crossbar area needs to be reinforced, since Hobie decided to reduce the amount of glass in that area after 1984. There should be a shroud anchor kit (used as a crossbar anchor kit) installed on the outside at the very least. If this is not the case, you'll have to do this (read: extra work and money).

between 84 and 87: Same as above for the crossbar. Needs to be reinforced with glass on the inside and the 4-bolt anchors on the outside for the front x-bar. These cats came with the OLD aluminium (I'm British, can't help it) cam and old style rudder castings. These have a) a tendency to break and b) a tendency not to kick up when you hit stuff (leading to a) and also likely breaking your entire transom and rudder blade [even more work]). These boats originally didn't come with anchor plates on the shroud anchors. These are absolutely necessary. So things to look for:
a) front crossbar with reinforcements and anchor plates
b) new style rudders (otherwise a rather expensive fix)
c) Anchor plates for the shrouds

pre-1984
The front crossbar has enough glass that you don't need the fix (a) from above. both b) and c) from the 84-87 still apply though.

Things for ALL H18s

Check the crossbars! Make sure there are no cracks in the aluminium, particularly at the blocks for the aft one and at the mast for the forward one.

Check the mast. Make sure it's straight and true. Check the mast foot. If you want to race it, make sure the mast has a comp tip. If you only sail it recreationally, the performance is allegedly better WITHOUT the comp tip. Obviously don't hit any powerlines if you don't have a comp tip. I also wouldn't recommend hitting powerlines if you DO have one, on the other hand...

Check the shroud anchor pins. There is an old style (welded on) and a new style (machined). If they are the weld-on types, you'll have to replace them and they're 54 bucks for the pair.

Double check all standing rigging is in VERY good condition. A breaking shroud isn't fun (and can also cost money, my co-pay for a dislocated shoulder for the emergency room and the physiotherapy was about 300 bucks).

Check the trampoline is in good condition. A new one is 300+ bucks.

Check the sails are in good condition. Sails are about ~150 for a good used jib and ~300 for a good used main. 400/900 new.

Does it come with a trailer? Beach Wheels? Cat Box?

There's more, but I think I've already written too much here..

Thanks saltyocean

It is an 82 oh and don't worry I can't fault you for being british my mom was born in England

Just so everyone knows I am getting this boat for under $1000, with the trailer, and the sails look really good (at least 3 seasons left in them) Plus all parts are there and functional, The guy I'm buying it from actually took it out last week.

All that being said, The first thing I do on any boat I buy is replace all the rigging no matter what it looks like, That way I have peice of mind and the old rigging acts as a spare

Because of the crazy low price I know I will have to put money into it to have it how I want it but my biggest fear on this just as any boat is the hulls, on the 16's if you just hint at delamination everybodies response seems to be to run away yet on the 18 everybody seems to say these can be fixed


So far I have seen no delamination issues besides the one soft spot I mentioned ealier so I guess my biggest question and fear is I don't want to buy this make all the upgrades you suggested only to find out there is a problem in the hulls that can't be fixed

Just give the hulls a very through inspection. Lots of tapping and pressing on the hull. The most common spot for soft spots is on the deck between the dagger board trunk and the rear crossbar and this can generally be repaired by either injecting resin or installing a partial bulkhead.

Also check under the hull flange for cracking by the crossbar anchor bolts. On an '82 boat, this should not be an issue, but you still want to check. You should plan on installing the upgraded crossbar anchor kit if not already done. It's a good upgrade to do on all boats.

Check the crossbars for cracks and excess corrosion as mentioned in the previous post.

If you inspect the hulls and all checks out OK, then there's really no reason to think the boat doesn't have plenty of life left in it.

Plan on changing out the shroud anchor pins regardless of type or apperance in addition to all the standing rigging.

sm