Hobie Cat Forums

Built my own version of Fastfriend's righting pole, works very well on both my 16 & 18. Made it air tight to float and a plastic load pad to prevent gelcoat damage. Curved to match the front crossbar for storage.This works very well, I just need to add some sort of grip tape to it.
Thanks fastfriend for the idea

9-5-2012 019 by jacobs12@sbcglobal, on Flickr

9-5-2012 020 by jacobs12@sbcglobal, on Flickr

I first used hockey stick grip tape I bought in a roll at Dick's but it gets gooey in the sun and puts black tar stuff on things....I cleaned all that stuff off and bought a can of spray bedliner material ....taped off the bottom and shot it on the topside of the tube...I sprayed it on extra thick and used a match stick to form x patterns in the stuff before it dried..really works great and it comes in a rattle can for less than $10... enough in the can to do MANY bars for your friends too. Interesting to see your curved addition..I don't think the alloy on my bar will bend without machine shop help....something like 6061 Alloy that is pretty non-malleable. Did you see my stowage pictures, I thought my bar lays up there pretty nicely...but that's part of the fun of building one ...adding your own personal touch upgrades. Glad to see another person carrying a bar...it makes you free to push the boat when you are out solo.....

Thank you. Just found this and I am planning to build. Couple questions relative the the hobie 16.

1. Just to make sure I am understanding correctly. The balance point on a hobie 16 is right behind the front crossbar, correct. The loop is then 3' in front of the front cross bar and directly behind the rear cross bar, correct?

2. On the hobie 16, what length is the front rope and rear rope from the stopper knot to bar tip, and approximately what angle will that put the bar at?

The reason I am hoping to get the exact length for the ropes on the hobie 16 is because I do not have an area where I can tip the boat over to dry test. I would rather not have to get everything set for the first time in the water. I am an inexperienced sailor, so the more I can plan out and get right before going out, the better.

Thanks for sharing your design. This fits exactly what I have been looking for.