Hi all!
About a month ago I bought a 1981 Hobie 18 with tequila sunrise sails and wings (I believe aftermarket) for $700. It is my first cat and my first time sailing. I've taken the boat out twice learned a lot and had a great time. Sailed it all weekend and it went great. However when putting the boat on the trailer I made a very large rookie mistake and forgot to pin the mast before attempting to lower it. Luckily no one was hurt but my comp tip is in pretty sad shape (but somehow the mast head survived). It is split all the way around the mast about 16in from the mast head. Above the split the tip is very loose and may only be held on by the luff track. So I had some questions about the tip
First, are all 18 comp tips the same? My boat has the shorter 28ft mast but I wasn't sure if the tip changed when the mast was lengthened for the sx and is the comp tip the same for other hobies, I have the ability to get a 16 comp tip and a wave comp tip but was skeptical they would interchange.
Secondly, are there any good places to look for used parts? In a perfect world I would like to buy a used tip to replace mine and move on. Buying a new one for more than I paid for the boat isn't really an option. I've checked eBay and haven't found anything but I wasn't sure if there was anywhere special to look. I would also not really like to buy a whole mast because of the difficulty transporting but will if I need to.
Lastly, is a repair possible? I've done some looking online and the tips are just fiberglass so is it realistic to have it repaired. I have always known fiberglass to be infinitely repairable so is it the same for this situation.
My current plan is to remove the tip from the base and take it to a fiberglass repair shop in town to see what they say. I don't race the boat and don't plan to so I just need the tip to not fall off. any information you might have is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any advice and help.
pics for reference
https://imgur.com/gallery/eFyLzQo