new Hobie 18 owner in France

Hello hello
I have recently purchased a Hobie 18 "raid" version supposedly from 1993 (no ID plates to be found !)
it has the rotating daggerboards and proper hull lockers to carry some cheese and a bottle of wine.

It is in a pretty bad state and there is loads to fix but it is sailable.
I am new to the world of beach cats so I have a couple of questions to submit to your collective wisdom:

- the rotating daggerboards: although they seem heavy on land, I was surprised to find out that they actually float and therefore do not rotate all the way down and i can't push them down from the top. Anyone with the same problem ? any cures ?
- one of the rudders pops up when sailing beyond a certain speed, but I see there are already some topics about this.
- the previous owners used to sail with the boom connected to the mast by simply connecting the eye at the boom inboard end to the vertical pin on the gooseneck. This can't be right, there has to be a toggle in between, right ?
- I come from keelboat sailing and pretensioned rigs so I have no clue as to how much tension should be in the rig on the beach (for a basic, allround setting) ? There is a Hobie 16 next to my boat and they keep the rig pretty loose which just seems strange to me.
- also, how much rake should i be aiming for ?
- how much does the trampoline and it lashing contribute to the overall stiffness of the boat ?

looking forward to reading your replies, I have a lot to catch up

Since that is a French design that never made it past Europe (this is a US based forum)... I'm not familiar with it, but likely the same as a 17 or 21 as far as boards go. There has to be springs to push the boards down. Possibly worn or broken? Check the http://hobie-cat.net website for possible parts and assembly drawings of the boat.

Trampolines do add to over-all frame stiffness.

Rudder FAQ: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=467 The French boats use the same rudder cam system.

A 16 rig is loose until the jib is hoisted and tensioned. Your rig should be snug at all times.

Boom: Should have a pin out the front of the boom... connected to a "U" shaped "Vertex" which then pins to the fitting (gooseneck) on the mast.

Mast rake varies by model and conditions. You can only rake aft to the point that the sheets still work.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

thanks for this quick reply ! especially about the spring for the daggerboards, I had no idea and there are definitely no springs acting on the boards today.