Looking at a newer H16 but they do seem to be scarce. I was wondering just what age the typical 16 is? Are there many year 2000 + boats our there? Who has purchased one new recently? What was the experience like?

Thanks!

I just picked up an '86 for a steal, with a little polishing it looks as good as a used 2000+ model. I've even seen boats only 10 years old with major damage due to neglect or just hardcore use, it's all about the care the P.O.s take, or even the use...mine probably doesn't have that many hours even though it's 23 years old.

I searched for months to find a Hobie 16 newer than 1983 model. I finally gave up and bought a new one. I have really enjoyed it. I owned a Hobie 3.5 previously and that gave me some foundation in sailing and tacking a catamaran. I bought a 2009 Hobie 16 from KO Sailing in La Porte, Tx. They were very helpful. They showed me how to rig it up the first time, then I took it from there. The only issue I have is that one of the hulls vents has been plugged since new. I have had a hard time giving up the boat long enough to take it over for the warranty work. In the mean time, I leave the plugs out when not on the water.

1982

I've seen a lot of boats as you describe. I currently have an '84 that has three seasons use on it. A friend just bought an '81 that still has the original rudder cams, and you can tell by the wear on the castings, it may have seen less use than my '84!

I have 2 16s. One to sail and one for parts. The one I'll sail has hull # 1457, Early 70s. Picked it up for 100.00 as is. 2nd is a parts boat 1979,Tree fell on it and bent the mast and damaged the hulls. I'm using the hulls and mast from first boat and tramp, frame and rudders from 2nd. The second boat came with Cat Fever main and jib. I'll try to be in the water by the 4th

The vast majority of used boats out there are from 1978 - 1987 because . . . .

Those were the maximum production years of Hobie 16s - between 5K and 10K boats per year.

Since then, production has been an order of magnitude less (400 - 1000 boats per year), so of course, you're going to see a lot less of them around.

I've had 6 16s - all bought new.

1973 - #6707
1978 - #33556
1984 - #74722
1989 - #937 (Nationals boat)
1998 - #102668 / #108389 (new sails in 2004)
2007 - #110404

I have had 3 Hobie 16's
1978 #33943 bought off my brothers in 1983,bought new sails for it in 1985 # 3426
Then bought a new boat less sails in 1986
Brand new boat with all the bells and whistles in 2006 #109995

1980 original ... bought 5 years ago for $800.00 with trailer
and a parts boat 1982 i found for $400.00 with great light hulls(around #80 each) and a cheata motor mount came with it ($330.00 from hobie) that i needed
i injected the 1980 hulls on top and sides... was always nervous out on the ocean....
used the best parts off both boats.....

1972, all original (except tramp) hulls are rock solid on all sides! It's not going to win any races but has been sailed hard the last 3 years requiring no (knock on wood) major repairs of any kind. best investment I ever made.

1979

1984 - sail# 74779

How to determine the age? I see the serial number... not sure what numbers are the year.
I see a 70something number... I think it was 76 and I see a 80somemthing number.

The serial ends with a "B" I think. the sail is something like 17408 what do the sail numbers mean?

I've got 2 OLD Hobies. My 14t is an 82 model, and aside from a few dings which she picked up when Isabel's winds broke the tie-downs and threw her across my yard, it's pristine.
My 16 is an "83 which I've had since new. I'm buying both of them again- piece by piece , but both are still solid and ready for an ocean sail in waves. Hobie makes great boats!

The sail numbers are only general indicators of age. The last two numbers of the serial number are the year. From your sail number I would guess it's around 1976. Sometimes hulls get replaced, so you might have two different serial numbers - one on each hull.