my first hobie- I got some questions!!

Bought a 1977 hobie cat 16 for $100. Its got everything(I think) and is in pretty good shape, but it needs a couple things. Excuse my ignorance of the proper terms:

On the left hull where the rudder pin goes through the hull into the gudgeons, its tore out. Can i just lay up layers of cloth/resin and drill it out, or can it be eliminated?

The cheek block on the mast is missing the rollers. Should i replace it with the same, or is there something better/easier to use?

What are soft spots? I pushed with my hand all along the hull, doesnt seem to be any flexing.

The rope that ties up the tramp is sorta like clothes line. Should i replace it with something else?

The paint is super faded, but the guy threw in $160 worth of new primer/paint. Can it wait till winter?

The halyard cleats are kinda flexy/rubbery. Is that how it should be?

The mast has two small dings in it. Will this cause it to fold up at those points?

It also came with spare rudder. Do you need this, or can i trade it for some parts?

What else should i examine?

Everything else looks great, the sails are nice, came with trailer and hobie box. Cables all look good. Cant wait to try it out. Thanks for the

Welcome to the club! You really need a Hobie catalog. Go on line and order one. Here's my two cents:

On the left hull where the rudder pin goes through the hull into the gudgeons, its tore out. Can i just lay up layers of cloth/resin and drill it out, or can it be eliminated?

Fix it.

The rope that ties up the tramp is sorta like clothes line. Should i replace it with something else?

I prefer bungee cord.

The paint is super faded, but the guy threw in $160 worth of new primer/paint. Can it wait till winter?

Use the paint.

The halyard cleats are kinda flexy/rubbery. Is that how it should be?

No.

It also came with spare rudder. Do you need this, or can i trade it for some parts?

Keep it. You never know.

What else should i examine?

If the shrouds haven't been replaced within the past couple years it's cheap insurance to get new ones. You don't want to demast, and unfortunately the only way to demast is out on the water. New main and jib sheets are nice. Lubricate the traveler car so it slides freely. Lubricate the rudder cams. Get a bunch of spare pins/shackles (they get lost). Get Quick Release pins for the forestay and traveler car for the convenience is totally worth the extra cost. And don't forget the teflon mast chips, but read in the forum on other sailors' alternate ideas for thes chips. Check the battens are secure. Buy a book for catamaran sailing; I did, and although I knew 85% of what was in the book (except for the racing parts), the extra 15% made sailing more enjoyable.

skipshot, thanks for the ideas!

I think im gonna eliminate that hole for the rudder pin, and replace my two piece gudgeon with a 1 piece unit.

You say Bungee for the Lacing. Im only familiar with bungee straps, is it the same, or is it like that shock cord stuff. I need to stay cheap, or this isnt gonna happen.

I cant afford to have the boat sprayed right now, so should i let it sit till i can afford it(probably a month ), or should i sail it(its not gonna sink with crappy paint, right?) Beutiful weather here in Bellingham WA, and that dont last long here.

Once again, thanks.

thanks man, thats what i was hoping to hear!!!! How many feet should i buy to relace the whole thing?


Cant help but stay funky, im the funk in the trunk packing way too much junk.

LOL not to disagree with Skipshot TOO much...


If it's just the fiberglass part of the deck that's missing, that is totally cosmetic. Do what you like.

Replace it with the same, unless you want to spend $$ on an Aussie-style halyard system.


Is it tight? I just used $4.99 for 50 feet of Wal-Mart nylon rope on my tramp. If you pull it tight enough that works fine. I see no reason to spend $0.80/foot on halyard for tramp lacing. If you want to go with bungee by the foot, I know lots of people do that too, that usually costs around $0.40/foot.

Is the boat actually painted? Or is the gelcoat just faded? If it's the gelcoat, get a power buffer and some 3M Fiberglass Restorer and Wax and go to town. That should help quite a bit. Are the bottoms in good condition? If not you might need to do a bottom job. I hesitate to paint the boat because of the added weight, but that's more personal preference.

Flexy-like-new-plastic-flexy as opposed to stiff like plastic-that-has-been-in-the-sun-for-too-many-years? That should be okay. But if something seems amiss or weak then replace 'em. They're only like, $4 from Murray's I think.

Depends on where the dings are and how deep they are. Good luck with that.

You can never have too many rudders. lol


Is the tramp ripping out at any grommets? Definately inspect the standing rigging. What is the condition of the running rigging? You might want to replace the O-rings on the drain plugs. Just take one of them into Home Depot and you can probably match it in the plumbing section. Also, try blowing into the drain holes (and maintaining the pressure with your mouth) and have a buddy walk around to see if he can hear air hissing out anywhere. If he hears some coming from the front pylon on that side it's okay; anywhere else could indicate a leak.

Good luck!

Everything else looks great, the sails are nice, came with trailer and hobie box. Cables all look good. Cant wait to try it out. Thanks for the[/quote]

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Warm regards,

Jim