Help: newbie buying Hobie 16

OK, I've wanted one for ages and have finally tracked down a Hobie 16 thats for sale on the island where (Cayman Islands). It's old (early 80's) so I want to check it out for problem areas but I don't really know what I'm looking for so I'm after some help.

Can anyone give me some pointers as to what to look out for. I can get the obvisou stuff (rips in sails, cracks/damage to fiberglass hulls) but don;t know what else I should be looking at. I've read about 'soft spots' but don't know how I would look for/find these if there are any.

Hulls look like they could do with a paint job - is this a big issue ? is it expensive/do I need special paint? Can I do it myself (I'm pretty handy).

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Dogs,

Good Luck in finding your first Hobie! The big thing to look for is soft spots. The most likely place you will find them is about 6 to 12 inches in front of the forward pylons. Just push on the decks firmly and you will know when you find one. Depending on the size, they can be easily fixed. Check out the support pages and search the forums for repair information. You will find lots of it.

Also, ask how much water the hulls take on while sailing. This can be an easy fix (new drain plug gaskets) or more difficult. Look how worn the keels are. If they are really gouged up you will have to refinish the bottoms. It will take a little bit of time and some work with fiberglass and epoxy.

Check for the straightness of the mast. Does the mast leak (he may not know)?

As for the paint... I have a 1982 H18 which is really faded. I am waiting until I get everythign else I want for the boat before I invest in new paint. As long as the fiberglass resin is not visible you don't NEED new paint. But, if you want to, you can do it yourself. Check out this link http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Hobie16&Number=53295&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

He did a phenominal job on his H16. He is also very good with fiberglass and paints.

Then, just check all the normal stuff you would an any boat.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Take the boat for a test ride and see what problems come up. Look a how well the boat has been maintained, meaning the blocks (no, or very little rust, or broken plastic sheaves (pulley wheels)), rivets (no broken heads), trampoline (lacing and holes in the canvas), rudders (chips and alignment), tiller connectors (not too loose or rusted), and shrouds (no frays or damaged thimbles). All the above can be replaced, but they cost money, so include this in price negotiations.

There are a couple of things you should be aware of:

Rudders-There were Lexan Rudders on stock boats back then. The racing rudders were extra. The Lexan breaks down in the sun. If the boat has not been sailed and the rudders look anything but white, if they are off white, they are already gone. They will probably break the first time you go sailing.

Rudder castings - There are nice adjustments on the newer upper casting. This will help you with rudder rake and making sure that you can lock the rudders down without having the cam accidentally lock down. This will be a 1/2 in bolt in a slot on the top of the casting attached to the rudder arm.

If you are racing the 80's was a time that boats were built at 340lbs then 320lbs, then 340 for about a month, then back down to 320 where it stayed. If you get an 84 with red seams attaching the upper deck to the hull you should be okay. There was a problem in 1985 with knowing for sure. I think that 1986 on is okay, providing hulls in decent shape.

Other nice things to have:
Aussie jib halyard system
shock cord loaded adjustable jib travellers with Lance cleats
EPO Rudders
Ultra low profile main blocks
J&H Trappeze handles
Hotsitck (though I always prefered sailing a 16 with the stock white stick)
Stainless steel rudder pins
Newer style rudder gudeons
Platform already epoxied to the the pylons
Make sure the rotation stoppers are not too worn out
new standing rigging (I replaced my 16s riggijng every two years)

Later,
Dan

I have been to Grand Cayman in January 2005 as part of a group of people providing disaster relief after hurricane Ivan. Cayman is the best place for having a Hobie. Nice water temperature and good wind every day! In other words if you do not buy this Hobie for some reason you should find some other beach cat.
Regarding the shopping guide the guys are right on... Look for soft spots and worn hull bottoms. Both you will recognize if you see it - very easy detection.
A worn tramp will cost you about 250 to 400 $ in the US.
Sails (main and jib) are relatively expensive - about 900 to 1100 $ depending on manufacturer color and cloth type.
Sheets, Halyards and running lines are probably dead – at the same time they are cheap (less than $100)
EPO rudder blades, Harken 6:1 main sheet system, Hot stick, fancy main down haul… this is all nice stuff and a plus if the boat comes with it – but you can go sailing with stock stuff and have fun
In some places in the world it is extremely difficult to register an undocumented boat (here in TX it is almost impossible to register a used boat without title). Find out if you get a title in case you need one for registration.


Patrick Koch

Here is a link.

http://www.sailingproshop.com/Catamaran.htm

Doug

bought the hobie, needs some work, but mainly cosmetic _ it sails well. I'm taking it out this weekend. hope I can follow the guide to put it together ('rig' it ?). How do I launch it - carry it in the water or back the trailer down the launch ramp and push it off ?

thanks all

Make some of these. They wrok great and are cheap to make.

http://www.geocities.com/mec_coleman/tip13.htm

Doug

Use some Bon Ami. You can get it for $1 at a grocery store. Cleans
good. Even took out rust stains. Make a paste and let it sit of stains for about 5-10 minutes then wash off.

Doug

Welcome to the club. Launching a Hobie from the beach is what it's meant for, but try to keep the dragging of hulls to a minimum to save the wear on the hull bottoms. If you can leave it on a beach then get beach wheels, otherwise you'll eventually become an expert at rigging and unrigging using a trailer. Rigging a 16 is pretty easy, and once you get good expect to have it ready to go within 40 minutes. To aid in rigging get some quick pins for the forestay and main to traveler connections.

Hopefully once you get good you can replace a tramp, step the mast and rig the boat within 40 min unless you break something in the process, which i usually do.

_________________
The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails.

Thanks for all of your help so far - it's much appreciated. I've had a couple of successful outings on my new hobie building my confidence.

I've read that I should be using mast step bearings but don't know what these look like. Is the mast bearing the same thing as a Teflon Chip - if so, what do these look like? My hobie came with a kit of tools including several thin flat white 'plastic' looking discs (about 3cm diameter); are these Teflon Chips ? If these are used as 'bearings' how do they work ie they are flat (not molded to the shape of the mast step) - they just look like they will prevent my mast sitting properly in the mast step ? or will they mold to the shape of step when the weight of the mast is applied on top ? would the flat disc not make raising the mast difficult ?

sorry for all of the questions - thanks in advance for any comments

Yes



Yes



No



Yes



No


The hardest part about "breaking in" a new chip is to get it seated in the center of the cup. You can force a little shape into it with your hands before setting it in to hold it in place. The weight of the mast will force it into shape once it's stepped.

Dogs:

Welcome to the Hobie Life

Here is a cheap solution to beachwheels if you can't get Cat Trax

http://www.geocities.com/mec_coleman/tip13.htm

They are great in soft and hard sand,
just not to good on uneven ground.

Doug Snell
Hobie 17

Thanks to all for the invalusable advice so far.

Weather here has be awesome (85F out 80F in) for the last two months...hence no time for posts as I've been out on the water every spare minute.

As I live on a canal with quick access directly to rthe Ocean, I built myself a ramp in the water to keep the H16 high & dry when not in use but give quick access when I want to take it out - when I decide to go, I can be on my way in 10mins (I'll post pictures of the ramp later).

My confidence is growing rapdily, I've pitchpoled once and had what I consider to be a great first recovery - it was actually all quite a buzz. I want to stretch things a little further but I don't currently have a trapeze (my used hobie didn't come with one) and I think I should really get one. here's where my questions start. I get the basic idea of how a trap works but am not really sure what parts I need to buy, how to rig it or how to use one. I see various 'accessories' in the hobie cat catalogue but am not sure which ones I need to get. I've also seen posts about double trap's but am not really sure what these are either. Does anyone know of a 'guide' or place I can go to for help with this?

last quick Q for today - my mast bearing (white teflon chip) keeps moving out of place. As I generally leave my mast up when not in use, I would prefer a more permenant solution as I am wasting lots of time realligning the bearing. Any ideas ?

thanks All