Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:06 pm

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:01 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:20 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Nashville TN
Hi, I searched hi and lo but finally had to post to find this... I'll introduce myself at the end of the post, but business first:

I want to make a gin pole, and I would like to have a nice cradle of wood (1" X 10" pieces) that are cut to fit the profile of the teardrop mast shape. My boat is stored at a friends house, so cut and sweat and sand and saw trial and error is not really feasible. Hence my request:

Does anyone have an accurate profile of a 1983 Hobie 16 mast that I could scale and print out and use as a cutting template?

I thought about getting a contour gauge ... but only as a last resort.

Now, someone is wondering if I carefully considered how I could possible slide something bulky onto the mast if it it has a cutout shaped like the mast profile... but I'll just have to make a youtube video to show you my idea.

Now, the introduction: My name is Chad May and I worked one summer on Percy Priest lake for a wonderful couple of people (Janey and Jack) who were martial artists and also avid windsurfers... this was 1986. They rented windsurfers, sunfish, and a couple of hobies, and I got to use the equipment when it wasn't rented. Well, I was hooked on sailing. But only got to sail a 14' Hobie a few times on vacation in Florida after that summer. After years of dreaming of sailing and soaring, I'm finally in a position to do both. I live near Old Hickory Lake at present, and found a 1983 Hobie 16 on Craigslist for $1500. It doesn't look as though it has been in the water more than a few hours... so I bought it. I'm also active in hang gliding, and now I have something to do when the winds are too stiff for flying. And I have taken my boys sailing, and have many a passenger lined-up in only 3 weeks of owning the boat.

I have dropped the mast twice. :oops: Yes. I dread stepping. Or should I call it dropping? Pretty bad for only having been sailing 4 times with it. Time for a gin pole. The first time I forgot to put the pin in, the second time the pin came out on its own! No harm to person, and none I can see to boat, either.

The trick is to be able to rig/derig while conversing with my teenage boys, swatting insects, monitoring cell phone, and wondering if I remembered to turn-off the coffee pot :P

I'm really anticipating my first chance to fly a hull. It might be just the event to get my kids torn away from gaming.

Well, if anyone else in the area wants to go sailing, or has always dreamed of flying, pm me.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, and if you have a profile for me, I'll take it.

By the way, I must say that in reading this forum, I'm impressed by the people here, and also by Hobie as a company. I wish this was more the rule and not the exception. It's hard to describe exactly, but just in providing this forum, and the way they respond to their users, I get the impression they aren't greedy. I hope someday to show my thanks by buying a few Hobie toys from my local dealer.

All the best to you all and I hope everyone gets lots of water time this year.

Dacron Power!

- Chad May


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:11 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 3:58 pm
Posts: 183
Location: Punta Gorda, FL
Do you have access to a fax machine?

I can trace the outline of the cutoff mast that is hanging in my garage.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 5:48 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 10:08 pm
Posts: 172
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Well Chad don't take this the wrong way, but ... you're making this too hard. Every weekend at a regatta fifty guys put up their masts, sail, take them down. It's not that difficult if you're even as sedentary and weak as I am. I'm guessing your two boys could do it. If not right now then next year.

With the boat on the ground, or strapped to the trailer and fastened to the car or with somebody standing on the tongue (when you stand at the back of the tramp it wants to tip over backwards), walk to the back of the trampoline and pick up the mast. Keep some pressure forwards. Lift it up about shoulder level, keep the pressure forwards, it only weighs about sixty pounds so its easy enough to lift, then walk forwards, keeping the pressure down and forward so we don't rely too much on the erecting pin. The last four feet are a bit of a grunt but once its straight up you can talk, cell phone, coordinate, and correct to your hearts content. According to me it takes two people to hook up the forestay, one to keep some tension on it and align it with the bridle and the other to put in the shackle pin. So that's three people total.

Coming down is the reverse. As a favour to me don't let anybody stand behind the boat to "catch the mast", they can pop in when your standing at the back of the tramp. As your experience, and mine a few times, indicates sometimes the mast comes down very quickly. Better not to have heads in the way.

This is fun. You're lucky you get to sail with your boys. Take care.

Charles


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:35 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
Forget about the contour gauge and forget about the gin pole all together.  I suspect that you have more than enough manpower to do this manually.  By your own admission, the reason you dropped the mast was operator error (not properly securing pins).  Adding more mechanical gizmos will not reduce the likelyhood of future operator error, if anything, it will increase the likelyhood due to increased complexity.

Please keep in mind that handling the mast can be a dangerous, and potentially lethal, task.  You should not be holding conversations with your kids, talking on cell phones, or swatting flys while you're stepping your mast, you should be focusing on what you're doing and making sure it is done right.  Inspect that all shroud pins are properly installed before raising the mast and that the forestay pin is installed correctly after the mast is raised.  

When you become proficient at stepping the mast, the whole process takes all of about two minutes at most.  If you're strong enough to raise the mast by hand (or with the help of another person), do not use a gin pole.  IMO, raising and lowering the mast manually (with a helper if necessary) is the safest and quickest way to do it.  

sm


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:17 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:20 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Nashville TN
I do tend to make things more difficult than need be... heck, I'm a computer/network technician! :lol:

But, still, I'm going to try the gin pole and see if I like it. I might agree with those who say its not worth the effort, or, I might wonder how you people with real muscles got so lucky. I'm slight of build, I think its safe to say. I suspect that with some practice my muscles would adjust... formerly, I struggled to balance a 50 pound hang glider and now its no problem. We'll just have to see.

But thank you to whomever responds, and I'll let you know my travails.

I'm thinking Tuesday will be around 15 mph on Old Hickory Lake and maybe I can fly a hull with my sailing partner.

'yall take care, and more later.

- Chad May


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group