Are there any benefits to more recent Hobie 16s??

When considering a H16 purchase, I was wondering if there have been any upgrades or if there are any benefits to more recent boats. Obviously older boats are more likely to have soft spots or wear, but I was just curious if there have been upgrades to 1990's-2000's vs 1970's-1980's boats??

Hi keqwow

My local hobie dealer advocated to get a boat post-2002 era when I was looking for a boat to use for racing. Although I can't recall how differently they are made, he said that the hulls were manufactured differently so that they would be lighter.

The 6:1 downhaul also seems to be a great add-on if you can find it on a racing boat. It seems to come into fashion sometime post 2004 (my boat is a 2004 worlds boat). I want to upgrade mine, but it costs around $150 to improvise or order one I think. I decided there's other things in my racing that I should work on first before getting a new downhaul system.

I don't know when the Aussie style jib halyard came into fashion either, but it's another sign of a more recent hobie 16.

If I could have in-flight adjustable trapezes, I'd also like that upgrade. It's convenient if you have different people crewing for you. However, it's not necessary.

Where the rudder bars attach to the cross bar is different in more recent boats. Older ones seem to have some sort of bolt assembly, mine attaches with a simple bar and a bungee chord with a tab.

There are also several different jib traveler systems. Personally I dislike the ones with the knobs you have to pull up and down. I like to be able to adjust it more accurately by pulling a line. The older boats will have a pull/push silver knob to adjust the system. It's annoying to use on the fly in my opinion.

I'm sure there's more, and that somebody can give more accuracy as to what year these updates I listed took place. That's just what comes to my mind immediately.

There are probably over a hundred little upgrades made to the Hobie 16 since it was introduced almost 45 years ago.

Individually, they are small; collectively, they make a huge difference.

A 1972 boat is superficially identical to a 2016 boat - but they are not the same.

Well with that said, what upgrades are most worthy of consideration for someone looking to purchase a used H16?

I think 2004 or newer for the newer mast step and base castings... integrated traveler tracks and lots of other stuff as mbounds mentioned.

New boats are stiffer, lighter, faster rigged. Latest greatest.

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

I've attempted to compile a list of year-by-year H16 changes. The list is on the page in my sig.

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'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages