At the beginning of last summer I purchased this H17 from a guy in Rockford. It consisted of the hulls, crossbars, tramp, wings, one rudder., daggerboards but only one spring, and a harness. Since then I have been aquiring parts and doing repairs. She has been on the hard all summer while I repair cracks and holes in my spare time.
Since buying the above original parts, I have sourced the following via the Hobiecat forums, Ebay, and Craigslist.
- H18 mast from Canada
- Custom shrouds made using stainless wire from a local farm supply store.
- Tramp from NE
- Rudders from Ebay
- H16 Main & Jib from Alex's dad
- H16 boom and blocks from Alex's dad
- H16 trailer from Alex's dad
- H18 Main & Jib
- Ports from Murray's
- Coleman 5 qt coolers from Meijer (Coleman actually owned Hobie when the boat was built, so I thought they were fitting)
- Epoxy, Marine Tex, Primer & Paint from We$t Marine
- Bow spreader, bridle wires, roller furler, Hot Stick, and dagger board spring from a Wentz on the forums.
The guy I bought it from had aquired it from his brother in law. The boat was originally on Lake Michigan, and was damaged in a storm. There were many cracks in the hulls which needed repair.
At the end of the summer a friend of mine towed it under a tree with the mast up and the boat lifted then slammed back onto the trailer when the forestay broke, poking a large hole in the starboard hull. I have since repaired that hole, and she's almost ready to paint. I just have to finish the coolers.
I'm also getting some cracks in the forward crossbar welded, and once I get that back and she's painted, I'll put everything together and take her out for a shakedown.
Some pics:
The boat shortly after purchase last summer. Murray Lake.
An original crack that opened up after some sailing last year:
More damage:
Sailing in light winds on Muskegon Lake (end of last summer):
9-4-08 - Port and cooler install
9-8-08 - First coat of Interlux Brightsides
, I now have a reason to do so.