Welcome back, Rick!
Rick Whitehurst wrote:
I was reading somewhere that some H14's were made with the shrouds directly connected to pontoons in H16 style. Is this still being done? Is it race legal? Did it work out? Could older boats retrofit and did they? Lots of questions on that one.
It's only legal for boats made after 2006, and only as supplied by Hobie Cat (Ref. IHCA Hobie 14 Class Rule 4.1). The hulls are internally reinforced to accept the loads from the shrouds.
Rick Whitehurst wrote:
The mast is solid and straight, but no 'comp tip'. Must I have a 'comp tip' to compete?
Yes, if you want to race in an HCA sanctioned event. Technically, even if you race handicap since handicaps are based on "class legal" boats. However, most organizers of handicap events look the other way when it comes to Comptips. You will definitely need it if you plan on racing in the North Americans next year in Ocean Springs, MS.
Rick Whitehurst wrote:
How long have the 6-batten sails been around? Can I assume that serious competitors use the 6-batten sail? I have the old 5-batten sail.
The 6-batten sails have been around for 25 years. 5-batten sails aren't competitive - mostly because they're old.
Rick Whitehurst wrote:
Is it beneficial to add the dolphin striker for competition? It did not exist when I raced as a teenager. Does it enhance performance or can it be raced OK without?
The 14 now allows a trapeze and if you're planning to trapeze, you need a dolphin striker. A broken boat is slow.
Rick Whitehurst wrote:
What do people do for vangs these days? We used a detachable vang hooked up to either the port or stbd forward pylon, and switched on jibes. Still the same?
People don't use vangs,
per se - at least not like the old days. Some use a bungee cord w/ a hook as a preventer, but it really doesn't hold the boom down like a vang. We've found that the 14 likes to be sailed almost dead downwind. Only when it's blowing really hard w/big waves does it pay to tack downwind.
If you go to the HCA website (
http://www.hca-na.org) and go to the "Latest News" section, you'll see a few pictures of this years NAs, just completed last weekend in Toronto. Go
here and there are photos from last year (scroll down for the individual days).