Used Boat Check List

I'm looking to buy a used HC14 Turbo. The owner says it's from 1982 and the price is -let's say- fair (european standards ). Reading these posts I noticed lots of people talking about Hull Soft Spots and Sail Problems.

Being a newbie in the Hobie Cat World I wonder if anyone can help me with some kind of Check List of things i should look for.

Best,
Carlos Sant'Ana

First make sure all the gear/hardware to rig and sail is there "ready to sail". Then examine the most imp areas: sails repairable? mast bent/dented? hull pylons loose, deck around pylons cracked or depressed? deck itself has soft spots? hull keels scraped clear u can see the fiberglass? rudders and rudder castings ok?
Still I would look for a Hobie 16 before jumping into a 1982 H14!
If all is ok still u will have to pour some $$$ and work into it, get it in top shape (hobie 14 or 16) and sail hard!

what alex said about "ready to sail" is definitely right. Have the guy rig it all up for you and show you. If hes really trying to sell it he shouldnt have a problem. and watching him rig it you can figure out how well he treated the boat, depending on how efficiently he does it. If he rigs it fast, without banging everything around, you know he knows his stuff and that hes prolly being honest with you, but if it takes him an hour to rig a 14, or he really refuses to, then he probably doesnt know too much about it and did not take care of it properly.

The best thing of course is to find a local who sails and can go with you. The hobie community is always anxious to get more n00bs and would be glad to help out. (at least me and everyone i Know, all ~40 of us...).

The major things I personally watch out for are:
1. Hulls: not soft anywhere. not excessively dinged, or cracked at all. even check places like under the lip.
2. Tramp: holes grow exponentially. a pinhole will turn into a dime-sized hole, which will tear across and youll fall through.
3. Mast: not bent, and i think comptips are really important. I bought my 14 before i knew about them too much, and i really would like one.
4. Sails:no holes, rust spots, tears, fraying or rips at the batten pockets, and batten ends, gromets and tack and clew plates not loose. Bolt rope on luff and foot of main sail not worn excessively.

5. Trailer? suprisingly, most of the work Ive done has gone into my trailers, which seem to bend everywhere that a hull rests on one of those skinny crossbars.

...The standing rigging can and should be replaced (at a decent price) anyway, and the all the running rigging isnt much of a problems. blocks and pins are expensive but for basic sailing not too much is needed. essentially the more pins there are, the more ease of use.

hope that helps. might be jumbled. just typed it really fast.

good luck[/b]

_________________
Peter Scranton
'14 Tandem Island "Awesome"
'03 Windrider Rave "Menage a Trois"

Alex and Peter:
Thanks for your help. For a newbie its good to have some expert help. The boat is rigged up but it needs some tighting up to be ready to sail. It's in a sailing club and it seems the owner didn't sail it in the last couple of years. I didn't saw the sails (yet) but i'll check it out following your tips. When I compare the HC14 with the others around there, it's not in bad shape. I'll have special attention to the hull and mast as it seems to be the most important thing.

Alex:
I would prefer to sail a HC16, but the price for an used one around here is twice the HC14 and can't afford it. I'll probably stick to this one for now hoping that it grows two feet in the future…

Thanks again.
Best,
Carlos Sant'Ana