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PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 6:35 pm 
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Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2014 6:39 pm
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Location: Vancouver BC
Hello all,
As a kid growing up in the middle east my family had a Hobie 16 that me and my Dad would go out on in the red sea, we had loads of fun and some great memories. Now I'm living in Vancouver,BC and started windsurfing a few years ago I thought this would be a great time to get back into Cat sailing so I found a good used Hobie 14 and now I'm excited to get back out there. I will probably get some lessons though as it's been about 20 years!

Since I have some flat concrete space behind my house I wanted to keep the boat there and save on storage. After collecting the boat (in pieces on a big truck rack!) I need to get the thing on a trailer. Believe it or not finding a Cat trailer in these parts is near impossible, regardless of how easy some other posts on this forum make it sound in their area. My company sells the RackNRoll product so I was able to get hold of one and have adapted it to hold the Hobie. I wanted to get some feedback about how the boat should be held, you can see i've installed some rollers, are they enough or do i need some saddles? I was going to apply some carpet material to the crossbars near the rollers for some protection but should I have the load on the bars or the rollers?

Image

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The trailer is awesome by the way, handles great, folds up and is very light. It holds 300lbs with the upgraded shocks so should be good for the 14 but maybe not be great if I end up with a 16 one day? I had to switch out the stock bars and had some aluminum ones that were a bit wider and I thought would last longer, the wiring on this trailer is a bit iffy though and seems to be made for dryer climates so I went round and used some heat shrink connectors and bunch of silicone sealant.

Lastly I still have to create a mast support and any suggestions on what to use at the top of this upright would be great?

Image

thanks in advance and since this is my first post, I hope it all looks normal?

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:25 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm
Posts: 5197
Location: Detroit, MI
It's a very nice looking trailer, but regarding the crossbars, they should be rotated 90 degrees so that they can better support the boat (less flexing) and have the rollers free and clear.

The way the rollers are now (low), you're likely to scrape the hulls on the crossbars when loading the boat - and maybe the fenders, too.

I'd be very careful how much you put on this trailer - it looks fragile - there are no diagonal supports for the tongue. A 16 is definitely out since it weighs a minimum of 320 lbs.

A lot of old 14s are pushing up into the 300 lb range, too - even though the minimum weight is 240 lb.

I hope you got a deal on that trailer - MSRP is very expensive. Way more than a Trailex, which is made to carry Hobie Cats.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:47 am 
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Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 4:27 pm
Posts: 576
Location: Central Oregon
Cool trailer but looks $$$$$$$.
If its not too late. Sail Sand Point in Seattle usually has some Hobie trailers kicking around for sale.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:34 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:29 pm
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Location: High Point, NC
Great trailer, but you'll need to equip it with the heavier spring/shock package.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 2:24 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
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Location: Jersey Shore
Are you planning to tow behind a car with that? Wholy crap, there's no way I would take that thing over 25MPH. If you're just using it as a beach dolly in your yard, it might be OK, but on the highway, no way. That thing is way under built, it looks too short, and the cross bars are way too close together to be used to tow a Hobie. I think you should keep looking for a real boat trailer.

sm


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:10 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:02 pm
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Location: Rockford, IL
I would worry about the crossbar spacing. The boat is going to see-saw, I think, and take the trailer with it. I love that trailer, but I think it's too short and too lightweight for a sailboat. A couple of kayaks, maybe an Adventure Island, but I think you're going to have problems with a H-14.

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"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:23 pm 
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Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2014 6:39 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Vancouver BC
Thanks for all the input, maybe I can sift through and address a few things. I do know these trailers are expensive but the compact design and the fact it can be stored upright next to my car in a single parking stall is a big bonus in this city. I also have access to these through my work so for arguments sake lets pretend it was free for now!

I did first look at trailers in Seattle, they were more available but due to the fact I live up in Canada there are quite a few issues with registering and bringing a trailer into the country that I was not keen on.

MBounds wrote:
but regarding the crossbars, they should be rotated 90 degrees so that they can better support the boat (less flexing) and have the rollers free and clear.

The way the rollers are now (low), you're likely to scrape the hulls on the crossbars when loading the boat - and maybe the fenders, too.


The aluminum bars have two I-beam extrusions and were from a truck rack that is rated at 500lbs but I do agree they would be stronger vertically but I was worried the whole thing would be raised more and the trailer is already high. Secondly that would also bring the contact points of the boat closer which as a few people have mentioned, it already seems close.

Tom Kirkman wrote:
Great trailer, but you'll need to equip it with the heavier spring/shock package.


I did get the extra shocks, infact they sent me two pairs by accident as the guy who picked the order must have thought there were two boxes!


srm wrote:
Are you planning to tow behind a car with that? Wholy crap, there's no way I would take that thing over 25MPH. If you're just using it as a beach dolly in your yard, it might be OK, but on the highway, no way. That thing is way under built, it looks too short, and the cross bars are way too close together to be used to tow a Hobie. I think you should keep looking for a real boat trailer.

sm


Well I had planned on it, it is a trailer with a 300lbs weight limit designed for highway roads and used primarily for carrying many long Kayaks. I did look at trailers like this one to see what kind of bar spread would be good and it seemed in proportion although I can adapt it and widen the spread but it wold be a hassle. Mostly this will be a 15 mins across town to the beach situation.
Image

One of the main reasons for this post was to get some ideas regarding the mast support, anyone have any suggestions, I was going to pickup a keel bumper and affix that onto the upright?

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:10 am 
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Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:49 am
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Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Cool Trailer, the mast crutch can be topped with a V shaped Bow Stop, available in many boating supply shops. you will need to fabricate a mount to attach it and I would include tie down points on my mount.
I would be concerned with left to right instability in the crutch due to small diameter tongue. You may need to come up with a way to stabilize the mast or crutch laterally to the tramp corner castings or tramp pylons.
Best Luck!

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:18 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
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Location: Jersey Shore
The fact that the manufacturer says that the thing is capable of carrying up to 300LB of cargo does not mean it is necessarily a good idea. Static load capacity is only one of several factors to consider when selecting a trailer. For example, there is a big difference between the way the trailer will handle a 300LB cargo box centered over the axle or a pair of 50LB kayaks and the way it will handle a 250+LB Hobie 14 with it's weight spread over 14 feet of length and 8 feet of width. Factors like torque and moment of inertia get magnified the more you spread the weight away from the axle. I suspect you're going to see that trailer flex well beyond safe limits and possibly even just plain fail when you hit a significant bump or pothole. There's a reason why virtually all of the catamaran trailers built today are an A-frame design, usually made using 3" tall steel channel or 3" fully boxed aluminum tube. Even the guys sailing 160LB A Cats use beefier trailers than what you're proposing.

If I were you, before putting anymore money or effort into that trailer, I'd hitch it up to the car and put just the hull platform on it (no mast, boom, etc.) and take it for a spin around town to see how it handles. My gut feeling is that it isn't going to work well at all.

I could also see you running into legality issues with the placement of the lights being so far under the boat that they won't be visible. Overall, I just think that trailer is a really bad idea for use with a Hobie.

sm


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:53 am 
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Location: Virginia Beach VA
How will you tie it down?


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:08 am 
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Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2014 6:39 pm
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Location: Vancouver BC
GDavies wrote:
Cool Trailer, the mast crutch can be topped with a V shaped Bow Stop, available in many boating supply shops. you will need to fabricate a mount to attach it and I would include tie down points on my mount.
I would be concerned with left to right instability in the crutch due to small diameter tongue. You may need to come up with a way to stabilize the mast or crutch laterally to the tramp corner castings or tramp pylons.
Best Luck!


I got the bow stop and I think it's a good way to go, I will figure out a mount and I agree with your suggestion of some more lateral support. I will take a look. For longer trips I will just put the mast and boom/sail on the truck rack I have but for storage and quick trips to the beach this should work well.

sunvista wrote:
How will you tie it down?

After reading a few posts this looks to be a good method:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13831&p=76858

My original question was regarding if the rollers are a sufficient way to cradle the boat or should I get some padded craddles? Some people say 14s will be fine on rollers and only larger boats benefit from more support and some cradles?

The last 3 weekends here have been 2-3 inches of snow then a rainfall warning so I've still not been able to build back up the boat and take some pictures of it on the trailer. As soon as its up and running I will post some more and let SRM pick it apart.

srm wrote:
Overall, I just think that trailer is a really bad idea for use with a Hobie.
sm


Luckily we live about as far away as possible so I wouldn't worry about having to drive behind me on the highway!
I have sold these trailers through my company for 5-6 years and people have used them for all sorts including one person who had 3 canoes for his family on a road trip across Canada, combined they weighted about 250lbs and were 17ft long.
I do however think this is uncharted territory hence why I joined and posted my plans here, I do appreciate constructive criticism. I wish I could have just picked up a used trailer off Craigslist but that wasn't possible.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 12:03 pm 
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Location: Jersey Shore
Flygair wrote:
As soon as its up and running I will post some more and let SRM pick it apart.



By all means, let us know how it works out. I'm not trying to pick it apart per se; just providing feedback based on many years of trailering experience and more than a few "mishaps." I've seen failures on trailers that were a much more substantial construction than this one.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 10:49 am 
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Location: Clinton, Mississippi
Cradles aren't needed for the H-14. The keels of the asymetrical hulled cats are quite beefy. Most symetrical hull boats require cradles, but very few owners of H-14, H-16, P-16, P-18, etc. use them. Load should stay on the rollers, just make sure you tie it down well. Do a thorough check at 1, 10, and 100 miles. Once you are confident your system works, that can obviously be reduced.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:44 am 
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I've been using my Yakima Rack 'n Roll for a year now. Sometimes with a Hobie PA 12 and a Hobie Outback kayaks but usually just the PA. With both yaks loaded, I must be right on the max 250 lb load for the standard shocks, but I haven't had any problems. Probably 2000 kms at highway speeds in Alberta and B.C., as well as some pretty grungy gravel roads at ~80 km/hr and then some logging roads at slower speeds. The only problem I've had is gravel kicked up from truck tires taking out the 2 front running lights and peeling the paint off the front of the fenders.

I didn't use the round Yakima bars provided, but mounted my kayak cradles right to the T-Bar cross struts. They may not be wide enough to do that with your Hobie 14.

I'm planning a road trip across the continent to the Florida Keys with both yaks next year, and don't expect any problems, but if you're interested in selling your extra set of heavy-duty shocks - let me know.


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