New guy, need help tips starting restoration. PLEASE HELP!

Hi guys... I am a sailor at heart, but I have been involved only with bigger boats up to this point... We have a 38' Freedom and I love it, but for a while I've been looking for a cheap Hobie Cat to fix up and have for myself. Well, this weekend someone GAVE one to me! Wonderful as it is, upon inspection the boat has its share of problems...

1. My main question is... What is the best way to remove waterlogged flotation foam from the hulls? Both hulls weigh a ton, and I know I can drain the sitting water, but I really feel like the foam has to go too (and be replaced with ping pong balls or noodles).

2. There is a pretty big split in one of the hulls... The fiberglass is all there (there are no chunks missing), but the crack runs about 2.5 feet down the outside of the right hull. I have patched fiberglass before on occasion, but is there any particular method I should follow for this?

3. Is there a gallery anywhere or a diagram that shows the setup of the rigging in detail? Pretty much the only thing that's attached at this point is the mast, and I'm going to have to re-set up everything and re-buy a number of parts in the process I'm sure.

4. Anybody looking to get rid of one rudder blade, a tiller, and a traveler? Sail? Boom?

I know I've got my work cut out for me, and I will take some photos next time we head down to the coast, but PLEASE, any advise will be greatly greatly appreciated.

best,
Thomas

A lot of good info here.

http://www.hobiecat.com/support/tech/sailboat.html

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Division 10, Fleet 185
Hobie 17 and Hobie 14

i am in Beaufort and have some spare parts. let me know what you need

WOW that would be amazing! I need a number of things, but I don't want to "wear out my welcome" so to speak... I would certainly be willing to pay you for more valuable parts.

What I can tell so far that I need...
Mainsail
Boom
Traveler (I think, not positive though)
Rudder
Tiller

I think that's it, but I can't tell for sure until I go down to the boat and see (the boat that I was given is sort-of in the woods at our marina in Oriental, and I'm at home - will be down there weekend after next working on the hobie).

NCSailor, you can reach me more directly through my email if you'd like... Which is t.vick.06 ( at ) gmail ( dot ) com.


My main question at this point restoration-wise is how I'm going to get inside the hulls to remove the waterlogged foam... Or should I try to dry it instead of replace it? Any input in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

1st thing you have to decide is, am i gonna have more invested in this than it it worth. i have all the above parts you listed,except the tiller. see exactly what you need and we can get together on the price. if you are gonna keep this boat, i would invest in a new sail. the one i have is OLD, but in good shape.

I have some rudders for sale in the classifieds section.

I want to get the boat in good working condition, but ALSO, I am a college student trying to pay for my own school supplies and other various expenses, so I really can't afford to bring it up to tip-top shape. Depending on what I can get the parts for from you and possibly others (though it'd be nice to get them all in one place) I would REALLY like to keep the investment in total under $250. As long as the boat will move along alright and stay intact through flying a hull I think I'll be okay with it.

I will be in Oriental and working on the boat this weekend. Will you be in Beaufort or are you going out of town?

Please let me know how I can contact you about getting the parts. You have my email as listed above, and I will check it frequently throughout the weekend.

Thanks so much,
Thomas

To get rid of the styrofoam flotation try spraying Acetone on it. The acetone won't hurt the fiber glass, but should dissolve the foam. If you do go this route be sure to wear a very good filter mask. Good luck with the project!

Thanks!

What's the best way to get inside the hulls to remove the foam? By creating port-holes? And if so, where?

Probably the best place to put an inspection port is in front of the front X-bar. I have a bunch of photos I took when I put some in Wayne Shafer's 14. If you want to take a look at one way to put them in send your private email address to [email protected] . However, the foam block should be between the front & rear pylons which will restrict your access to it. See if you can look in through the drain plug housing and see any remains of a plastic bag which the foam may have been inside at one time. There's also a good chance you may not have any foam. When you look into the drain housing can you see any white foam balls? The factory used to bag the large blocks of styrofoam and then used a large twist tie to close it up....the bags usually fall apart after several years. Wayne's 14 didn't have any foam block or bag that I could find when I opened it up...He also has hull #2 which may have been built before styrofoam was invented..

Jumping in a little late here. Without seeing it, but based on your description of the boat, I think you are wasting your money and may end up with an unsafe boat in the end, anyway. Donate this boat to a charity for a tax write-off or part it out to pay school expenses, unless you like VERY BIG challenges, are REALLY, REALLY HANDY working with fiberglass, etc, are willing to spend MUCH, MUCH, MORE than you thought, and don't want to sail until next season or the one after that!

1. I believe the flotation foam is closed cell and should not be waterlogged. The foam is between the pylons so would be very difficult to remove. Tilt the boat with bows high and let the water drain for a day or so. Make sure there is no crud clogging the drain fittings.

2. A 2.5 foot split/crack!!! Are you talking a thin, hairline crack in the deck gel coat or a crack in the fiberglass in the hull? If it is a crack in the fiberglass in the hull, that is a major structural issue that may not be worth fixing. It is likely associated with a major delamination in that area also. Tap on the hull all around that area and see if you get the dull delamination sound or the sharp sound made by a sound hull. That repair alone could be a major effort and cost you more than $250 in materials alone. Where is the crack located? If it is in the high stress areas near the pylons it is time to get a new hull. If the crack goes through both skins of the hull sandwich and the inside skin is cracked (the hulls are a relatively thin fiberglass-foam-fiberglass sandwich to save weight) you might as well look for a new hull or forget the project completely.

3. Depending on what you really need (sounds like a lot) you will quickly exceed your $250 max on just a few items- you need to get a Hobie catalog (or walk into a West Marine or check Murray's or Salty Dog online) and look at the prices of stainless steel rigging, shackles, fittings, blocks, etc. Based on your description, you need to replace all the standing and running rigging. Even cheap line packages can run $50 or more but they are cheap. Likewise, aftermarket wire standing rigging can be found for $86 (Salty Dog). I don't think I have seen a used but serviceable main go for less than $150 and that is for a tired old sail without battens or boom. A boom and battens can easily run over $100 for used ones and that may not include the boom fittings and batten caps. If you have a turbo 14 you will need a jib- a new, low cost, jib from Whirlwind will run $175 and you may need to fix or replace the furling gear- ka-ching$. On the new side, one new Harken block can cost $100 to over $200, and for a 6:1 low profile main sheet setup you will need two!!!!

It is not unusual for a person to buy a fair to decent used boat for under $1000, but spend another $1000 - $1500 for repairs and upgrades. You know the saying- a sailboat is a hole in the ocean that you throw money into- Hobies are no different!

4. Look at the classifieds here, on Beach Cats, Cat Sailor, Ebay, and Craig's list for used parts- but even those will not be cheap!

Before spending any money I would ask an experienced and long time Hobie owner and fiberglass expert to look at your boat and give you their assessments. Again, based on your description, I don't think it is worth the time and money to fix it.

You are welcome to stop by my place in Washington, NC to discuss these issues in detail and look at my H16. Sorry, at today's gas prices, it is a bit far to make a run to Oriental.

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Alan
'86 H16, Sail #89057

Well I'm headed down to Oriental tonight to work on the boat. As for replacing the rigging, it's actually in perfect condition believe it or not... The boat really just needs the parts I listed above, which I plan on buying used. I have worked with fiberglass before, though it was fabrication and not repair. I found one soft spot on top of everything else seems sound, other than the obvious rip in the OUTSIDE of the STARBOARD hull. 2.5 feet was a long estimate. It's more like 1.5' or maybe less, but it's a rip all the way through the fiberglass nonetheless. The boat doesn't have water in the hulls that I can detect, but it is heavier than it should be. Probably 140lbs without the boom and mainsail. The foam in the hulls (I can feel through the hull rip) is HARD. Almost like concrete. But it's not wet from what I can tell. NO water drained when I tilted the boat back last weekend.

Alan, I appreciate your input and I'd really appreciate being able to talk further about it. I will be down at the coast this weekend. My number is (910) 309-4839. If you're willing to offer further advice, please give me a call or let me know how I can get up with you.

Thanks to all,
Thomas

FYI, the boat is not a Turbo.

Good luck.

You can call me at home 252-946-1927.

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Alan
'86 H16, Sail #89057