Hobie Cat Forums

I was reading across threads and this pic in another thread drew my curiousity in relation to what the little cleat on the front bulkhead is there to be used for. Can anyone help?...Pirate
http://home.fuse.net/songroot/boat_mods ... _place.jpg

If you mean the black cleat below the sail, in an adventure it's used for the sail.

On our Adventure Islands, we remove it and replace it with the plastic eye (#7116001) and use it to leash the mirage drive.

Kayaking Bob

My 2007 has a shock cord loop attached to it. I like Kayaking Bob's idea. Excellent idea as usual.

Keith

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I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

Thanks Bob. I will order an eye, as my boat came with the cleat which seems useless for our operation.
Can you tell me if it is possible to intoduce more of these tie down points in different places on the boat or are the bases moulded into the plastic?...Pirate

As you guessed, the bases are screwed into pre-molded places. In any other places, attach accessories with SS bolts is best.

Kayaking Bob

That cleat is pretty useless, but I did incorporate it in my temporary jib setup. It has no future in that job.

Bob, do you leash the drive when it is installed in the boat? I can't see how one would lose a drive that is installed. In my experience, you put them in the cargo well to lose them.

My cargo well is always full. When I pull the mirage drive it lays over the well for the drive. It needs a leash then.

In regard to replacing the cleats with screw-in padeyes, I have replace all the cleats around the cargo well with padeyes because I use shock cords to tie things down.

Keith

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I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

Like Keith, when I remove my drive, it sits above the drive hole across the gunnels. The only time it's not attached is when I replace it (I always carry a spare). I have had to rely on the "spare" three times so far, one time four miles from shore. I use to carry parts for the drive, but a whole working spare is much better.

After a few messy landings early in my first year with the AI (I'm now in my 3rd year!), I now remove the drive, raise the rudder, remove the daggerboard and paddle in to shore. I also stow the sheet line and roll up the reefing line.

Paddling in works great, as I then don''t try to steer with the rudder (when the rudder is fully out of the water) when on a wave.

Below is the "loop" on the drive that gets clipped to the leash.

Kayaking Bob

That is where the downhaul shockcord clips on the adventure. The Island is the same hull so it serves no purpose expect for the ones pointed out already.

_________________
Brad Stephens
Brad@sunjammers.com
(866) 786-5266 <--- Advice HOTline
http://www.sunjammers.com
www.facebook.com/sunjammers

Looking at the replies above, wouldn't you think that Hobie would replace these 'useless' cleats for eyes on our AIs, or at least provide an eye as an extra if Adventures and AIs arn't distinguished apart when they leave the factory....Pirate

Hmmmmm - It might be ideal for cleating the control lines from a Windpaddle. Could this be an omen?

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That's a good idea, and cheap to throw in an eye with the Island upgrade. I was watching a program on TV the other night about how rotomolded boats are made. It's interesting. They have this giant, shiny, aluminum mold of the hull in two halves. They pour in a bunch of plastic powder, seal the halves together, then the mold goes into an oven. While it's in there, it rotates about the roll axis and pitches up and down in the pitch axis to distribute the plastic around the mold as it melts. Then it comes out, they split the mold, trim the edges smooth, and add all the accessories.

It might be that all boats are turned into Adventures when they get out of the mold, and only some lucky ones are later turned into Islands.

...Pirate

Yes, Hobie makes on Adventures and then turns special ones into Islands.
Tom get up with Frank and get a factory tour dvd, very cool indeed!

_________________
Brad Stephens
Brad@sunjammers.com
(866) 786-5266 <--- Advice HOTline
http://www.sunjammers.com
www.facebook.com/sunjammers

The other thing Hobie could do would be to get their dealers to change this fitting on all AI's prior to delivery. How easy would that be, but in the meantime I will order one or two.....Pirate