Just got my Hobie Cat from the dump, free, Everything there

Well I was at the dump the other day when i saw a Hobie cat tied to a roof of a truck, started talking with the guy, he was going to take it but his wife was going to kill him.... Long story short I took it, Everything is there, it needs a little TLC, so far I have cleaned it, Dremmeled some of the gunnel sections(Someone put silicone in..) and epoxied them back, sanded the whole thing, This coming weekend I am planning on spraying some gel coat. The mast and boom are pin straight, no pitting or rotting, the main sail has two minor tears and so does the jib, I have ordered some sail tape to temporarily fix them while I save for new sails. The rudders are okay, one needs some serious glass work.

I have also ordered all new lines, the tramp is solid besides one small tear, I may just use some gorilla tape on both sides, as I cant seem to find a patch kit. Obviously all new hardware is necessary. The rigging seems to be in good shape(Blocks and pullys)

The guy I worked for use to be an avid sailer and is helping quite a bit with the terminology and learning the ropes.

The only thing I didn't get was a trailer, so I went on Craigslist and got me a little utility trailer frame, I am going to weld it to some what specs of a hobie trailer.

Anyway if by now you have not figured out I am extremely handy, I guess this is me telling you.

Does anyone know of a good product to restore fiberglass from chalking. I am only gelcoating the bottoms of the pontoons(I know they are called something else but it is slipping my mind) so I can maintain the friction tracks on top.

Here are some pics so far.
Before Cleaning

During Cleaning




It is quite amazing the difference, I was amazed at how well this boat cleaned up

Congratulations, and welcome to your new addiction. We're here. To help.

Old fiberglass sure can clean up nice.

I would recommend, however, that before you get too far along, stand the hulls up and push down on the decks and hull sidewalls right in front of the forward pylons. If the fiberglass is solid, continue with the project. If it pushes down easily or makes crunching noises, put it in your truck and take it back to the dump.

sm

and once you've passed the structural testing, lather up the hull with suds and blow air in through the transom drain plug hole... GENTLY. where bubbles appear is where you will have leaks. pay close attention to the hull/deck seams.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Yepp did this, its solid, thanks!!

Will this matter if I am planning on putting on 5 coats of gel coat?

5 coats does sounds like alot of gel coat but it would be a good idea to find leaks before you cover them up. More than likely you're ok since you've done hull flex tests and a few cups of water shouldn't hurt anything after a full days sailing.
BTW.............. THANK YOU GOOD SIR FOR SAVING A HOBIE! May many good times and cold beers find you in their future!

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Tim Grover

Memphis, TN fleet 134
Hobie 20! G-Cat5.0 and 2 Hobie 14's
Photobucket now wants $100 to post pics on forums......... pass.

Sweet! Congrats on a great find!
You can find a lot of the parts you need on eBay or Craigslist. Look at the Hobie assembly manual and parts catalog to find out sizes of lines, blocks, shackles, etc. And people here on the forum will help you too, I'm sure!

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Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks

No way i was going to let the boat get crumbled, especially that all of it was there, Many cold beers working on it already:) The trailer is just about done, I am spraying this weekend , Hoping to be able to have it on the the water in the next 10 days.

And I will post more pictures as the project comes along, does anyone have an idea for a mast support, I was going to use some PVC and Y fittings... but open to ideas

I am still using an old life jacket set on the rear crossbar?

Or do you not have a stand at the front of the trailer?

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www.thehobiewayoflife.com

No I don't have a stand on the front of my trailer...yet, seems that PVC is going to be the cheapest and most effective.

One very easy way to clean a fiberglass boat if you plan on repainting with new gelcoat is believe it or not sno bol toilet bowl cleaner. Not only will it take all the chalk off the old gelcoat it also microscopically etches the surface which helps the new gelcoat adhere to the hull. Good luck with your project it looks like its coming along nicely.

I sometimes wonder if my steel mast crutch is beefy enough....can't imagine PVC working for long. (And don't even want to think about the consequences of a failure!)

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16

Will this matter if I am planning on putting on 5 coats of gel coat?[/quote]

Depending on how much you thin it I only got 4 coats out of a gallon thinned with 10% styrene using a 2.7 spray tip.

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2001 H18 w/SX wings & spinnaker #16740 (purchased new)
1989 H18 w/SX wings #14565 (purchased new, sold 2000)
Would buy another if Hobie would build it.