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 Post subject: Bad Day
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 10:55 am 
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:29 am
Posts: 34
Location: Boise, Idaho
This is a tale of woe and bad management...

First of August we bought our '76 H16 and on 9/11 - of all dates - on Lake Cascade, Idaho, we had a calamity.

We're hauling along when the wind really kicks up and a huge gust puts the lee hull tip under and we pitchpole in the blink of an eye. :( Nobody was hurt thank the stars. :)

I reached down to the blocks and uncleated the main sheet and traveler - so I thought.

Tried like hell to right it but it wouldn't budge.

After most of an hour in the water a good samaratin came along and pulled us out of the drink. They call for the sherif's boat to try to get the boat upright and we head back to the dock. Half way back the samaratin's boat runs out of gas! They call the sherif to get some gas... Two hours later we are back at the dock. Someone called the paramedics because I have a heart problem history. They decided I needed to be "checked out" and hauled me to the local clinic where am pronounced OK.

The sherif calls to tell me he can't get the boat up. "Every time it comes upright, it sinks." I have to call the local marine recovery service (Big $$$). Next day they have the boat at the dock. The mast is snapped at the comptip retrofit weld, there are holes in the hulls - fixable - and the entire rudder/helm assembly is gone.

The holes in the hulls arent through. I later find breaks in the deck/hull joints on both hulls. Whatever sealant/adhesive used has cracked and fallen away for around 2 feet on bothe outer edges.

"Like a good neighbor," State Farm won't do anything under the homeowners coverage.

Lessons:
1. Make sure you have uncleated the main sheet and traveler.
2. Check the main sheet and traveler again.
3. If it still won't budge, repeat number 1 and 2.
4. Make a better righting lne system. Only had a single long line tied to the dolphin raker upright.
5. If it happens again I am going to release the shrouds, right the boat, haul everything on board and wait for help.

Looks like I can get the mast fixed up OK.

Anybody have a set of used rudders and helm to sell?

Wife refuses to ride that damn boat again because "they are notorious for pitchpoling."

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:17 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:46 pm
Posts: 1457
Location: Santa Cruz
Thanks for writing that. Hopefully it will save some trouble for someone down the line.

Step 6: Make sure that your mast is sealed.

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:23 pm 
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:29 am
Posts: 34
Location: Boise, Idaho
Thanks for the reply.

Excellent point.

The comptip was full of water but the rest of the mast was empty. Still can't figure where the water got into the tip. Have to take it out and soak it...

Ed

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:36 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:36 pm
Posts: 788
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
If it is like my comptip the water came in through the rivet holes. Check to see if rivet housings were used. If not drill out existing rivets and replace with housed rivets. http://www.murrays.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=19-5020&Category_Code=C-MO-FA&Store_Code=MS :wink:


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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:54 pm 
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Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 2:50 pm
Posts: 20
Location: Calgary, AB
I'm sure we all feel your pain. The only stumbling block is going to be the last part:

"Wife refuses to ride that damn boat again because "they are notorious for pitchpoling.""

After my first attempt in 20 years to step a mast and rig the boat, my wife was, "screw this, go sail with a friend". Even resorting to, "you liked golf and skiing...you'll like sailing!" didn't work so far.

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:20 pm 
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Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:33 pm
Posts: 223
Location: Southern California
I have spare rudders from a '81 I can donate. Email me at [email protected]

What do mean by a spare helm?

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1979 Hobie (sold)
1983 Hobie 16 Hawiian Sunset (sold)
1981 Hobie 16 Tequilla Sunrise - still own
2008 Hobie 16 (currently sailing the crap out of this boat)
1977 Super Sunfish
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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:31 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 4:54 am
Posts: 93
Location: Apollo Beach, FL
This guy might have any parts you are missing. He specializes in used Hobie 16 and 18 parts.

http://www.thebeachcats.com/classifieds ... 1372/cat/4


DarekR wrote:
I'm sure we all feel your pain. The only stumbling block is going to be the last part:

"Wife refuses to ride that damn boat again because "they are notorious for pitchpoling.""

After my first attempt in 20 years to step a mast and rig the boat, my wife was, "screw this, go sail with a friend". Even resorting to, "you liked golf and skiing...you'll like sailing!" didn't work so far.


LOL This is precisely why I have added an H14 Turbo I can solo to my fleet.

For a shake down cruise on an older boat, this is not atypical unfortunately. Hang in there. It will get better.

Dave W


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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:17 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:18 am
Posts: 778
Location: Virginia Beach VA
Don't get too discouraged. Pitchpoling is part of the fun. I've flipped the boat three times in one day. Righting it becomes second nature and takes only a minute or two. Most of the time all you get is wet.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:23 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 51
It sounds like they tore it up pretty bad dragging it to shore. They get paid to salvage totaled boats normally, that require buoyancy aids just to get back to shore. I'm shocked someone with even a jon boat couldn't drag her back in for ya. Next time find someone on shore and make it worth their while!

I made the same mistake once, sent a salvage team after my finn. A carbon fiber spar, mylar sail, and some missing hardware later.... they drug it up on shore UPSIDE down until the mast naturally righted the boat!!!! These guys are worse than wrecker drivers! A week later I found my sail on craigslist... with the faded patches where the sail numbers had been removed!!!! It ended up being the wrecker service guy's cousin selling my sail!!! THEY ARE SHADY!!!! Long story short, never leaving a boat at sea again!

If the boat wouldn't come back up/stay up then you likely had a severe leak. Had this boat capsized before? A lot could have happened in hours of being capsized but the fact that you had so much trouble getting it up to begin with leads me to believe something was leaking, BAD. My 5 inch inspection port hole once sank my pontoon in about 30 seconds, COMPLETELY. It doesn't take long for the water that goes in around unsealed pylons to create a huge problem too. Good luck and remember not to use silicon that has acetone in it.

At 160lbs I have no problems getting the hobie up. Takes me about 60 seconds if I have to find and run the righting line. This boat isn't hard to bring back up just have to learn how and make sure the boat floats before it goes over. If I was having any kind of trouble I would either get a righting pole or shroud extenders.

Oh and tape up your ring dings and what not so you don't demast on the next pitchpole!


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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 11:14 am 
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:29 am
Posts: 34
Location: Boise, Idaho
Thanks all for the replies and sympathy.

This was the first time the boat had been capsized. I later found that there are major breaks in the deck/hull joint on both hulls. Only had the boat one month and I feel like a total idiot for not checking things out more. :roll:

The joints have what looks like a marine adhesive/sealer in them. It looks like the breaks are where the boat would have been banging the dock side for a long time.

The recovery people were not up to snuff. They have no special equipment. They just send a crew out on the lake and drag the boat in. You're right, I should have gotten someone to help me bring the boat to shore and then drain it and fix things.

The mast snapped at a weld where the tang attaches and the comp tip is inserted. It's rivets aalso hold in the comp tip. I have drilled out the rivets in the busted off piece and removed the comp tip from it.

I have chop sawed off the weld bead on the mast and the piece on the tip. The extra piece is about 5 or 6 inches long. I'm thinking of just remounting the comp tip on the remaiing mast. Suppose the mast would then be too short?

Ed

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:34 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 51
No idea. I would just scrap the mast and move on. My local boat shop has a rack with like 5 hobie masts and several bobs, all sitting there just waiting. I'm sure you can find a replacement or am I just spoiled?

I know before I figured out my sail wasn't getting all the way up, pointing up wind was a real pita. Hopefully a shorter mast doesn't have the same effect.

Oh and pictures of the damage would be useful. The sealant or whatever you are talking about shouldn't be able to really do what you're describing. Sounds like a fix gone old on an even older boat. Is this damage near the side shroud anchor points? If weakened at this spot the shrouds can rip the top of the deck off like a lid on a sardine can.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:09 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:00 pm
Posts: 560
Location: Charlottesville, VA
How did the rudder stuff disappear? Did the gudgeons pull out of the transoms, or was it cleanly removed?

And I agree that pitchpoling is just part of the game. Happened to me last week. What a hoot! Not that I'd do it on purpose, but just like crashing is part of riding dirt bikes, ending up in the water is part of sailing a small fast boat.

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:34 pm 
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:29 am
Posts: 34
Location: Boise, Idaho
How did the rudders disappear?

I would like to say the gudgeons riped off but, alas, there was no cotter key in the bottoms of the rudder pins. :?

Maby I should just get a nice little dingy and go fishing...

Any more ideas about using a 5 inch too short mast?

With my sail not quite all the way up it sailed upwind with no problems.

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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:37 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:00 pm
Posts: 560
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Overall, I would consider parting out the boat and starting over. It sounds kind of drastic, but this would be the best time. You have old, heavy, damaged hulls. You lost the old-style rudders and the leaky mast is broken. I'm not sure what there really is that's worth selling, but if there's nothing worth selling then there's nothing worth rebuilding on.

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'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages


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 Post subject: Re: Bad Day
PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 6:10 pm 
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Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:11 pm
Posts: 313
Location: West Point, Utah
Hey, there is a guy named Ben in Salt Lake city that is always selling pieces and parts for Hobies. His prices are too high, but you can usually get what you need for a reasonable price. He has hulls and masts and frame parts. Look on KSL classified's under the sailing catagory. Some good prices on some H16's too. Might be time to start over.


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