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 Post subject: Trashed 17 - what to do?
PostPosted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:04 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:48 am
Posts: 14
I've acquired a mid 80's Hobie 17 that I thought I could bring back to life given my inclination to repair and rebuild. I've been advised by an experienced member of this forum that I'm spinning my wheels and to simply sell it for parts and cut my losses. I would have taken this advice and gone on my merry little way had I not already invested a LOT of time putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again. It was almost to the point of sailable except it's so ugly I'd ruin the fishing in the bay for a month if I took it out....and there's the issue of some questionable cracks in the mast. (That was the final problem that killed this project)

My query to the Forum is Three-fold:

One: What's the collective experience parting out a Hobie 17 on Ebay? Some parts just don't ship, so what should I expect?

Secondly: I've repaired the hulls where they will work, but stopped before doing any finish and painting. How hard are these hulls to find/would some old, restored hull valuable enough to save?

Third: In line with #2, I've got to the point where I need to remove the hulls from the cross-bars and they simply are not moving. I've taken off the two screws from the top and the T-bar that clamps to the hull lip. Reading the assembly manual in reverse, they are supposed to simply slip from the crossbeams, but are acting like they are glued/bolted on. If they are not worth the effort, out comes the saw. If they may make some needy Hobie 17 owner whole again, I'm willing to make the effort to contribute to the greater good....besides, I put some serious effort into their repair and I can't stand thinking of all that wasted effort.

Thanks in advance for the advice.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:07 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm
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Location: Detroit, MI
Where are you located and can you put up some photos?

The most valuable parts are the crossbeams, centerboards, centerboard springs, and rudder system. I'm assuming the sail and tramp are toast, otherwise they would be on the list, too.

All of those parts can be shipped UPS.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:30 am 
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I'm in Louisiana. I'll post photos of the parts I've removed thus far. At the onset of this project, I started a blog to document its revival. I only did the one entry when I first got it and promptly left it to sit for many months before getting back to it. I do intend to add to it, to fully document my efforts and final acceptance of the obvious. In the meantime, take a look:
http://hobie17restore.blogspot.com/

The tramp is a one-piece mesh that I've been trying to figure out how to get off without disassembling the entire thing. Except for a couple small holes, it's in fairly good shape. I only pulled the sail out once to look at to make sure it was not torn up. Since I've never had a sail with that mylar (or whatever it is) plastic backing, I'm able to judge its quality. I have all the rudder components, though one of my EPO rudders must have been dragged a couple miles by a PO and has a flat spot on it. It I get a wild hair I'll fiberglass it back to original, otherwise it will likely go in the trash.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:25 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm
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Location: Detroit, MI
Whoa. That boat's in rough shape. Used, abused and patched up on so many levels.

The one-piece tramp doesn't come off w/o taking the boat apart.

The screws, rivets and who knows what all on the crossbar attachments are from the PO - they are not original. Stock boats just have the bolt/anchor bar under the deck lip that needs to be removed before the whole boat comes apart. This boat's had some major modifications to try and stiffen it up.

The rear crossbar has a Harken traveler that's not class legal, and from the age of the boat, is not original (some H17 Sports were made with that, but much later).

The rudder castings look OK and EPOs are worth something, even if there's a flat spot on one. (Send it to me before you throw it out.)

The hulls are toast. Yes, if it's fiberglass, it can be fixed, but the time and $ would be ridiculous.

On the sail, a perfectly new one will have a mirror-like shine on the Mylar side. As they are used, little crinkles develop. Older sails can look like a wadded up piece of aluminum foil that's been flattened back out. If the sail's been folded, the creases are forever. If there are hazy spots on the Mylar side, that's delamination. Once the sail starts to delam, it's done. Eventually, the Mylar will crack and peel away from the Dacron side. There's no way to stop it.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:17 am 
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Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:35 pm
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Location: Lake Champlain, Vermont
Yeah, I like your attitude to get this thing going, but lots of it is replace not repair. Too costly. Take all the little things off too, you'd be surprised how often people look for them (and they store easy). Booms are popular too. I hope you can get another to work on (lighter work!). Walk away from corrosion, you cant fix it. Good luck.

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:03 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:48 am
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Can anyone direct me to a video showing assembly/disassemble of a Hobie 17? Youtube's strangely very light on this subject. The manual reads like its written by a 1990s Microsoft engineer. I'm about one more try away from getting the saw out and start hacking my hulls up.

If it is what I think it is, some PO may have used silicone to glue the crossbeams to the hulls. I noticed that it has been employed in every crevasse I've looked.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:42 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:52 pm
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You don't need a video. Under the beams, look inside the inwale and see some hex driven studs one under each beam end. In my case, these were different heads for front and rear, so get those tools.
Undo all the tramp lacing, undo the studs. It might suit you to only undo one side and remove one hull, then take the beams from the other side as a second step.
When the boat comes apart, you don't want the hulls or whatever to crash to the ground and cause damage, so either do it on the ground, or on the trailer providing it won't fall off. It is good to have someone there to help especially if you have to wrassle the hulls apart.

The beams are held at each hull by a single stud, and at the very end they slide under the rounded casting over the gunwale. Hobie did not put any mechanical fixing at the outboard end so if a PO has done that you need to get rid of them. Remove the studs and the hulls should be somewhat free to move around. Carefully start pulling the hulls apart. Ideally they will start to separate, although you mention some silicon - you might try cutting it with a craft knife, or it may not have bonded.

Anyway that's the bones of pulling the boat apart, it's what I did and I am a certified klutz. It's not so hard, especially if the silicon yeilds easily.

Hopefully someone else here can fill in any bits I have missed.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:46 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:06 am
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I have just purchased a used 17 that has bent wings and a couple of dings but is sound and in good shape. I also just bought a Wave which I want to fix up for the kids, but is missing everything, so the 17 is now going to be the parts boat(rudders and trailer) and the rest is up for a quick sale, and a real sweet deal to some lucky person. Its an 87ish white hull, white sail, good rig, straight mast, hulls in good shape, low miles.
Someone make me an offer, I keep the rudders and trailer.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 10:44 am 
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Regrettably, this H17 is now past-tense. While chopping it up, I did confirm a few things that contribute to the observations on the H17's construction and design.
1) The bottom half of he hulls are very thin. So thin that I when I tried to repair them, I punched through barely after getting through the gelcoat.

2) Placement of the t-bars bolts inside the crossbeams was a nightmare to deal with. I snapped two allen wrench extensions trying to unbolt this t-bars. A third turned out to be mounted at the wrong angle, which I figure out only after stripping the head.

3) Hardware removal - What is the deal with ramming locking bolts right up against the side of the hull so that you can't get a socket around them? What an annoyance.

4) Flotation - I'm surprised to see how little styrofoam is installed. I would have thought there would be cubes installed the entire length, but only found some in the very back. Maybe this is another result of a PO's work.

To address my earlier questions as to why this H17 was not coming apart, a PO had indeed glued the hulls to the crossbeams which contributed to the problem. The PO also installed backing plates under the cross-beams and secured them nylon locking nuts. When I tried to unbolt it, the nuts would simply spin. (genius!) In the end this would not have mattered except for the fact there was a one-piece tramp installed. Just how he/she managed to install these plates and nuts implies that the hulls were cracked open.

So who needs parts? I'm looking to sell whatever I can to help pay or the next project boat.

Image


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:50 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 6:51 am
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I'm worling on a 17 , and will need parts. please contact me.
Tom Campbell [email protected]


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:10 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:35 am
Posts: 5
Just noticed last night that the rear cross bar on my Hobie 17 was severely cracked and am looking for a replacement.
Do you still have one available?


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:33 am 
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Hey - still have any parts for this boat? I am puitting a 17 together also. I know the thread is old.

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'68 and '84 Sunfish
'83 H14 Turbo
'89 H17
Southern NJ


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 7:39 am 
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bump... any parts still available? need sail and more...

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'68 and '84 Sunfish
'83 H14 Turbo
'89 H17
Southern NJ


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:47 pm 
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Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:44 pm
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I just bought an 86 17 that I am thinking of parting out or selling whole. It has a damaged rear wing hole. It has been jury-rigged repaired and it works, but it is not watertight. I haven't decided if will sell the boat as is or part it out. Plus I have a few extra parts anyway. What are you looking for?


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 8:28 am 
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just a sail really. If not - I will part mine out also. hulls are repaired and sound and wings are reinforced.

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'68 and '84 Sunfish
'83 H14 Turbo
'89 H17
Southern NJ


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