I am new to the forum and have a question

I have recently acquired two functioning Hobie 18"s. Not sure of the models or year but they both seem in good nick. Minus the sails though. I have them on Georgian Bay in Ontario Canada and I have to store them outside. The main thing to consider is that I am leaving the country for six months returning in May. Is it reasonable to disassemble the two boats for storage? I have storage (unheated) for the bits and pieces but the hulls and rig would need to live outside under a tarp. The boats could undergo a bit of a refit upon my return anyway. Thanks for any thoughts, Mark

Read the Sailing FAQs on winterizing. Snow load will cause the most damage if the boat is not stored properly. Vent the hulls, at least tilt and leave the drain holes open.

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1989 Hobie 18 Worlds Boat, Magnum Wings & Spinnaker
1987 Hobie Holder 20 #273

dale.vanlopik"at"att"dot"net

Yes the boats are fairly easily disassembled. When hurricane Irene "visited" us last month, I completely disassembled my 18 and put it in the house. With some practice, it goes fairly quickly (around an hour, maybe a little more). It's not something you would want to do every week, but for long-term storage, it's not bad.

For outdoor winterizing, open the drain plugs and tilt the bows up so any water drains out of the hulls. Also open the deck ports to allow the hulls to dry out. Its also a good idea to remove the tramp and any lines. Cover the hulls, but do so in such a way that excess snow load can not accumulate as this can cause damage. Otherwise, the boats are quite robust and can withstand being out in the elments.

sm

As much as I would like to keep my H18 in the house ..... I knowing my wife would never dare this.

The wrath would be horrendous..... LOL

Fortunately we do nnot have / experience same environmental conditions as yourselves

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Richard Stephens

I'd take the guys advice above who has you taking the tramp off and covering the hulls separately to protect against UV damage, tilting the boat, taking the hull covers and plugs out, and leaving the crossbars on the hulls.
I've only taken 5 Hobie 18's apart...but I only had one come apart and go back together without having some issue with the stainless bolts that go through the hulls and into the crossbars..( You can read about these issues elsewhere on this forum) They thread deeply into blocks inside the crossbars and the threads "gall" very easily, and/or crossthread....If they do you are in for some serious headaches. I built shed much like the carports they are selling now, 25 years ago, and it's saved me and my boat a lot of grief.

It's critical that you install the crossbar bolts with an anti-seize grease applied to the threads. Otherwise, the threads will gall causing the bolt to get stuck in the crossbar. You should get all four inside bolts started before installing the outside bolts. Also, use only hand tools to install the bolts, it would be very easy to cross thread the bolts if you use power tools.

I've never had any major issues getting the 18 to come apart or go together, but it is a little bit of a pain. I highly recommed that you strap the hulls to the trailer before installing the crossbars, that way they don't fall over while you're trying to get the bolts lined up.

sm