I'm new to sailing after rescuing a '80 Hobie 16 from a backyard in Vermont about 2 months ago. I've been out with it half a dozen times over the past few weeks and am trying to fine tune the rigging. From the reading I've done on the forum, the greater the mast rake the better the cat will perform and also make it less prone to pitchpoling. (first time doing that happened yesterday..
) However, my understanding is the mast step and base along with the way the sails are cut on older boats such as mine do not allow the same level of rake as newer versions. I’m interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully modified the older version mast step to allow a little more rake. I’m thinking about removing a little material from the aft of the cup with a dremel tool, (I smoothed out some grinding already after having the shrouds a bit too short on a prior outing) or even adding an extra Teflon chip in the cup to keep the bottom of the mast from grinding on the step. I’m realistic and know that I’ll never be able to sheet the main block to block with my current setup, but am curious to know what the modification limits are, or whether I should even bother trying. Any suggestions welcome!
Heartfelt thanks to the forum for helping me through the steep part of my learning curve.