Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:10 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Hobie 16 Structural Mods
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 6:55 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:01 am
Posts: 1
I am looking for some real world modifications to increase the integrity of my 16. I know they are durable boats, but I push the limits far from port sometimes. I have extra glass on the hulls for beaching. Are any of these other ideas worth doing?

Double the shrouds, either to the same chainplate, or offsetting 2 chain plates
Double brindle wires
Add more glass to the deck\pylon joint
Add more glass to the deck\chainplate area
Add more glass to the transome
Put an aluminum bar between the bows
Weld more metal to the dolphin striker

Anybody have a good system for reefing the main while at sea?

I am not new to these boats, I just am not sure what is going to fail first. Thanks for reading.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:49 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:56 am
Posts: 128
Location: Grand Haven, MI
I just want to know in what ways are you pushing your boat to such an extreme that would justify such modifications?

_________________
Catamaran Racing Association of Michigan - Marketing Officer
USF18 - Social Media Manager

2010 NACRA Infusion
2004 F18 Hobie Tiger - SOLD
Hobie 16 - BREAKPOINT - SOLD


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:01 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:38 am
Posts: 59
Mine is an '72 and it has been in salt air its whole life, and sitting for a decade or so. I replaced all the standing and running rigging thinking that that would buy me some reliability out the gate, but I have had three major breakdowns in three weekends of sailing so far.
1) The wire in the jib sail broke, leading to jib to rupture in half. Tipping over followed shortly.
2) The big bell shackle that connects the standing rigging to the mast cracked in half. It had a little bit of surface corrosion but I wire brushed it and inspected it and thought it looked fine underneath. Demast.
3) A pin that connects the shroud to the hull failed. It did not snap, just pulled the threads off. Demast.
4) Cracked bow tang. I caught this before it caused a problem.

The lesson I am slowly learning is this: don't neglect your big metal bits even if they look strong and good. I think this is because stainless parts can corrode from the inside and look strong when they are ready to fail. If you want to do redundancy I would also go with and extra bell shackle at the top and extra pins at the bottom. Not sure if redundant bow tangs would be possible.

Another choice (that I am considering) would be to just replace the bell shackle, the shroud pins and the bow tangs annually.

Another thing I am doing now is when I am not sailing the boat, I pull off the whole standing rigging including the shroud pins etc, wash it down, and store it indoors.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:34 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:56 pm
Posts: 740
Location: Los Angeles
John,
If your boat is in good condition (no corrosion, no cracks, soft spots or frays), you shouldn't have to add (or double up) on anything. Oh, and those places you're talking about adding glass . . . . adding glass to them is not going to add structural integrity to those areas. I don't know where you're going to sail or in what conditions but I don't think it's going to do you much good to do all you're considering. My suggestion is to replace all rigging that's more than two years old, if the boat has been sailed regularly and/or has been stored in the elements. My experiences have been on a 85 Hobie in the Pacific and have sailed about 15 miles off shore (you can't see land) in some pretty serious water ( 20+ mph winds w/10' swells) and the boat has held up fine on a number of occasions.

Don't misunderstand me. I didn't do this on purpose. But remember, this is the ocean. It has been known to sink battle ships so if you're looking for something impregnable, forget it. You also don't want to hamper the boat's performance by weighing it down. Oh, another thing. You might want to run your forestay a little snug, just in case your jib halyard gives way. Just my .02 cents. :lol: :roll:

_________________
Image
Happy Sailing,

David


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group