My first picture from my H18

A view from my H18:

Good to see that you got the boat on the water, but the way you have rigged the downhaul just isn't going to cut it. You need a better line and you need more purchase. You can rig a 3:1 system with the stock equipment, and most people go with anywhere from 5:1 up to 8:1. The additional purchase will allow you to pull the luff of the mainsail much tighter (to the point that the bottom of the sail can touch the gooseneck fitting). This will give you much more control over the sail shape.

You can also rig the mast rotation line as 2:1 rather than 1:1 like you have it. Just pass the rotation line through the rotation arm and then tie it off at the clam cleat on the boom.

sm

tie a piece of bungee from where the dolphin striker begins to pass into the inside of the hull,
diagonally up to the bottom of the diamond wire,
around the mast
through the bottom of the other diamond wire
diagonally down and across to the other side of the dolphin striker.
(email me off line if you want a diagram....)

Make sure your jib sheets pass ON TOP of this inverted V of bungee, and your jib sheets will never get tangled at the bottom of the mast.

Go 5:1 on the downhaul, like SRM said. Also 2:1 on the mast rotator.

Good winds

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Try tying a 36" piece of bungee from where the dolphin striker begins to pass into the inside of the hull,
diagonally up to the bottom of the diamond wire,
around the mast
through the bottom of the other diamond wire
diagonally down and across to the other side of the dolphin striker.
(email me off line if you want a diagram....)

Make sure your jib sheets pass ON TOP of this inverted V of bungee, and your jib sheets will never get tangled at the bottom of the mast.

Go 5:1 on the downhaul, like SRM said. Also 2:1 on the mast rotator.

Good winds

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

The bungee is there. You can see it a little, but not well. I'll get the parts and make the other changes. I'm slowly making changes to the boat as I learn more. My big change for this past weekend was a new halyard ring with the welded on shackle.

Thanks for all the advice.

Bob

BTW, does anybody have a picture of where they attach the additional hardware for the 5:1 downhaul and the 2:1 rotator line?

Thanks,
Bob

Found some images online for the downhaul. Looking to see how people are doing a 2:1 on the rotator.

Bob

Just have the line loop through the rotation yoke block and terminate at the base of the jam cleat. (feed it into the hole and then use a figure-8 stopper knot).

_________________
Jeff R
'88 H18 Jolly Mon
'10 F18 Closely Called
cramsailing.com

No additional hardware is needed to go 2:1 on the rotator. As stated above, just bring the line back to the cleat on the boom. Pass it through the fairlead section of the cleat (the little bar on the top of the cleat) and tie off with a stopper knot or bowline.

For the downhaul, there are a lot of ways to skin that cat. It really depends on what system you want to go with. The 5:1 system from Murrays includes all the necessary hardware. If you go custom, it's up to you how you set it up. My system has an exit block riveted to each side of the mast base and a Harken double bullet block shackled to the mast track below the gooseneck. Then I have a triple bullet block tied to the tack grommet on the sail pulled as close to the sail as possible. This system allows 6:1 purchase adjustable from each side of the boat on the wire and we can pull the mainsail down to within about an 1" of the gooseneck fitting (i.e. the downhaul blocks bottomed out on the gooseneck and the bottom of the actual sail is 1" above the gooseneck).

sm

Well, I took the easy way out and just ordered the 5:1 system from Murrays. Ground shipping from So. Cal. only takes a couple of days. So, I'll have it by the weekend. Assuming that it isn't raining, I'll install it and sail it this weekend.

People are still sailing!?! Where are you, and can I move there too!? Haha, my boat was buried under 5' of snow 2 weeks ago!

ditto on the "dolphin striker" line, the downhaul and the mast rotator. The only issue I've heard of with Murray's system was that it tends to bottom out because of the longer bracket in the center. I went with a custom setup, based on other pictures I've seen on the forum. It's essentially the same thing, just a little lower profile. I've seen pictures of srm's setup on here, and it's really elegant and highly functional solution. I decided against it only because it was a little more $, I'd have to drill into the mast, and I didn't see myself really adjusting downhaul on the fly.

A quick clarification on terminology:
I believe the "dolphin striker" is just the post in the center, and the rod beneath the crossbar is called the tensioning rod? Or is the whole assembly referred to as the "dolphin striker?"

_________________
Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

The Murrays system uses a shroud adjuster for connecting the bullet blocks to the tack of the mainsail. The problem is that the bottom of the shroud adjuster sticks out well below the foot of the sail, so you loose a couple inches at the max end of the downhaul adjustment. What you can do is use a hacksaw or angle grinder to cut off the bottom of the shroud adjuster (the section below the weld). Then tie off the end of the down haul line to the bottom of the remaining adjuster section.

Regarding the dolphin striker- the complete assembly is called the "dolphin striker." The vertical piece under the mast step is called the "dolphin striker post." The piece that extends from each end of the crossbar is called the "dolphin striker rod."

sm

Yep, I live in California and currently launch the boat from Redwood City which is on the San Francisco Bay. We have rain in the winter and every few years we see snow fall from the sky, but it never accumulates on the ground here.

Bob

I sailed off Long Beach ( Marina del Ray ) last weekend. Was about 70deg and the water was pretty warm. I was able to rent a Getaway, half a day for $135 :0)

_________________
Tim Grover

Memphis, TN fleet 134
Hobie 20! G-Cat5.0 and 2 Hobie 14's
Photobucket now wants $100 to post pics on forums......... pass.

You can easily sail at any time of the year in L.A. When I lived in Redondo Beach, there was never an off-season.

Bob