Diamond Wire Tension for Older H-18

I’m new to the Hobie 18, and the H-18 Performance Manual is “out of printâ€

check this thread

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2254

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

Tension for h18 and magnum are the same, same boat. The SX is different, taller mast and mylar/dacron sail. Diamond tension is more critical on the SX as the sails have less stretch. The 12, 24 and 36 system is the most simple way to set. Have never seen loos readings in print for the 18. I run 400lbs in my wires currently but am going tighter to conform to the Tiger main I'm running. Lots of conflicting info on pre-bending 18 masts. Standard 18 doesn't need prebend. There is also a section dedicated to the 18 in Rick Whites book written by Hobie Alter Jr, it almost contradicts everything in Bermans book. He sails with everything loose, makes no sense to me. Trial and error is the best way to learn what your boat likes and dislikes.

Like most things if you ask ten different people you will ten different answers. My opinion is for stock sails on either boat go with the 12/24/36 rule mentioned in the previous post. It is the most commonly accepted tension for the 18's and the SX. In the case of ncmbm and myself we are running large square top mains that like to conform to a different shape so we run quite a bit of tension in our diamond wires. We also do things differently to depower. On the regular 18 after you have cranked the downhaul for all it is worth if you are still over powered step two is to let the mast over rotate. With our big sail we are likely to break a mast if we over rotate so with our higher diamond wire tensions (and therefor more prebend) we pull the rotator in as much as possible. The last step of course is to lower the traveler if you are still over powered but this should always be considered a survival mode as you won't point worth a darn.