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 Post subject: How to make a H16 faster
PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:32 pm 
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Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 12:40 pm
Posts: 56
Location: Atlanta, GA
I would like to make my 1981 H16 faster.......no plans to race just love the speed! What suggestions do you guys have for me that doesn't cost alot of money??? Thanks Kevin


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 3:17 pm 
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Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:45 pm
Posts: 1668
Location: Northfield Minnesota
A: Learn how to sail it really well. Thats the cheapest, and the highest yielding.

B: Loose weight. For all sorts of reasons. (unless you're already a twig, then eat a sandwich to keep that strenght up) :lol:

C: Spend time sailing with people that are faster than you. Its usually not equipment that makes them faster.

D: Done all these things? Then just buy a new boat. They come with all the do-hickies, and thing-a-ma-bobs. Skipping to this step doesn't do much for you, I know.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 7:40 pm 
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Location: Clinton Lake Lawrence, KS
Kevin,

Karl's pretty much right on. Find some other 16's and chase them around the lake, look at their sail shape, how tight their sheeted , where the travellers are set.

On the HCANA web site there is a great book by Bob & Mimi called Hobie University
http://www.hcana.hobieclass.com/default.asp?Page=1686&MenuID=Training/10812/0
Excellent for off the water reading.

One more thing, enter a regatta with other 16's, show up asking questions and go race (even if you never plan on racing again), you'll learn more in one weekend about going fast than a whole month on your own :D

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Fleet 297


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:27 am 
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Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 12:40 pm
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Location: Atlanta, GA
I've been sailing H16's for many years with my father. He taught he how to sail when I was 12 and now I just bought my first H16 a week ago. My dad use to race back in the 80's so he taught me the right way to do many things on the boat, but nothing that improves proformance. Please let me know what you think I should do from here. I'm 6'3 215 so my weight is a problem I know :D Where else can I cut weight on the boat? Any other do-hickies I can buy that aren't too expensive?? I already have low profile Harken blocks. Thanks!

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'83 H16 Tequilla Sunrise and Cat Fever


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:03 am 
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Location: Oakland, CA
John Eaton wrote:
Excellent for off the water reading.

Got any suggestions for "on the water" reading? (Sorry, I couldn't resist this wise-crack.)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:01 am 
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Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:28 pm
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You seem experenced enough to know this, but for thoes who may wander into this thread, learn how to read your sail and the little pig tails on the sail. They arent tell all but they are a good start.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:24 am 
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Location: Northfield Minnesota
Skipshot wrote:
John Eaton wrote:
Excellent for off the water reading.

Got any suggestions for "on the water" reading? (Sorry, I couldn't resist this wise-crack.)


I've found the back of beer cans to be quite an interesting read on the water. :wink:


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:31 am 
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Location: Atlanta, GA
I have found that empty beer cans are the best! 8)

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'83 H16 Tequilla Sunrise and Cat Fever


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:17 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 5:31 am
Posts: 4
Location: Near Atlanta, GA (NW)
kevfran99 wrote:
I would like to make my 1981 H16 faster.......no plans to race just love the speed! What suggestions do you guys have for me that doesn't cost alot of money??? Thanks Kevin


If you're not racing, then "more speed" is simply relative.... to the wind that is. A screaming reach trapped-out with you and your crew back on the tramp in brisk wind conditions will give you the best cheap-thrill you can get on a catamaran. Lake sailing on Lanier probably doesn't offer the best conditions for this compared to open ocean sailing, but then again you don't have to worry about sticking a hull into a swell and pearling (aka, pitch poling) your Hobie either. Aside from that, the only other cheap thrills for non-racing Hobie cat outings is flying hulls on close reaches. While it's fun to see how high you can stand the cat on the lee hull before the wind catches your tramp and pushes you over, the key to going "fast" while trapped out is getting the windward hull lifted just a few inches out of the water so that you have the minimum amount of hull drag and then working the tiller and main sheet to keep it there.

Beyond that, all of the other tuning tricks such as working on your sail shape via shaving your battens or getting a race-cut jib just aren't worth the time and effort. There are some other intersting set-up tricks in the Hobie U book but not revealed are many of the things that you'll only learn by hanging out with and sailing against the better Hobie skippers.

I did most of my racing out in Division 2 during the latter part of the 1980's, calling Fleet 30 in Riverside "home". Back in the day, Division 2 was pretty competitive and the fleet size at the major regattas was impressive. I worked my way up to A Fleet with three bullets on the second day of the 1988 Pro Sail San Diego Classic (the year they stopped giving away beach chairs as trophies... darn it) and quickly discovered just how far off the pace most of us "mere mortal sailors" were running up against the likes of the Alter-boys, Bob Seaman, Materna, Hauser, and several other really incredible skippers who dominated Division 2 plus some really colorful characters like Udo Winkler (sp), Neil Brady, and a few others whose names escape me. In fact, in retrospet I'd wished I never moved up to A fleet: B Fleet was where the most fun could be had. However, back to "going fast", unless you have figured out who's fast and who's slow compared to you you'll be hard pressed to learn from their rigging tips and tricks and, unless you're on the water behind them you'll also be hard pressed to see how they actually sail their boats and the tactics they use to get around a race course in the least amount of time.

Getting weight off of your "crew" is really about the only other way to make an existing boat lighter. My last Hobie was an '87 and it was made on a very good day as it was one of the lightest boats in Division 2 (they weighed the things before the Divisionals). Unfortunately, after moving to Atlanta back in '91 I never got into the Hobie 12 scene as the logistics associated with getting to "good sailing" were prohibitive. I kept my Hobie 16 in the garage until 1995 when I sold it to someone named Kelly Schlegle (sp) through the Lake Lanier authorized Hobie Dealer. I have no idea if Kelly ever raced the boat or what became of it. It had white hulls, blue tramp and white sails carrying sail number 60302. Like any good A-fleet boat, it had EPO rudders, a race-cut jib with window, Harken blocks on everything, including a 7:1 low-profile mainsheet set. If that boat is still around and in good shape, it should still be light.

Finally, don't under-estimate the value of a good crew: you'll always be faster and have more fun with someone who knows how to crew vs. a passenger (aka. moveable ballast). As a big guy, a smaller crew is a short-cut to getting total crew weight off your boat, but it's still no substitute for making sure you're in the best shape you can be: none of the really fast Division 2 skippers were "big guys" but they were all in good shape.

More than you wanted to know... but since I was taking the trip down memory lane I figured what the heck.

Warm Regards,
Mark formerly of Redlands, CA

Former H14, H14T and H16 owner... merely reminising


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 4:19 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm
Posts: 5197
Location: Detroit, MI
Kelly Schlegle > there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. She crewed for me in the 1999 16 Continentals in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Haven't heard from her in at least 7 years.


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