Hobie 20 Nationals: Story behind the picture?

This boat is said to be a '93. Had been involved in a collision before the event and the repair had been showing cracking. Notice that they also failed a shroud later in the event after replacing the hull.

It's called maintenence.

Matt Miller

mmiller@hobieco.com

Hobie Cat Company

Tim, if the that boat is a 93 and yours is a 94 then...next year!

Hey Brent,

Maybe I'll be in the market for a new boat sooner than I think! Ha! Actually I'm not too worried. I accept Matt's explanation of

lack of maintenance.

Seems a lot of people ignore such things until it's too late, only to have it bight them in the butt later.

Fair winds,

Tim J.

Hobie 20 #541

Bald Eagle Yacht Club, Fleet 52

White Bear Lake, MN

Hold on. Didnt a few 93 boats have a factory problem with over zelous sanding in the crossbeam area, or did I dream it? (which is ok, Hobie made that series of hulls good if they screwed up I believe)...but out with it now... What is the hull maintenance schedule... replace hull if shrouds show corrosion?? Was it truly the ding repair that went on to total hull section failiure?

....A friend with a boat of this vintage from the Alter Cup had his bow break just ahead of the beam. Fortunately, it didn't break all the way off. The H20 guys can tell you better which years to avoid. Many boats from the same period have had breaking bow problems.

Alan Thompson

I20 - San Diego

That would be the beginning of the '94 +/- model year where the glue seam

over sanding

issue came in. These boats were repairable with glass inside the hull at the forward cross beam / bulkhead area. Anyone who might see cracks in a similar year model would be advised to take the corrective action before sailing the boat again.

The boat that failed at the Nationals event had more than a ding repair at the cross bar area and was showing cracking before the event. Anyone with any model boat should think twice, and take corrective action, when cracks are seen near the forward cross bar area of a cat. This is an extremely stressed area of the boat and can, as seen here, result in a catastrophic failure.

I hear that they sailed that boat in from the racecourse. The bow was torn off of the boat after reaching the beach.

Matt Miller

mmiller@hobieco.com

Hobie Cat Company

I helped them pull the boat up on the beach. The hull was completely tore off and sitting on the tramp when they were towed in by the race committee. The mast was still standing off of the one bow tang. I saw a patch near the area where the hull split apart however the patch was completely in tact that I saw. I don't know if that was an access area to do other work or just a ding patch. So I couldn't really tell if the patch caused the problem or it was just time for that hull to go.

Looking around at the Nationals there were a lot of failiures caused by the higher than average winds that we sailed in. Tim, the winds were like 5 days of the wind we had at Des Moines. I was impressed that the boats held together as well as they did. The only thing I saw that broke too much were rudder pins. It seems like we need a better class of stainless for the rudder pins. And of course bent rudder pins at the end of the regatta were a given.

Many people continued to have rudder kick up problems in the large wind and seas including me. Some of these problems have to do with lack of maintenance but they are a pain in the butt to get set properly. I certainly worked hard to make sure that mine were working well only to still have some problems.

Overall I think Hobie puts out as good a product as anyone else.

Mike Hill

H20 #791

Mike et al,

I guess that's part of why it's good to have insurance!

It's amazing how much can happen to a boat without damaging the hardest thing to fix -- the sailors! I'm assuming no one was hurt?

So is the owner of the boat going to total it out with the insurance company, or will he just replace the hull?

Tim J.

Hobie 20 #541

Bald Eagle Yacht Club, Fleet 52

White Bear Lake, MN

304 stainless. i had a 3/8" 316 stainless dolphin striker rod that parted. i replaced it with the 304 and i have sailed the boat harder than before and it still holds.