This is my punishment for takin' the day off!... It was N 15knts and the harbor was really choppy. The boat just was bouncing, I guess, just a bit much. These are '86 hulls so so the lesson here is check for stress fractures at those side stays! The deck just pealed up and then the rig went down. Also the rear cross bar bolt pulled out. The crew and I were towed in and everyone is OK except for the boat.
My guess is that the rear cross bar bolt failure that led the the critical loading of the shroud attachment point in the hull. That is, assuming they were on the same side of the boat. If the bolt let go first, the shroud was carrying the weight of the hull and crew that is normally supported by the cross bar as the boat was twisting through the chop. One failure should have preceeded the other.
My boat has a crossbar bolt that has the head sheered off. I can't tell if its beginning to loosen, but I need to figure out how to get it out before something like that happens. Sorry to hear about your boat, I hope you can find inexensive replacement hulls.
Yeah, have a lightly used parts boat so I am good. And now shopping for another. Jake- I believe the rear cross beam bolt and washer had already failed and was being held together by the tension from the tramp. oNce the rig was in the wash, the whole hull was kinda contorted then I noticed the rear cross bar was loose! Oh Sh#t, I thought she was goin to break up! As you can see in the photo, I lashed hull, cross bar and tramp together with the main sheet. Special thanks to the dudes from Docken marine that towed me to the safety, comfort and facilities of Fort Johnson.
Maugan, If the head of the bolt is bye-bye it is loose and don't sail like this!, only the tension on the tramp is holding her together(like mine was), can you use a nail set or something and push it thru the bottom and out of the turn down lip on the under side of the deck?
A good screw extractor set should be able to get it out if you can get to the bolt reasonably. To use a screw extractor, you would drill a hole as concentricly as possible in the shaft of the sheared off bolt and insert the extractor. The extractor consists of a tool steel shaft with high angle reversed threads on it. As you rotate (lefty loosy) the tool the threads dig into the bolt and should grip it enough that it will begin to turn and back out.
I don't know what exactly the deal is. Its hard to see down in that hole, but I do know that I can't get an allen wrench in there to tighten it.
Jake, I've got a guy that can get the bolt out for me. Trick is finding another bolt to put in its place. I don't think I can find them in stainless... just normal steel.
Let me know, we build $150k all stainless steel production machinery in both metric and ASE. I can probably help you find the hardware you need.
Ouch on seeing the pic and hopeful the same never occurs with my 17. I remain pretty religious on regularly checking tightness on the four corner bolts throughout the season for what I now see as a very good reason.
Curious though on the effect, if any, of the three deck ports on your hulls. I've been told they can be a source of moisture penetration that can lead to deck delamination and structural issues. Any of you have more insight into the risks?
Tom G
Y'all should have seen that chuck of deck just fly off! In this case the port holes arent a factor. When you cut them in just seal the thickness of the deck(I used silicon). The failure started from stress cracks that led from the steel rod at the stay, fore and aft, in the lip of the deck. I checked the other hull and the same thing is happening! So that hull will be retired also. At the forward end of the failure, the port hole aft of the forward crossbar gave the deck a place to break instead of going all the way to the cross bar! Which may have been a good thing that it was there- not damaging the crossbar insert mold, and allowing her to hold together. Aft of the failure looks like the deck stoped pealing up at the dagger board well. The only real everyday problem with the port hulls is that the deck does becomes a 'no step' spot around it. I am not surprised at all this happened. Ocean sailing is a hobie killer but worth it, you know!
the reason the hole is there is that the side stay pulled out, Not that the cross bars were loose or broken
I was trying to say that the stay probably pulled out because it was having to handle extra loading because the the cross bar was loose. Not that the loose cross bar created the hole.
If y'all need me, I'll be in the classified section!
Early (78-79) brand new Hobie 18 decks peeled off just like this. This led to the factory havig better quality control on the glue used to keep the deck on- and eventually to essential D-shaped reiforcement plates under the lip. Why not on these heavily abused H17s?
I'm thinking about fabricating myself a set of these plates since I do a fair amount of ocean sailing on my 17, and I'd image I've put it under the same or more stress as mr. windbitch over there 
When I refurbished my H17, I was shocked when I removed the Starboard Fore and Aft Crossbeam Bolts and Anchor Bars, as "both" Anchor Bars (the anchor bars are what fits in the hull lip and then the 
crossbeam bolts screws into)...where was I??,, yeah, both anchor bars were bent and cracked on one side where the threaed hole is.....so it would have only been time when one or both crossbeam bolts would have given out.
HINT...during your Winter maintenance, remove and check the Anchor bars....there are 4 on each hull...1 for each crossbeam, 1 for each mainstay and 1 for the forestay...so check them out closely.
Nige
yes, that is a pvc tiller extension with a T on the end hose clamped to what is left of a hot stick!