Mooring a Hobie 18

I wouldn't do it.. I did it for a short time when I had my first cat. The mast & shrouds takes a beating. Not good for a 14/16, the mast stops wear down. My friends granddaughter did it last year on her 14... One of the shrouds broke and the mast came down. No other damage...She now pulls it up on shore......

The boat is an 18' Hobie, 1978.
Don't mono-hull boats take the same beating?

I'm not realy an expert but common sense tells me that a mono-hull in mooring wil never have the same torsional behavior as a beach cat.

I also have a mono~ (21' Pearson) I have that moored off shore. I have everything tight before I leave. Thats a set mast, it doesn't rotate like cats. If you put your pin in, it could bend or snap off, then it could be hard to get out, or you might forget about it......... :-O

I also have a 18 & 17 Hobie 😀

Is there a way to secure the mast from rotating?

I should mention that I was planning to attach cleats to the bows of each hull to bridal to the mooring.

You will also need to barrier coat the hulls and put on a coat of anti fouling paint. I have docked my cat on long island sound with no problems. We live on the water and only have a dock.

Bigwaves - The mooring I found is inside the Thimble Islands in Branford, Ct, very close to shore.

Did you find that the rotating mast caused problems with the shrouds at your dock?

I am assuming that there is a littel more wind at you dock, (and my mooring), than there is if the same boat was stored on a beach...

What do you think?

edited by: bhull, Jun 22, 2008 - 01:38 PM

i highly recommend against it as well.

catamarans are well know for breaking stays because of the jerky snapping motion on a mooring.

Think of how the boat snaps back when you right it from a capsize.

monohulls "roll" and don't jerk on the stays as severely, so the motion is much more fluid. They also have a keel that slows the roll back and forth putting pressure on the water as it rolls. Catamarans have no ballast and no center/daggerboards when on a mooring.

The beach doesn't pitch and roll!

You'll also have to barrier coat it, and bottom paint it. Hopefully your hulls don't leak, (Everyone's hulls leak!)

At the dock there was very little motion and i did not have any issues leaving the boat in the water.

Others gave good advices....Don't do it. It will damage your boat. If you read Hobbies' manuals they also say no go! My kid (15)wanted to moor his old Venture 15 (he is learning to sail). I explained to him that the rigging will be slowly worn out (filed) by the constant motion and it will brake when you are flying a hull. The only thing that might work is a couple of ratcheted straps ($15 at Cosco) hanging from the pilings across the bow and stern that would pull the boat 2 or 3 ft above the water.