I just bought a 1982 Hobie 16 and noticed that the base of the mast is a little bit loose (I can wiggle it around with my hand). Is that normal on older masts?
My 81 has 7 rivets in the mast base. It's not loose. Perhaps the previous owner added some. The Hobie catalog indicates only 3 rivets for the mast base. I don't think loose is normal. It would probably leak, and if you turn turtle you might take on water making it dificult to right.
Greg
H14, H16
Last summer I witnessed a guy's mast base come off while he was trying to step the mast. Needless to say it was not a pretty sight. The mast came flying down, but fortunately did not hit anyone or anything. Mine's a bit loose too. I also think the previous owner added some extra rivets. I'm planning to re-rivet it on if I can figure out what size rivets to use.
Time to re-rivet....
David