I came across this Hobie 18 here locally, actually about 3 miles from home.

She has a serious problem on the bow of the starboard hull. Also some minor problem here and there as you can see from the pictures.

They are asking $1500 for the boat and trailer. I plan on offering less. What do you think she's worth ? How hard is it going to be to repair the hull ? How much do you think I'll have in materials for the repairs ?

Thanks for your input !

You need to show all of the boat to get an idea of worth. The sails, if needed to be replaced, will be a large cost in restoring the boat. How are the dagger boards, I do not see them in the photos. I would say that you will at least need all new standing rigging anhd maybe some running rigging,and you will need a tramp real soon. Every thing will add up pretty quickly. So just look the boat over very closely and decide what needs to be replaced and go from there. NADA says a 1981 H-18 is worth about $1100 in that condition. You did not give the year, but I would guess that is about the age of the boat.

Those Magnum wings are worth $600-800 by themselves.

Sails are the big expense, and you'll need a cat box with the 18. Those old solid vinyl tramps can look bad but last forever unless it has exposed threads.

The bows on the Hobie 18 are pretty thick fiberglass so easy to repair (for someone who does fiberglass repair), same with the sterns if those are more than surface cracks.

The 1983 boats are strong and bulletproof but check for deck and side hull delamination, soft spots.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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ALL these used boats are VERY cheap. I suggest if anyone has concerns about the price, they look into buying a new F_18 with trailer. When they get over sticker shock, they will find it very easy to repair sails, tramps (new@ around $300) and a little fiberglas to end up with a nice boat for under $2000 rather than $20000. Pete

It looks like the trailer needs some work also. But if the sails, dagger boards, main sheet, etc are in good condition I would say over $1000. As Damon said if those wings are in good condition they are worth about half what they are asking for the boat.

The bow fiberglass would be fairly easy to repair. Supplies are probably under $100 for the West System epoxy, resporator and glass cloth.

I would also replace all the cable shrouds before sailing it. That is probably another $150-200 in parts.

You might ask the owner to setup it up for you before buying so you know all the pieces are there.

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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smfinley

It looks like the trailer needs some work also. But if the sails, dagger boards, main sheet, etc are in good condition I would say over $1000. As Damon said if those wings are in good condition they are worth about half what they are asking for the boat.

The bow fiberglass would be fairly easy to repair. Supplies are probably under $100 for the West System epoxy, resporator and glass cloth.

I would also replace all the cable shrouds before sailing it. That is probably another $150-200 in parts.

You might ask the owner to setup it up for you before buying so you know all the pieces are there.

This is the best answer in my opinion. You can also make those hull repairs with marine tex it holds up well and matches most white boats pretty close so you really do not have to gelcoat and it still looks good and super easy to use and is pretty inexpensive. Check out www.saltydogmarine.com for rigging they have some pretty good prices I have used there rigging on my last 2 boats and been very happy with them. I just noticed it looks like the the serial number in the pic with the guedon shows it to be an 1983 model.



edited by: fa1321, Jul 10, 2010 - 11:11 AM

$2000 is not much money for a beach cat that is almost 30 years old, but it is almost 30 years old. I am guessing tramp, new rigging, glass work, and I would be willing to bet some sail repair that you can add at least $1000-$1300 to make it a nice boat. But you can not compare a H-18 to an F-18. They are not the same machine.

pbegle

ALL these used boats are VERY cheap. I suggest if anyone has concerns about the price, they look into buying a new F_18 with trailer. When they get over sticker shock, they will find it very easy to repair sails, tramps (new@ around $300) and a little fiberglas to end up with a nice boat for under $2000 rather than $20000. Pete

If you replace all the standing rigging including diamond wires and trap wires it will cost $686 plus shipping from a Hobie dealer. I just think one should know what it could end up costing and be prepared before making a decision. With luck the previous owner will have changed some of the rigging. I only sail in the ocean, so I may have a bigger concern for the rigging than if I was sailing in a bay or a lake where I was surrounded by land.

smfinley

It looks like the trailer needs some work also. But if the sails, dagger boards, main sheet, etc are in good condition I would say over $1000. As Damon said if those wings are in good condition they are worth about half what they are asking for the boat.

The bow fiberglass would be fairly easy to repair. Supplies are probably under $100 for the West System epoxy, resporator and glass cloth.

I would also replace all the cable shrouds before sailing it. That is probably another $150-200 in parts.

You might ask the owner to setup it up for you before buying so you know all the pieces are there.

It looks like it was a nice boat at one time, it even has a real mast caddy so I am guessing it was taken care of at least a little bit. Without any softspots, the chunk out of the bow is an easy fix so if the stern is just surface crack yiu would be getting a good deal as long as the sails ae in good shape and all the parts are there. A tiller extension is needed for sail especially from the wings so hopefully it comes with that too or be read to spend another 150 for a nice long one. I always replace standing rigging as you never know even if it looks good! plan on putting a $1000 into it and you may come out under that especially if you can do most of the work your self

I used to have an 18sx which is very similar to this and it was a great boat but non kickup center board are scary in the bay specially if you are solo

Good luck

i think $1500 is fair

without the wings and trailer the boat would be a good buy at $1000

if you picked up the wings for another $200 and the trailer for another $300 they would also be good buys

offer what you like

but if he's in no hurry to sell, cleans it properly, rigs it to show everything is there and does a simply glass repair to the bow he will easily get $1500 imho

how much is it worth to you to get sailing next weekend?

I would only replace the rigging that holds the mast up not diamond wires or trap lines if your on a budget just replace them later when you have some extra cash. So you are looking at $300 rigging $40 Marine Tex and if you need a tramp $300 this would be the deal maker or breaker and it would be the thing to stress on when you are trying to make the deal because for $2000 you can probably buy one thats ready to sail.



edited by: fa1321, Jul 10, 2010 - 11:34 PM

2 shrouds, 2 bridal wires, upper forestay and lower forestay comes to $410. This is normally what happens. People under estimate what things cost. It only takes a little time to get true costs. If you under estimate it can easily cost you another $400-$500 and maybe that is not in your budget. My point is just take the time and get true estimates of the cost to restore the boat to a safe condition. Forego some of the cosmetics for a safe boat.

fa1321

I would only replace the rigging that holds the mast up not diamond wires or trap lines if your on a budget just replace them later when you have some extra cash. So you are looking at $300 rigging $40 Marine Tex and if you need a tramp $300 this would be the deal maker or breaker and it would be the thing to stress on when you are trying to make the deal because for $2000 you can probably buy one thats ready to sail. edited by: fa1321, Jul 10, 2010 - 11:34 PM

Don't forget about alternate sources for equipment. Murray's has the 2 shrouds, 2 bridles, upper and lower forestay for $321.00 plus shipping. So my $200 was a little off.

I do agree, before buying the boat it is good to know what other material you will need before sailing and what it costs. A little research will make you feel better about your offer for the boat.

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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