I picked up a Hobie 18 this summer and have had some fun sailing it. There are several updates, modification and fix-ups I'd like to do, but fist off I need to be able to right it. I got flipped once due to several errors and I ended up drifting on my side for an hour and a half until I got a power boat to help me. Fortunately I had made sure that mast was sealed and I never went turtle, but I simply cannot get this thing upright. I weight between 160 and 165 these days. As for righting systems which work better, the bags or the poles. Poles seem efficient and easily stowed, but bags look a little less costly. But how do either work?
Oh, it's a comptip mast on an early boat, I think '81.

Other that that, my boat's been painted, poorly, and I'd like to re-paint it at some point. The rigging is okay, but I want to make a set of synthetic shroud and trap wires. The boat's really too heavy for this to make a big difference, but wires are such a pain and rope work is easy and relatively cheap in this small diameter stuff. I don't understand, with the prevalence of modern ropes, why the class would still disallow them (read that somewhere). I'd really like new rudders, we'll see what happens there.

But hey, it's a fun boat to sail, I'd really like more time on it, but I have to figure out how to get it upright.

I have a few years of sailing experience, I think it '72 when I got to sail a Sunfish. I'm no champion racer, but I can take the boat where I want to go and bring it back home, as long as it doesn't flip.

Geoff

Find a rotund young lady to crew.

--
Nacra 5.2
--

You need another person and good wind. I'd think about shroud extenders, and maybe a righting bag so you can right it with less than ideal wind. I'm assuming you have righting lines correct and boat positioning correct.

--
H18, H17, P19, Glastron GT-150 (Bond jump boat)
--

DBTW, i to bought a 81' hobie 18 earlier this summer. its like reading aobut myself. you just need more hands on deck. i even started ona sunfish too. though probably closer to 2002



edited by: Kevin219, Aug 22, 2010 - 01:41 PM

--
Nacra 6.0 NA
Ogden Dunes, IN
--

Well, more crew is out. My wife really isn't into water sports, my younger kids have no interest in sailing with Dad and my oldest has moved out and while she enjoys sailing, a regular deal with me,,I don't see it happening. I did fine with it bare headed, or uni-rigged as described in the beachcat world. But it felt like it was time to fly the jib too and well I shoulda stayed with just the main, it would have been a fun day.

Anyway, are you suggesting that even with a righting pole I can't get enough leverage to lift the thing up. There' got to be a way to do this single handed.

Geoff

Geoff, do some searches on this site. There have been some lengthy discussions on righting H18, & on synthetic rigging,painting etc
Here is one:
http://www.thebeachcats.com/module-forum-viewtopic-topic-11518.html

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Watch it Golfdad...dont refer to her as the 'ole righting bag



edited by: turtlecat, Aug 22, 2010 - 11:38 PM

i have a78 H18 and weigh 185 but am only 5'5" so my righting moment is that of an 8th grader. i can't lift my boat by myself either. sailing mostly on inland lakes there always seems to be a power boater who will help. i tied a tennis ball onto a 3' length of strong parachute type chord. it is much easier to explain to them to "pull up on the ball and hand over hand towards me down the mast"
this is much easier than to have them floating into your rigging trying to reach the mast that is above water. they don't have to lift much to start spilling the water out of the main, then you are home free. still working on something that will help out on lake michigan though.

where do you sail?

ok man, I'm with you... I weigh about 160-165.

you need to make a 7 foot SoloRight. I did, and I can right the boat alone.

I tell you 7 foot because my first version is a 6 footer, and I need a tad more leverage... but those tests were on a day with no wind.... SO quite possilby, I could right it alone w/the 6 foot SoloRight in wind.

I've tried the righting pole, and I don't like it beacuse:
- I often sail in shallow water, and I'm afraid the pole may hit bottom
- the pole is a hassle for me because you have to hang on and kind of go hand-over hand out to the very end.... meanwhile it doesn't have your ENTIRE WEIGHT on it, cause some of you is in the water. (yes, I canted the pole up)

I have the LARGE righting bag from Murray's with the 4:1 blocks... that's ok, but also wouldn't work for me on a day with no wind... so maybe with wind it'd work. but it's kind of a hassle to use also because you have this 200lbs of water in a bag... and the whole weight is on a little line going up over your hull, kind of torquing your hull directly down... (which I don't liek that sideways torque on the hull)... of course when you get in position and lean into the bag.. out over the water, the torque angle changes... but you've got to keep that bag over your shoulder or against your back, and the heavy sucker is pushing you back to the tramp... and your fee slip, etc, etc.

The SoloRight, you just set it, walk out on it, and the boat comes up.

Other systems also work, and folks use them and that's cool. But for me, SoloRight is easiest and most effective.

Cheers,
Rob.

check youtube, etc for SoloRight.

here's Gary, the original inventer of the thing, rightin a H18 solo...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCbihZsXESg

make sure the mast is sealed....

just put mild paint stripper on the boat and strip it... then just compound, polish, wax the hulls.

ever see how much a quart of topside marine paint weights? paint probalby adds 10 pounds to the boat, when the gelcoat can likely be buffed up to a gloss.

and I'd say stick w/stock, but new, stainless rigging.... trap wires go w/whatever, but beware knots weaken line... and stainless lasts a few years at least... check www.murrays.com

I'm not a big fan of the Hobie Bob (mostly because they look silly), but for your case, you might want to consider one. The H-18 was intended to be sailed with two people and a minimum total crew weight of about 285lbs. Either a righting bag or a righting pole should work for solo sailing, but only if the boat is on its side. If you go turtle, you're going to be in trouble with less than 200 lb on the boat.

I would steer clear of shroud extenders. The H-18 doens't have a captive mast base, so dismasting would definitely be a concern (among other things).