I am looking to purchase a used/project Hobie in Michigan. There is a craigslist ad for a boat near me. The seller claimed he filled the hull with closed cell foam for rigidity and better race characteristics. Has anyone heard of this? It seems like it would ad quite a bit of weight.

Sounds like he used construction foam and filled the hull?
From a consttruction standpoint it would be "light", but on a catamaran it could be very heavy, not to mention unbalanced when you add that weight to one hull.

That foam spreads aggressively, and could have damaged the fiberglass- stressing the foam core and creating soft spots, not to mention micro fracturing the fiberglass with pressure from within.

If it were me, I'd back away slowly from this situatiion...

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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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The fact that he claims to have done this "for rigidity" makes me think he was trying to stiffen up soft spots in the hull. That isn't a good sign.

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Daniel T.
Taipan F16 - USA 213
Clearwater, FL
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He's full of ****. Don't walk, run away.

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Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi
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This ad: http://centralmich.craigslist.org/boa/2878574941.html ???

I definitely would advise against buying this boat. I've bought, fixed up, and sold 5 or 6 Hobies and this one is a disaster. Find a boat with solid hulls (no soft spots) and with everything in decent shape. If you are patient, you'll find a great deal.

The only thing that might make this boat worth its price is if sails, tramp, frame, etc are in good shape. All of those parts could be worth $500 but you would have to plan on purchasing good hulls because this guy wrecked them.

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-Zach
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Stay away, foam Is not necessary and adds weight. It will really add weight over time as it absorbs water. It would be no problem for each hull to absorb 500lbs of water.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Yeah, like they said. The dude has trashed the hulls if they were any good to start with.

But... The sails, tramp, and trailer? might be worth some money.

Too bad the seller didn't find TheBeachcats.com to learn how to repair the hulls before he spent more than $500 on expanding foam!

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

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Does anyone use anything for buoyancy in the case of a catastrophic hull failure? I've seen pool noodles and soda bottles used in the past but I've never seen anything used on a cat.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
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Sorry, I have nothing to contribute to this thread. But I had to chime in on what Damon just said. I am overjoyed I found TheBeachcats.com before starting work on the boat I bought. The posts, photo albums, and links to other forums discussing fiberglass and gel coat repair have saved me from making some serious blunders, saved me a ton of money, and will result in my having a much better boat in the end. And that's just the fiberglass and gel coat repair videos! This place is a freakin' gold mine of information for someone who got in over their head with a boat.

Thank you, all of you, for making this site what it is. I'm sure enjoying it, and as soon as I get my boat out on the water my family will be enjoying it, too. You guys rock.

Tom

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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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bobcatnj: Hobie 16s (and others, I'm sure) come with huge blocks of styrofoam between the pylons in each hull.

(Where'd the little "Quote" button go???)

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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bobcatnj

Does anyone use anything for buoyancy in the case of a catastrophic hull failure?

Yes. After a catastrophic hull failure that almost resulted in losing my boat I now have three large (18" -24" diameter) inflatable rubber balls in each hull. These were purchased from the local walmart for less than $ 25 total. Deflated, inserted through the existing ports, and PARTIALLY reinflated. They are NOT inflated to the point they put pressure on the hulls as they still move about relatively freely. In each hull one is shoved forward as far as I could reach, one is as far back as I could reach and one is just forward of the port. They are tough, durable, available, and cheap. In 2.5 years only 1 has deflated (bad valve I think) and has been replaced the other five look like the day I added them.