I am relatively new to sailing and the Hobie 16 that I purchased at the end of last season is the first boat I have ever owned. I am pretty familiar with rigging and adjusting various features on the boat, however, I have never had to replace any rigging on any vessel. My question is what is the best line to use for the main and jib halyards? The manual calls for 1/4 inch halyard, 27' for the main and 21' for the jib. Should I be using dacron line for this? Or is there some other line out there that is best suited for this type of rigging. I worked at a summer camp where we had about 15 hobie 16s sailing each day, many of these boats were simply just thrown together with any extra parts we had laying around since we literally have a Hobie budget of $0.. however since this is my boat and I plan on keeping it for the long haul, I would like to make all of the necessary changes and do them the correct way. I am also looking to change my trampoline line, I've read on here that thinner line works best, but I am up for any suggestions.

Thanks.

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Dante Morsillo
Hobie 16
Pittsburgh, PA
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imho as the H16 halyard goes all the way to the top and then back down to the horn cleat

you don't want a cheap stretchy halyard that the downhaul will laugh at

either get an expensive thin non-stretch line or stick to stock sized sailing sheet

tramp line probably not so import BUT a tight tramp helps to hold an old/sloppy H16 tramp frame together

how sloppy is yours?

Get an actual main halyard for the 16, this is one of those do it right. The 16 hooks on the front of the mast, it does not tie off like most sail boats. The jib can be low stretch line but you need the metal halyard or the aussie rig. It has been many years since I sailed a 16 regularly but there are some things that are worth doing right. HTH, Ricardo.

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Lake Perry KS
H-18
N-5.5 UNI +spin
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I am assuming you have the cable for the main, most any line will work for that since the downhaul only pulls on the slug in the cable and not the rope part.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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As bacho mentions, the main hlyd is one half wire rope, and the other is line. The line is only under tension while you are raising the main, so a 1/4" polyester double braid like Sta Set is fine. The wire part of the main hlyd has a slug swaged onto the wire about 12" from where it shackles to the head of the mainsail, and when hoisted, the slug knocks into a hook located on the forward side of the mast. Thus only a short section of wire is under tension when the main is downhauled. There should also be another hook located further down, on the side of the mast, that is used to hold the hlyd away from the leading edge of the mast where it might catch on the jib battens when the jib crosses centerline.

The jib is also half wire, with a 3 to 1 purchase set up near the base of the mast where the jib hlyd cleats off. Because so little of the rope part of the hlyd is under tension when the jib is up, the reccomended 3/16' line can also be a polyester double braid. This purchase arrangement is important to maintain sufficient luff tension for the jib.

murrays .com has all these items made to Hobie specs for reasonable prices. These two hlyd systems work quite well, and there's probably little chance of improving on them with some other arrangements. The slug/hook set up I described for the main hlyd, is for the all aluminum mast. The comp tip will have a bit different arrangement. The Murray's guys are pretty knowledgeable, they should be able to answer any questions you have.

Dave

I do have the wires for both the main and jib and i just replaced both hooks for the main. I was just looking to see if there was a specific type that I should be looking for. I just got a murray's catalog so I'll check it out and see how things go.

As to how sloppy my boat is. . . I haven't had it on the water yet but the hulls and frame are in excellent condition. I think once I replace the tramp line and get it all tightened down we'll be ready to go. I have also looked over the shrouds and the forestay and both seem to be in good condition. It is probably something that I will look to replace within the next year or so, along with the main sheeting system. I would love to get a 6:1 main block system but at 300+ dollars... its a little out of my price range right now. Really I just want to get it ready to sail this year and see how things to. The only thing that I am really concerned about is the rudder rake system. Both cams are in good shape along with the upper and lower castings. I haven't had time to see if the plungers are still there or if the delcrin screws are stuck but hopefully I'll get there this weekend. Any of you have any suggestions as to solutions for problems with rudder rake? I'm a big guy but i'm no super man.

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Dante Morsillo
Hobie 16
Pittsburgh, PA
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If the wires are over 2 years old, coated and the boat comes from saltwater I would strip the coating and have a look inside. What appears to be good may be hiding alot (Don't ask me how I know). After you strip the coating you will need to add wire covers where they contact the mast. Saves on mast wear and tear. See west marine. Cheap. You only need about a foot on either shroud.
The delron screws on the bottom of the lower casting do not control rake. They are used to set the kick up mechanism. If the rudders can be kicked no adjustment needed. If not or they kick when you do not want them to they need to be adjusted. If the delron screws are stuck and you tried WD40 and such and failed just get an old screw drive and heat it till red hot, sink it into the screw. Give it a few minutes and use vice grips to turn.



Edited by beachsailor on Apr 18, 2012 - 11:41 AM.