As my search for replacement hulls for my P16 continues, I'm contemplating the reality that I may have to repair the damaged hull if search turns up empty. At this point the only hulls I've located are '70's vintage an not much better than mine. I've posted questions concerning repairing delaminated hulls but so far I've had no responses other than the usual suggestion of epoxy injection (tried it - didn't work due to moisture in the foam or condition of the foam). The first three or four feet of the starboard bow (deck only) is badly delaminated. Here's what I'm thinking: cut away the outer fiberglass skin with a skilsaw set for a very shallow cut, scrape/grind off the bad foam and epoxy, replace the foam core using 1/4" Divinycell core (grid-scored), and finally laminate with new layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy. The trick would be to shape the foam core to follow the pronounced curvature of the Prindle deck and of course hopefully end up with a nice-looking finished shape. I'm wondering if anyone here knows if this has ever been done, as I can't find anything on the net. I'd also like to know how much Interlux paint it takes to do both hulls and whether one coat is enough for white over orange.

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Jason Kasper
2000 Mystère 5.0XL
Lake St Francis (St Lawrence River)
Lancaster, Ontario, Canada
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I decided to check how hard it would be to find a Prindle in your area using www.searchtempest.com, guess what, I find a Prindle just 5 hrs drive from you for only $400, just need to verify what length.

http://nh.craigslist.org/boa/3351940632.html

Better get on it bro

I understand why you are trying to salvage a P-16. They are a very efficient, smooth sailing, beach manageable catamaran. The reason you can't find anything on the net is because it's a major job, particularly the finish & fairing of the deck, and I doubt if anyone has done it because of the cost of materials, time, and tools. I've injected over a dozen hulls with success requiring about an hour per deck, $15 in materials, and 40 minutes of fairing & finish next day. A quart of Interlux Brightside will do an entire boat. Perhaps a quart of primer would be better for white over orange. If your foam was wet, drill the 1/8" holes for injection & use heat lamps to dry out before using West epoxy. First I would scour Michigan for cheap boats or hulls as there were a fair number sold there. Pete

http://allentown.craigsli….org/boa/3404686601.html

7 hr drive

Jason, I contacted Mike in Chichester, NH, it is a P16, I told him you would be contacting him, get it done boy :)

Jason, you contact that guy Mike in Chichester about his Prindle 16 yet?

Thanks Renovator, I did ask him to send some photos and he said he would soon. It's a bit of a drive but the price is right. i'd love to grab the one in Pennsylvania for $400, but that's too far for me. I don't understand the whole cost difference between the US and Canada...up here they want at least $1500 for an old beater that sells for $400 south of the border. I think the key will be to expand my search south. I mean, just the materials to repair a hull will cost over $400 where I could buy a whole cat for less and get most of the money back selling off the parts I don't need!

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Jason Kasper
2000 Mystère 5.0XL
Lake St Francis (St Lawrence River)
Lancaster, Ontario, Canada
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I restored Hobie 14 with about 80% soft hulls this summer using the injection method. May have worked due to the hot South Georgia sun. I used West Epoxy in the decks and forward parts and polyester resin in the rest. Drilled about 400 holes and went through 3 1/2 gallons of resin. The boat is probably about 75 lbs overweight. I took it out for my first test sail in St. Augustine FL in 3-5 foot seas & 20 mph winds through the surf and the boat held together fine. Sailed it a couple of more times in the atlantic and a few hours down the intracoastal. I have pics of working on it and blasting through the waves, will post them when I get the time and figure out how to submit them to this site. Hope this helps.

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David
Hobie 14 (Tsunami)
Valdosta, GA
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5 hr drive is not too bad, and when you get there offer him $300 cash. I drove 7 hrs to pick up what I thought was a P16 and came home with a P15 instead, but for $300 for boat and trailer, price was right and the hulls are in good shape. Your only other option is to dry out the foam core sandwiched between the 2 layers of fiberglass and do like sailrider, inject it and sail it.

Price depends on the person. I had a guy here trying to sell a soft H16 for $2500 that he had all ready drilled the holes to fix but never finished. This just means now it's soft and wet inside. I told him the price was ridiculous for a boat with soft hulls and that I had seen good boats going for as little as $500 with the trailer. It just depends on what they think it's worth. The good deals are usually people who just need to get it out of their yard fro some reason or another.

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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