Yes, I just bought a hobie cat and am trying to rig it for the first time without knowing anything except for what I can find on the Internet. It's a 1985. My girlfriend and I have managed to raise the main sail, but we are having an issue with getting the gooseneck into the mast sleeve--is it possible that the mast is raised too high? The gooseneck doesn't seem to fit into the sleeve and I can't pull the mast down to get it properly into the sleave. Also, in general I can't figure out how to lower the mast. Everywhere online it shows how to raise it, I think it's locked into position now, but I don't know how to lower it. Please help! Thanks!

Welcome arizonasailor

I assume you have H16? Then, check with manual at

http://www.hobiecat.com/s…port/pdfs/H16_Manual.pdf

and rigging video, etc.
http://www.hobiecat.com/f…ewtopic.php?f=14&t=12697

Best of luck

--
Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
--

hobie 16 i'm guessing?

to lower the mainsail

release the downhaul

pull down on the halyard, to lift the mainsail a little and get the metal ball out of the V block on the top front of the mast

then pull halyard well forward of the mast, so metal ball won't get rehooked in v block, and slowly release grip on halyard so ball moves past V block

then pull sail down from behind mast

the rest of your questions need to be unjumbled and asked 1 at a time after you have read the hobie instructions and watched the videos a few more times



Edited by erice on Nov 23, 2012 - 06:47 PM.

The main halyard is made up of 2 parts, 1st part closest to sail is wire, 2nd part is line, there should be 2 slugs swaged to the wire 4 and 8 feet away from the halyard shackle. Raise sail by inserting bolt-rope on sail into sail track at the track opening, feed bolt-rope into track as you raise the sail.

Once you've raised the sail and engaged the 2nd slug on the wire part of the halyard into the hook on the top of the mast, the boom should be hanging in line with the track opening on the sail track of the mast, the slide on the goose-neck should fit straight into that opening. You want to pull the tack of the sail down using your down-haul, the amount of down-haul depends on the strength of the wind.

To release sail, release down-haul, disengage goose-neck, disconnect your main blocks from the boom, stand between the hulls, unravel main halyard, pull straight down hard to release slug from hook, keeping the down tension on the halyard, angle halyard line 45 degrees away from mast, keeping that 45 angle with 1 hand, use the other hand to grab the tack of the mainsail and pull the sail down letting go of the halyard. Sail should drop easily.

If the boom is too high when you engage the 2nd slug, try engaging 1st slug, lift boom and insert goose-neck slide into track, then continue to raise sail fully and engage 2nd slug. Reverse process when lowering sail.

HTH, keep us posted