http://www.hobiecat.com/f…a18d5984553372f48e54bad4

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Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
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Guy named Matt needs a Hobie 16 rudder to save his vacation in the finger lakes region of NY.

Who's going to be a hero?

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Thanks for getting the word out guys. It's been some great sailing in the new old Hobie. I'll be better prepared next time and won't leave my spare at home!

Matt

~~~~~ Any luck yet??? I live near Syracuse,ny on Oneida lk..... I have what you need... e-mail me with yer phone #
popeyez7@aol.com

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~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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popeyez to the rescue! well done sir!

Quote

I have what you need... e-mail me with yer phone #
popeyez7@aol.com

Thanks Popeyez! I'm a little over an hour away and this is my last day here at Keuka. I dropped about $6 in Gorilla glue and a couple of stainless steel screws to try to mend the break at the upper hole of the rudder attachment. This is my second failure at exactly the same point. I don't know how common this sort of break is but then again, these rudders are pretty old and have probably spent most of their life outside. Anyway, thanks for the offer. And thanks to everyone else for helping out! I'll see if I can attach a couple of pics of the repair. I'm taking it out for a test as soon as I get off this computer.

polyester rudders are cheap and don't last the decades the hulls survive

I broke mine all the time when i had hobies

The best method of reattaching would include some time of "biscuit" or peg that bonds the parts together but I wouldn't expect that to be a permanent repair and would carry spares

this is part of why epo and other after market rudders are superior (but may not class legal for racing - i am not sure about that)

Just to update and in case anyone is interested. The repair worked like a champ! I sailed for quite a while in 15kt winds with no problem. I'm thinking of preemptively putting a couple of screws in the other rudder now. I learned my lesson though, no more traveling without a spare. Losing out on 15 minutes of sailing beats losing the whole day, or more.

jackauffaltrades

I'm thinking of preemptively putting a couple of screws in the other rudder now.

I'd recommend you keep an eye out for a used pair of EPO or other composite Hobie rudders. What you experienced is a fairly common failure mode for the older Lexan rudders - they break out at the rear bolt hole. The screws are probably OK until the first time you accidentally slam the tiller arm or have a rudder kick up under load and then the back corner of the rudder will see a load spike and break out again. You will also find that the composite (fiberglass) rudders sail much better than the old solid plastic rudders. They give you a much better helm feel.

Anyway, good job on the improvised repair - anything to get back on the water works in a pinch.

sm

Thanks Dogboy. Good idea to keep an eye out for some newer equipment. I've heard great things about the EPO's. I just want to sail more and work on it less for the rest of the season!