Hi all,

I picked up a H17 off Craigslist in the fall. It is all there, but the prev owner had it rigged a bit strange. This is my first cat and I am trying to sort out a few things and have some questions.

- Should the trapeze shock cord be run inside or outside the wing? I see pictures of it run both ways when I search. What is the relative advantage of each position?

- I have one of the typical blue/white stretchy righting lines. It does not have any loops in the ends. How is this supposed to be routed for a H17?

- I think my mainsheet may be a bit short. Doesn't seem like it would be long enough to hold onto if sheeted out a bit and on the trap. How long is it supposed to be?

- Getting the main up is a real chore. I plan to spray down the bolt rope with McLube. Is there anything else I can do to help?

- Are there any rigging guides around with pictures that have not been photocopied so many times that they are illegible?

I also have a general question. I've only had the boat on the water once so far. With a nice ~10 knot breeze I was fooling around and managed to almost capsize. When I got heeled about 70 degrees the leeward wing drug in the water to the extent that it slowed the boat which then headed up and righted itself. Is that typical behavior? I would have thought the dragging wing would have caused it to bear away...

Thanks for any and all help!

Trap shock cord can go inside or outside the wing. Most racers run it inside. It is easier to reach that way (it is on front of you, not behind) and it doesn't get fouled on your life jacket when sittig on the wing. If you run it inside the wing, you will need to mount a small block to hold it out by the shroud.

The best righting line is generally just a basic thick line about 15 feel long tied to tbe dolphin striker and thrown over the hull whn needed. You can probably just pull the bungee out of the line you have. Stretchy righting lines just make righting more difficult.

Do a google search for Hobie Line Guide. The mainsheet is roughly 45 feet, but I don't recall the exact number.

Hoisting the main, a little silicone in the luff track will make things easier. Also make sure the boat is pointed perfectly into the wind. This will also make hooking the halyard ring much easier.

Check out the Hobie website. They have all the assembly manuals available for download.

sm

coloflyer

- Should the trapeze shock cord be run inside or outside the wing? I see pictures of it run both ways when I search. What is the relative advantage of each position?

prob doesn't matter (i don't own a h17 so all my answers are speculation)
under the wind and the bungee will press on your back/body (a bit annoying)
outside the wing it may wear on wing cloth and may even wear out a small hole
ps with wings, you will probably not need to trap out - unless racing, and even then....

Quote

- Getting the main up is a real chore. I plan to spray down the bolt rope with McLube. Is there anything else I can do to help?

you can:
clean the track with a rag and a small bit of wood (think 2" of pencil) wrapped in the rag. i would use some acetone on the rag (or some other cleaning solution)

check the track for dings where it pinches on the bolt rope. they can be carefully banged out with a small wooden wedge

check the bolt rope. could be very swollen with age - not too expensive to have replaced by a sail loft

Do all the suggested tricks to clean and true up the luff groove, liberally lubricate both the groove and the luff tape/bolt rope of the mainsail, and if it still has a lot of friction, a swollen bolt rope is the culprit. As MN sez, take it to a sailmaker for a remedy, and have him look the main over for any other repairs that might be worth doing. Having a main that's a struggle to get up and or down takes some fun out of the sport.

Dave

Thanks guys,

I bought this boat so cheap and it is just not a particularly nice boat (top sides of both hulls are soft, foils are beat up, etc.) that I have vowed not to put any more than $50 into it, so a bolt rope replacement is probably out. I might try to do it myself (I did a bolt rope relaxation with a spliced extension on my Laser 2 last year, so it is not out of the question), but will probably see if I can get by with just lube for this year. My plan is to sail the boat 2 years, sell it and get something nice.

Dog, I'm interested about the comment about just using a short line attached to the dolphin striker for righting. I am about 175lbs and since it is still unseasonably cool here I have not yet entertained intentionally flipping to see how righting goes. In general how is the H17 for solo righting? I did get a bag from the prev. owner and that looks like it might help.

I've seen the manuals on the Hobie 17 website, but the quality of the pictures is pretty poor in the assembly manual. I was hoping someone might have done a website or document with clear pictures. For example there is a terrific rigging guide for the Laser 2 on the website cautionwater.com. Something like that is asking for a lot, but if it exists and I've missed it I'd hate to stay in the dark for lack of asking ;)

If it ever quits raining (and being cold) here I'll get back on the water and let you know how things progress.

Dou

Check out the North American Hobie Class Association website www.hcana.org. Click on the Classes tab and go to Hobie 17. There are tuning guide links and a couple good pictures on the page. The Hobie website also has an active forum with a lot of good information.

As far as righting, the Hobie 17 is not the easiest boat to right. I would bring the bag. A few of the times I've capsized mine, I've ended up needing assistance.

A hollow braid line tied to the dolphin striker is what most of the experienced racers use. The snap back righting line systems tend to be more trouble than they're worth, but if you capsize a lot, I guess they can be nice in that they're ready to go right away. The problem is that the bungee makes them somewhat difficult to use. You end up fighting the recoil of the bungee. With a single line, you can just throw it over the hull, pass a wrap around your trap hook, and lean back.

Regarding your mainsail, most of the older ones (from the 1990's and earlier) had issues with the mylar delaminating. If you're mainsail is delaminated, I wouldn't bother putting a penny into it. I would also caution you against sailing a boat with soft decks (or hulls). If the delamination is only in a small area, it would be good to just inject resin into the decks to stiffen them back up. If the delamination is extensive, then structural failure of the hull is certainly a risk.

sm

Thanks Dog,

The link you gave was for the Hill Country Area Narcotics Anonymous - LOL.

I found the North American class website and there is some good stuff there :)

My mainsail is severely delaminated. I don't plan to spend any more than $50 on the boat and I've already spent $35. That leaves enough for a new bolt rope if I do it myself, but that will be a project for next winter if at all. My hulls are mostly soft in the area in front of the rear crossbar, although other areas are a bit springy. I thought about trying to do the resin injection and maybe I will. I'm not too concerned from a safety standpoint as I sail on a relatively small inland lake and swimming to shore is always an option if the rangers don't show up first.

Doug

Sorry, the address I gave you was an old one. The current address is www.hcana.hobieclass.com

Regarding the deck injection repair, it is a relatively simple fix if you do it early and aren't too concerned about cosmetics. The problem is that if you just let it go, it will continue to get worse and eventually the boat will be un-sailable.

sm