Hi All,
I picked up and old hobie 17 the other week. I'm experienced in dinghy and keel boat sailing, but the catamaran thing is new to me. The seller didn't knew either.
The boat came with a jib (possibly a super jib) but no bow spreader pole.
Question is how to sheet the jib? In attached picture is a rope on the trampoline that connects to small cleats on right and left side of the rear cross beam
The jib has attached sheets and blocks, but where do I mount the blocks on the boat?



//MCTG8

maybe this helps:
https://photos.google.com…qe0-n-Az44QhqrWcuL3uYLh6

mctg8

The boat came with a jib (possibly a super jib) but no bow spreader pole.
Question is how to sheet the jib?

mctg8,

The Hobie 17 was designed as a lightweight single handed beachcat with only the main sail. There was a Sports Kit from Hobie that included all the parts and the sail to add a jib for two-up sailing. It was a fairly expensive option and the boat can't handle the weight of two unless they are very light anyway.

Don't bother with the jib and learn to sail the boat as a normal Hobie 17.

The pictures you tried to link to aren't available, maybe they don't have the right public permissions on Google Photos.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Damon is infinitely knowledgeable but I'm going to disagree with him here.

A Hobie 17 super jib (H18 jib sheeted just like a H18 along the hulls) sold and possibly created by Murray's makes the H17 a lot of fun in light air as I am up on the wings in under 5 and out in the trap at ~7. The H17 was first designated as a heavy air boat and rather boring in low wind but this changes it. The stock H17 sport jib sheets to the crossbar and this too will help in light air. The 17 tacks well but it can stall in heavy slop (waves and wakes as my lake, Lake George NY is all big boat wake slop these days) whereas the jib of course makes tacking a breeze.

Note you need the bow spreader bar (which is a H17 boom extrusion) to keep the stays pulling vertical rather than compressing the hulls inward. You could easily make this with a windsurf mast or suitable aluminum pole.

As an aging sailor I find the H17 with wings perfect, backrest in super light air, nice seat in medium air and then roll up the jib and you have a really stable heavy air boat. Note I also added a spin as getting home in light air in Lake George wake slop is not fun.

Youtube vids here and in both videos there were no whitecaps (5-10) yet on a few occasions I could even fully extend out in the trap off the wings:

https://youtu.be/XIQ-iTwjtKM

https://youtu.be/es0FkPTD-gk

James
H17+
Farrier F25C+

BTW - I made a video of my setup so I can remember what I did as I will sail my F25C the next few years and may not put even put my H17 back in the water for several years.

Hope this helps

https://youtu.be/Ll9AOLrLbho

jlooby

Damon is infinitely knowledgeable but I'm going to disagree with him here.

Your boat is cool and amazingly tricked out but with what part of my answer do you disagree?

I don't think I said you couldn't change the rig completely but was just letting a new beachcat sailor understand how the Hobie 17 was originally rigged. And to understand there is more to adding a jib to a Hobie 17 than just the sail and blocks.

I always think it is best to master the standard configuration before making modifications, just my opinion.

MCTG8, it would help to see the picture you have.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Hello and I both understand and agree with your perspective of learning to sail the boat as is if you are unfamiliar with beach cats. Online it is so to communicate exactly what you mean as it will inevitably be misconstrued. Without the jib the H17 would be almost worthless in my environment as we may only get 1 day of 10+ knots of air in 2 weeks and who knows if I would actually have that day off to sail. With the Super Jib the boat is usable every day. Perhaps I could have/should have phrased it "don't dismiss the H17 jib option as it opens up the boat to a wider range of conditions"... :)

Continuing thanks for everything Damon and let me know if I can assist mtcg8,

James

I kinda agree with both of you.

1. As a new to cats, you may be better off starting with just main sail. There is much to learn about handling your H17. If you intend to single hand your H17, you will find it handful even in a medium air with just main. Just make sure you use the SE bridles/forestay or install a spreader. Bridles would be longer on H17 SE and shorter on H17 Sport. Unless you go in less than 5 knts, you would be risking a serious damage to your hulls. Better option is to get a spreader, as James suggested.

2. Moving forward, a super jib would be a great addition for a light/medium air and for downwind. The H17 is otherwise underpowered and not as much fun. Another useful upgrade is a bigger squarehead main. Mine is about 10 sqr feet bigger comparing to the original pin-head main.

As to your original question, check the H18 parts guide.

http://static.hobiecat.co…tal_assets/H18_Parts.pdf

This will give you a part number which you can order from any Hobie dealer, http://www.murrays.com, etc. Your pictures are still not accessible, but it sounds like your setup could be similar to H18.

To clarify, Hobie 17 was designed as unirig (main sail only) boat, but later offered both as a class legal H17 SE, and equipped with jib, Hobie 17 Sport. H17 Sport would have "Hobie Sport" decal, as on the video, is not a class legal boat.

The Sport version would be originally more expensive, but in today used boats market, there is very little difference in price.

Good luck, and welcome to the H17 club.

--
Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
--

DamonLinkous, Jlooby and Jackb,
Many thanks for your answers and efforts to solve my question. Hopefully picture will be seen this time.
I've just created an album where i'll post updates of this ongoing project. She's an old lady and after years of keel boating i'll hopefully experience something completely different sailing with the HC17...

To your comments:
YES, i'll concentrate on sailing only with main sail the rest of the season before boating is over in south Sweden.
But at the same time i can see my self going down that route of attaching more and more stuff on the boat and tune her to fit my conditions. Funny thing, I've seen your movies and found a lot of inspiration Jlooby...
In Sweden HC17 is a small class and class legal isn't important to me.

To the question:
I don't have any blocks or cleats attached either to the front beam or to the hulls. So how do i sheet the jib?
What i have is an endless rope going from a small cleat in the corner hull - rear beam, under the trampoline, back to another small cleat in the other corner hull - rear beam and then up on the trampoline. What to do with it...??

http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures?g2_itemId=125871

Thanks!!
/Mats

Quote

I don't have any blocks or cleats attached either to the front beam or to the hulls. So how do i sheet the jib?

after looking at your pics it is my GUESS it may have never been set up since there aren't blocks on each side of your cat

Are there other parts that make you think it was part of the boat?

Quote

What i have is an endless rope going from a small cleat in the corner hull - rear beam, under the trampoline, back to another small cleat in the other corner hull - rear beam and then up on the trampoline. What to do with it...??

That sounds like a "run" for the trapeze bungee. it goes "Criss+Cross" (forms an "X" under the boat) to provide extra bungee, which is a valuable thing to have if you ever Peter-Pan (stuff the hulls and get thrown forward infront of the boat, while still attached to the trap wire)



Edited by MN3 on Oct 18, 2016 - 04:38 PM.

MN3

Quote

I don't have any blocks or cleats attached either to the front beam or to the hulls. So how do i sheet the jib?

after looking at your pics it is my GUESS it may have never been set up since there aren't blocks on each side of your cat

Are there other parts that make you think it was part of the boat?

I agree, don't see any signs of a jib setup. Just sail it. Looks like a nice boat.



--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Yes, you would need:
the bow spreader
roller furler
new forestay and swivel adapters to accommodate furler and bow spreader
Jib blocks (or track and blocks for super jib)

I don't see an area for file exchange so email me at the following and I will send you the Super Jib and Hobie Sport Jib files:
james
looby
the ascii at sign
and I use gmail for my email

Following that see the previous youtube links

It's 85 degrees here in Oct and I wish my boat was still in the water :)

~~ Hi James Looby... I liked your vids you sent me. mctg8, I also helped jlooby with his 17. I have a 17 w/ a super jib. Thats about 20% PAST the mast. Most 17 jibs are a ''sport'' jib, to the mast. You need ''jib tracks'' of 18'' or longer and you have to mount them on the edge of the tramp next to the center board trunk. 2 screws at both ends / track stops, but you rivet the length of the track with ''counter-sunk'' rivets >> popeyez7@aol.com

--
~ 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. ~~~~~~
--

(thats important) or you won't be able to move your jib-cars.... You'll need a bow spreader w/ a roller fur'l for the jib. I don't have any picts on a web-site that I could share here.... Damon is kinda right. Learn how to sail it with just the main sail for now. OK, thats enough, now put the jib on. LOL... e-mail me and I'll send them to ya direct and any other questions you might have. I've had plenty of Hobie toys among others and kinda know my stuff.. A member of ''Fleet 204'' in Syracuse, NY...... Paul >>> popeyez7@aol.com

--
~ 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. ~~~~~~
--

guys,
Thanks for your replies.
To further confuse i post some photos i just took of the boat.



jib, furler, jib sheet and jib block:


Can it be so that the schakle seen on the trampoline shall be attached with the jib block/jib blocks?

The small cleats on both sides of the rear beam:


The line goes under the trampoline and comes up on the other side. I don't see that this strange line/rope has anything to do with the trapeze bungee and no criss-cross at all.

//Mats

Enjoy your H17 - I have just purchased my third one, should never have sold the first one. I found it very difficult to gybe until I added the jib. What really made the big difference were the wings. I have an FX one but no wings. It is for sale but not just because of the lack of wings. I'm old and not agile enough to get the best out of of the boat. Incidentally is your tramp one piece?

You can see the inboard hull tracks in this video noting a similar rig is on the H18. You will need to add these jib tracks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll9AOLrLbho