I bought another boat. A 86' Hobie 16. I bought it as something I can easily drag up and down the beach myself as well as race locally with clubs like CRAM. The boat is great. I've never sailed a hobie 16 though and now after a couple sails I have some questions.

Jib sheet:
It appears hobie themselves have made a revision to the jib sheet routing. I have the older style where the jib blocks are fixed in the center and the jib cars are on the tracks and are remotely adjusted from a couple extra lines.

Is it worth updating the jib system to the more modern approach where the jib blocks are on the tracks? Also it seems unnecessary to have the jib cars or blocks adjusted with a line. to me they should just be adjusted by hand like on the h18.

Mast:
The mast step pin has two hinges. So when I try and step the mast both pins allow the who mast to move forward about an inch and the mast base doesn't line up the mast. In order to step the mast I had to raise the mast myself while my brother was at the base of the mast pushing back to get it to seat properly. Is there a trick to this?

I have a comp tip. I haven't been able to fully raise the main. Do I need to be pulling forward on the halyard towards the bow to get around main hook?

Hardware:
the 4 cast alum corner pieces attach to the hulls via 4 1/2" stainless bolts. These bolts on my boat have nylon nuts holding them in. all 4 nuts are also split. I cant imagine this is proper? Can I replace with a regular stainless nut or must it be nylon?

Trapeze system:
I have 4 trapezes. I haven't put them on the boat yet. the previous owner just had two individual shock cords we was stretching under the tramp it would seem. Should I retrofit the shock cord pulley system under the tramp like I have seen? Is that worth my time?

Battens:
The jib battens have hinged outermost sections. In light wind I'm having to manually move jib across mast. this just seems odd. No real question regarding them, just looking for someone to say "that's normal".

Any insight or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Any finally, I've tried every which way to rotate that picture. No luck for me.

Kevin Horecky



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Nacra 6.0 NA
Ogden Dunes, IN
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Jib sheet, totally persol preference. To me simpler is better.

Mast, you should be able pull the mast base back when its raised IIRC. One of those holes is for the H14. Do you have the bearing installed?

Hardware. Stainless to stainless fasteners tend to gall and seize from time to time. You can use SS nuts if you like. Take the opportunity to glue the beams together.

Trap system, Yes it will work better.

Battens, yes thats normal to me.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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My advice, sail it.
Sail the ever loving %#@ out of it.
Invest when something breaks.

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Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
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Sounds like getting the main up is your only slow down. Everything else is normal and doesn’t need attention to get on the water. How far does your main get? Are you a few inches short or a few feet? Does it get progressively harder or just abruptly stop? Lots of good sailing lakes in Indiana, best thing to do is find another 16 sailor, or better yet a club

There have been countless small improvements and changes to the H16 over the past 33 years. Numerous different jib block systems. The most important factors are low profile (so you can rake the mast back) and ease of use (so you can cleat and uncleat the sheet easily). As long as the current system meets those criteria, no need to update. The remote traveler adjustment is pretty important on the 16. In a blow, you don’t want the crew going anywhere near the leeward bow to ease the traveler.

Mast step, check the hinge for deformation and replace as necessary. What you are describing with the mast base not aligning with the step was pretty common back in the day. The main halyard needs to be pulled straight down the mast until you get to the last foot or so. Then step forward and pull so the slug on the wire halyard slips past the fork on the mast. Then step back towards the mast to engage the slug under the fork.

The reason Hobie used nylon nuts on the pylon bolts is so that you don’t over-tighten the bolts and crack the aluminum casting. Yes, you can switch to stainless nyloc nuts, but just make them snug and then stop. If you go too tight, you will damage the casting. The nut just keeps the bolt from falling out, it doesn’t affect the stiffness of the overall tramp frame.

Two bungees under the tramp from side to side is standard. The only downside is the trap lines don’t have a consistent “home” location. You can add grommets through the tramp to pass the bungee through like on the new boats. Again, personal choice. I would just start with the stock setup.

Batten hinges are not stock. The stock battens have a tendency to hang up on the jib in light wind. Just another of the fun little quirks of the H16.

sm

That's some pretty good advice. Just get out there and sail it until it breaks. I like that.

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How far does your main get?

See picture. Almost all the way.

Thanks for all the input, people!

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Nacra 6.0 NA
Ogden Dunes, IN
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You can trim the jib battens a little shorter and that will help keep the jib from hanging up on the mast or halyard. You can also put a little tape on the ends as well. When you raise the main and have it seated in the little forked stay at the top of the mast, take the halyard back behind the side stays/shrouds and then cleat it off at the mast base as usual. By taking the halyard behind everything, it will put it a little farther back on the mast and helps to keep the jib from hanging up. Look for the Hobie 16 set up video by Matt Miller on YouTube, very helpful information in that old video.

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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those hinges may get hung up in light air but that is the time you want to have issues : when you can manage them with out the fear of the boat acting up - and i can tell you ... non hinged ones get caught up in light air too

in heavy air the hinges are nice to have as they reduce hangups ... and that is the time you don't want to let go of the helm to deal with something upfront

I have a battenless jib designed for roller furling on my 16, even though I do not have a roller furler. I love it. Not worth spending the money right now but when you are considering a replacement in the future I recommend it.