[quote=DamonLinkous][quote=pknapp66]I know that some h18 hulls are more desirable than others. What years are known for good hulls, and what years were they not so good.[/quote]
Because of the change in ownership of Hobie over the years and lessons learned from years of production and warranties, there were many small changes in the hulls over the years. I'll try to make a timeline of the biggest ones.
[b]1978-1983[/b] Extremely strong heavy hulls, the original layup was nearly indestructible, and they sold a lot of boats in these years, which is why you still see so many Hobie 18's from this group still around.
[b]1984-1986[/b] Much lighter hulls due to a new fiberglass layup schedule, during the 80's these years were the hot ones for class racing because they were a lot lighter than earlier boats. Unfortunately the lightness came at the expense of the extreme longevity of the earlier (and later) boats. Nowadays if you find one of these in great condition it's still a good find IF you carefully inspect it around the front beams, and add the reinforcement that was done in later years.
[b]1987-1988[/b] Same hulls but with additional fiberglass added to the inside of the hulls near the beams. Also some large metal reinforcement plates are bolted to the sides of the hulls under the lip where the front beams and shrouds attach. to spread the load. Additionally, 1987 model year was when the upgraded rudder system (with plastic cams) was introduced when it was found that the old metal system didn't age well.
[b]1989 + [/b]These hulls have the best fiberglass layup and combine the lightness of the lightest hulls but with more strength and stiffness. They incorporate all the improvements of earlier years without "patching". These hulls also have a redesigned dagger trunk that doesn't have the lip in the inside at the bottom. The 1989+ H18's are the best you can get, unfortunately by that time they weren't selling very many, so they are hard to find.
Others may be able to add more details, but I think that is pretty much the way it went.[/quote]
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