I just picked up a set of 1990's Hulls manufactured during the Coleman era
Looking for a consensus or advise regarding the days of Coleman manufacturing.
I'm "Franken-boating" a Sixteen together from an accumulation of parts I have but not sure whether I want to keep these 1990 hulls for myself and sell my 1982 boat or not.
Coleman Era Hobie 16's
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1990 would be post-Coleman era, which went to 1989. As far as I know, there are no major problems with boats from that time period. Any 30 year old boat could potentially have issues, but I have a 1990 H18 that is solid - built like a tank.
Some Coleman era boats had issues. Light but less robust.
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FWIW ... My H14 is Coleman era and after 35 yrs it is still in great shape.
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dk
Blade F-16
Hobie 14
Corsair F-242
Mirage 25 (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
TomCat 6.2 (Sold)
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I had a Coleman era H14T. No soft spots. It had the red hull to deck joint glue.
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'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
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If I remember correctly, Coleman built what is referred to as the "red line" boats. Those are sought after because of their weight (light).
You can tell if you have one by looking at the joint/lip between the hulls and there will be a reddish layer of material in the seam. -
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Yes, redline boats were from the Coleman era (although not all Coleman boats are redlines). The manufacturing process was changed around 1985, resulting in lighter boats, and Hobie identified them by using red glue to bond the deck to the hull.
Again, the OP was asking about a 1990’s era set of hulls, which would have been built after Coleman sold Hobie (to Tony Wilson), and therefore would not be redline hulls.
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Edited by Dogboy on Apr 03, 2020 - 05:52 PM. -
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Yeah, but... he said they are '90's, is that speculation, or based on the HIIN; just throwing it out there. -
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I would assume if the OP said the hulls were from the 1990’s then there is some basis for that. HIN would certainly be the most definitive way to determine. You can also determine the general time of manufacture from the hull stripes/graphics. My recollection is that the Coleman boats also had a sticker that said “Coleman Product” or similar on the hulls.
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the hulls are in FACT manufactured in August of 1990 with the "By The Coleman Company" graphics/stripes
NO they are not "Red Line" Hulls -
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My guess would be that they were leftovers from the prior year (as I understand it, the hulls don’t get the year portion of the serial number assigned until they are ready to ship). In any case, there is no reason to suspect these hulls have any inherent problems based solely on manufacturing year. If they have lasted 30 years and are still solid, then they should be fine.
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thank you Dogboy
I plan on keeping this set of 1990 hulls for myself.
Pick and choose the best parts from both boats and sell my 1982 Hobie 16
A work in progress but during this time of "Sheltering in Place" there's no urgency.
Going into my fortieth season sailing a Hobie 16 and acquiring parts along the way, with another set of hull and a trailer, I'd have another boat to sell.
I've sent photos to Joseph Bennett for his video "Show Us Your Cat" episode #42, you can skip to the 5:20 minute mark to find me. -
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Coleman also took over Harley Davidson from some time and it did not go well. The saying was you needed 2 bikes, one for spare parts. Fluid leaks were a big issue. -
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My 85 redline H18 had a coleman logo within the pinstripe when I got it. My 86 redline H18 didnt. -
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My 1984 H16 is a Redline, has absolutely no soft spots and is in great shape, yellow hulls with "Boomer" stripes. Doesn't say Coleman on the boat but the assembly manual does mention Coleman in it.
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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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