First the disclaimer: We’re not the best Hobie 16 sailors in the country but we have won a few events and we were 4th at the 2003 Continentals. The following isn’t the gospel
truth just the best we’ve been able to figure out
so far.
Crew Weight: The minimum allowable class weight,
for adult racing, is 285 lbs combined helm and crew.
Most teams try to be right at minimum weight. I think
300 lbs is more ideal over a wide variety of conditions.
Liza and I are at minimum but we have trouble when
the wind kicks up over 20 knots.
At The Beach: Tuning a Hobie 16 is primarily a
balance between mast rake and leech tension. Because
the boat doesn’t have centerboards the idea is to
rake the mast back as far as possible to get the
sail plan over the rudders. This causes weather helm
and effectively makes the rudders work twice as hard
to compensate for the missing centerboards. The limiting
factor is the leech tension in the main and jib.
If you rake back too far the main blocks, and jib
blocks, will touch before the sail is pulled tight
enough.
The new jibs are cut higher at
the clew, making jib set up easier. Put the tack
of the jib in the middle of the adjuster plate. This
will keep the jib high enough and help to make sure
the blocks don’t touch. The rake is ideally set so
that there is enough mainsheet tension when the blocks
are touching.
The class standard for measuring
rake is to take the main halyard to one of the bows
and place it at the top of the screw that attaches
the bridle. With the halyard pulled taught from the
top of the mast, mark the spot on the halyard that
touches the screw. Then walk the halyard back to
the transom of the same hull and mark the spot that
measures to the bottom corner of the transom – this
should be shorter than the previous measurement.
The distance between the two marks is the measured
rake. A good starting rake is 16 inches. This is
as far up as we go. Make a mark on the halyard and
a corresponding mark on the mast for reference.
We put our shrouds in the bottom
hole. This allows us to pull the mast all the way forward with
the rig fairly tight. A looser rig will let the mast
fall to the side, opening up the jib slot. For this
reason we don’t mind letting it go loose as we rake
back when it’s windy. If your mast doesn’t want to
rotate you may be too tight on the shrouds.
The rudders on a Hobie 16 should
be toed in 1/8 of an inch. To set up the rudders,
support the transom so that the rudders can be lowered.
With a pencil and a ruler draw a line from the pivot
bolt to the lowest point on the rudder. With a T-square
draw a line across the rudder and perpendicular to
the centerline. We do this at the widest spot on
the rudder. Do the same for both rudders. Measure
the distance separating the two leading edges where
they meet the horizontal line. Do the same for the
trailing edge. The distance between the two leading
edges should be 1/8 inch closer together. Spending
some time to get this measurement right will make
a noticeable boat speed difference.
If you’re sailing in a round robin
style regatta there is a quick and dirty way to take
the measurement on the beach. With the rudders up
you should be able to sight down both trailing edges
and line them up with the screw on the corresponding
bow.
On The Water Up Wind:
Hobie 16 Speed Matrix
|
Rake |
Main Sheet |
Traveler |
Jib Sheet |
Jib Traveler |
Downhaul |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No Trapeezing |
16’’ |
1 ft from 2 blocked |
center |
Open slot |
inboard |
Wrinkles out |
|
Single Trap. |
16’’ |
Almost 2 blocked |
center |
tight |
inboard |
Wrinkles out |
|
Just Double Traping. |
16’’ |
2 blocked |
center |
tight |
inboard |
A bit more |
|
De-powering1 |
16’’ |
2 blocked |
Down 6’’ |
tight |
Out 2’’ |
More on |
|
De-powering2 |
Back 2’’ at the mast mark |
2 blocked |
Down 6’’ |
tight |
Our 3-4’’ |
hard |
|
De-powering3 |
Back 2’’ more |
2 blocked |
Down 12’’ |
easing |
Out 6’’ |
To the black band |
|
Survival Mode |
Back 2’’ more |
2 blocked |
At the leeward hiking strap |
eased |
Half way out |
To the black band |
Notes:
In light air you can add additional
rake and get the main 2 blocked but if the wind picks
up before you can get to the halyard you will be
extremely slow. The gamble is usually not worth the
benefit.
In wavy conditions the jib slot
should be more open than indicated.
Initial de-powering is done with
the traveler instead of the rake. This is done because
you have the ability to pull the traveler back up
if the wind drops off. As in light air getting caught
with too much rake is very slow. You will know you
are too raked because you will be pointing ten degrees
lower than everyone else.
Moving the jib lead out is important
as it gets windy but even though it’s hard to adjust
while going up wind you will not be too slow if you
get stuck with it too far out.
Lift the windward rudder while double
trapping up wind. This makes tacking complicated
and I haven’t found it to be faster for us yet but
all the best international guys do it.
Weather helm is good on a 16. The
main is sheeted tighter than on most other boats
for this reason. You will have to get a feel for
how much tighter.
We try not to ease the main sheet
when it gets windy as it makes the main fuller and
moves the center of effort forward. Liza holds the
traveler so it’s at my waist. When I see a puff coming
I can quickly grab it and let it down a few inches.
Down Wind:
Make sure you have a wind indicator
on the bridle. The rule of thumb is: keep the apparent
wind at 900. This is the fast way to sail
most of the time, especially in flat water. As it
gets windier and waves start to build sometimes you
can build some more apparent wind and keep the indicator
forward of 90. If heading up gets you over the wave it’s
usually worth it to do so.
Don’t bother to adjust the outhaul.
Ease the downhaul if you really want to. Lift the
windward rudder. Don’t worry if the mast will not
stay rotated. You can hold it in the rotated position
but, believe it or not, it isn’t going to make you
go any faster.
Concentrate on steering and jib
trim. Keeping the boat at the best VMG angle and
sailing with good jib trim is the key to going fast.
In light air the crew should hold the jib out, effectively
moving the jib lead off the boat. Crew’s should remember
to control the twist when they are holding the jib
out. If the jib is too twisty pull directly down
on the sheet. Keep the jib round by pushing the clew
towards the tack.
Think about the wind strength well
before you round the leeward mark. Down wind is the
only time you can adjust your mast rake.
Tacking:
This may be the hardest part of
racing a Hobie 16, especially for a dinghy convert
like myself. Do the roll
tack thing. Get the video Rick White’s Total Boat Handling it helped me a
lot. Also, check out David Halls roll tack article
from “On The Wire”.
In light air the jib gets stuck
on the main halyard. This will destroy your tack.
Crews need to practice helping the jib around in
the light stuff.
In heavy air make sure the crew
stays forward in the tack. It’s easy to pop a wheelie
in the 16 and you can flip it over backwards if it’s
windy enough.
The Hobie 16 is a simple boat. With
some practice it should be easy to get in the ballpark
on the speed game. After that it’s time to go racing,
tack on the headers get in the puffs and don’t flip
over.
Other Videos
Downwind Sailing
Upwind Sailing & the Complete Catamaran Rolltack