I have an 86 H16 with a comp tip mast. Apparently the mast was not cut short enough when they comptip was installed by 4.25 inches. I really dont want to break the mast apart if possible.
Is there any problems with cutting the comptip down at the top and then reinstalling the comptip mast head the halyard hook?

Does anyone have any other suggestion for getting the mast to the correct size?

Thanks

cut from the bottom of the mast instead. Cutting the comptip doesn't sound like a good idea.

My first question would be, are you sure it's actually too long? Did you measure it against a mast that you know is right? The reason I ask is that the original Hobie 16 comptips (around 1986) didn't connect to the mast at the tang the way the current ones do. The originals were shorter and there was a section of aluminum mast that extended above the tang. If the mast has been sailed this way for the past 20 years, it would make me wonder whether it is really wrong. Or did the boat originally have one of these shorter comptips which eventually broke and was replaced with a new longer comptip without shortening the aluminum mast?

In any case, the first thing I would do would be to take measurements off a mast you know is good. Make sure the mast is in fact too long.

If the mast is too long, I suspect cutting the tip off the comptip would be the best bet. Then redrill and reinstall the fittings. You may have to deal with moving the plug (I don't know how far down it is on a 16) and resealing the top.

sm

I have to shorten the distance between the top and where the sail inserts in the mast for the downhaul.

I got the measurements from hobie and the metal part is definately long. Im for sure going to triple check this before I do anything to it. I will probably get someone else to confirm this also prior to any alterations to make sure Im not having a brain cramp or something.

Ive run 3 sets of mains on this with the exact same issue.

I re-did one years ago. The epoxy wasn't so great a job and the cut was skew so we managed to pull it loose. I would think a gentle heat on the alum would turn the epoxy loose without screwing up the fibreglass. If you wrap a choker strap around each of the two halves with a "come-a-long" to the next convenient tree or post, you can get a good pull on it. Watch out, the plastic sail tracks love to break.
Cutting the "composite" would not be class legal, by the way,(would improve performance, unless you are a very light crew).

Id like to be able to race if I wanted so I may have to break them apart then.. Arghhhh!!!

>>>I got the measurements from hobie and the metal part is definately long. Im for sure going to triple check this before I do anything to it.<<<

Be sure you check the OVERALL MAST LENGTH. Was the measurement from Hobie an overall mast length or the length of just the aluminum section? Again, on the very first comptips, the aluminum section was longer than it is on the current sections. Does your mast have a screw on either side where the comptip connects to the aluminum section?

If the mast is actually too long, then I would guess that what happened is that the mast was converted with an orignal comptip. That comptip broke somewhere along the line and was replaced with a new comptip which was longer. (Or maybe the person doing the conversion had a major fear of trimming too short!) If that's the case, then in my opinion, simply cutting the top of the comptip would work and would also be class legal since you're putting the mast back to original spec (the shorter comptips are still class legal).

Trying to remove the comptip sounds like a lot of work at best and an oportunity to wreck the mast at worst.

Check the overall length. If it is actually too long, trim the comptip.

sm

The mast has a screw on either side of it so help secure the comp tip. The comp tip is 93 inches long (exluding where the rollers are) and the aluminum mast is 224 inches long (not including the mast base) Does this seem too long? Total on 317 inches.

If its class legal I would prefer just to cut the comptip at the top to get it to spec.

How come Hobie is the only cat manufacturer that the commie lawyers forced into using Comp-tips??? Why not everyone else? Does the electric current in an overhead power line care what brand name an aluminum mast is?

I'm not a fan of Comp tips. It makes the leech open up too soon de-powering the rig prematurely. This can be good in heavy air when you want to de-power anyway, but in medium air, it's not what you want. My TheMightyHobie18 has the original uncut mast.

David Ho
TheMightyHobie18 1067

317" = 26'-5", hobie web site lists the Hobie 16 mast at 26'-6". However I don't know if that includes mast head or not. I don't own a 16, so I can't give you measurements.

The screws in the side of mast means your mast was definitely converted with with one of the original comptips which were shorter. The current masts don't have the screws in the side of the comptip- the comptip is secured by the rivets for the mast tang (and glue). If you don't have someone nearby with a mast you know is good, then email Hobie to get the length of the mast (without head cap and mast base).

On chopping the comptip, you may want to get a second opinion, but in my view it would be totally class legal. Again, you may want to contact Hobie to find out if there are any structural issues, or if it will be difficult to reseal, but ruleswise, you'd just be putting the boat back to 1986 spec (the comptips were shorter then).

Bottom line- make sure the mast is actually too long because it's ok that the aluminum section is longer than on new masts.

sm

i would take the comptip off the mast and cut the mast where the comptip goes in. this way your next comptip or sail track will fit and you won't have to mess with the tang that holds the main up. just call local metal suppley (bla bla steel supply company) and they will probly cut it for you in two seconds straight and square.

Besides the OD statuse, why cut the mast down? Get a biger sail, go faster, have more fun!

From our Hobie forums on this subject...

Hobie 16 Mast Assembly Specifications:

Lower Aluminum Extrusion: 219 3/4" (Extrusion only)

Comptip: 92 7/8" (from Lower Aluminum Extrusion point to top of CompTip not including roller assembly).

Combined: 312 5/8" (Not including mast base or CompTip halyard pully assembly)

why dont you just get another mast----there are lots of used ones....or just tie a 4 inch line between your gooseneck and your sail

Deeeeeeep pockets. Shysters will always focus on the big money.