Hopefully this doesn't run afoul of the "ad police", but...

I took a t-bone this past Sunday sustaining some damage around the shroud attachment, and I'm weighing repair options. One would be to simply swap in another hull if a decent one was availalable at a reasonable (ie cheap) price. I did a quick look around some of the usual spots and didn't see anything. Anybody got one? It's the starboard hull I'm looking for. If it happened to be that wonderful faded Hobie blue that would be awesome, but I'm fine with the "FrankenBoat" approach...

If I'm breaking the rules I'll take this elsewhere, but I'd like to salvage the rest of the series...

Keith,

I feel your pain having been T-boned by the same guy. He's a real menace on the Chesapeake Bay.

There you are on the starting line concentrating on the countdown, and out of nowhere comes a N5.8 screaming at you with the skipper looking aft. Boom!

Something needs to be done about this guy. ; )

Good luck finding the vintage parts for your boat.

who had rights at the time of the crash?
was this guy at fault?
did you file a protest?

in my experience, the only way to teach this type of sailor is to hold them responsible for the damage they cause. if he was at fault he should pay for the repair.

Ok, just to nip some things in the bud. Jeff's comment was tongue in cheek. He knows the other party... This isn't for the bashing of sailors, everybody feels bad and things are being taken care of to my satisfaction, and I have no need to rub anybody's nose in anything.

But, the situation is interesting to some degree, so maybe it's worth examining, for two reasons - 1) the situation 2) repair issues. So, no names, no attempts to figure out names, no bashing (unless it's directed at me), but I'm interested to know if I have culpability here as well. If it looks like anything personal develops here I'll try to have the thread deleted.

Winds are gusty around 20. Before the start (upwind, pin end to left and heavily favored), boat A is at pin end maybe 40 yards back on port tack, slightly above the rum line to the pin. Boat B comes in on starboard, rounds up, and tacks to port clear to windward and clear ahead. Boat B proceeds to park to get ready for the start, which is in about 45 seconds - parked (moving forward slightly) on port tack (jib is not backwinded), almost nose to wind and would need to fall off to gain movement and steerage. Boat A stays to leeward but moves up about even with Boat B maybe about 2 boat lengths away. Boat A then tacks - either on purpose (forgot B was there) or from aborted attempt to park. Boat B can't get away as she can't accelerate forward quickly without falling off to gain movement and steerage which would put in her in closer - and moving forward would only put her solidy in A's way, there's no way B can tack away without gaining steerage and speed first. Boat B crew yells loudly to let A know there's trouble. Boat A tries to turn completely downwind to duck the sterns, but only partly succeeds before powering up in a gust and hitting B hard just forward of the starboard shroud with her starboard bow. A bounces back, comes on top of B behind the shroud and comes over the rear quarter, bow in the mainsheet system. Once clear of the sheets A slides off the back and both boats count limbs, check for blood, and see if they're sinking...

Ok, I'm boat B. I figure I was burdened once we were both on port tack from being the windward boat. Boat A was probably burdened as the overtaking boat for a bit. When the collision happened the boat that hit me was on starboard. But, I don't feel that A had proper room to tack, they didn't hail that we heard, and they were in clear water (if they were avoiding a starboard tacker it was a boat we never saw, but a possibility). Also, once assuming privileged status, it is a requirement that the burdened boat be given opportunity to stay clear, which I don't feel happened. If they had completed the tack, then had time to round up and throw a flag, I suppose I'd take my turns.

Anyway, that's what happened from the perspective of Boat B. Both parties feel it was A's fault, and things are being taken care of, and nobody's pissed. I'd like to keep it that way. Comments are welcome on the situation, but again, only if they add something to understanding the situation for the purposes of learning.

When winds are up and we go racing things can happen quickly!

Now, for the damage:
The hull/deck lip joint is crushed where the shock cord grommet for the crew trap is. A crack in the deck in the direction of the impact goes about halfway to the dagger slot. From feeling the underneath of the deck by hand I think the crack damage goes all the way through. About halfway down the hull there is a fore and aft hairline crack in the gelcoat probably from the deflection, hopefull not from any delam. With normal rig tension, the deck and lip were noticeably lifting, with the curve the opposite of normal shearline. To me this indicates some structure is compromised, but I mgiht be overreacting.

The 5.8 apparently suffered only superficial damage to the bow, and probably some gel coat scraped off the bottom. And I always thought H-18's would win any full contact version of the sport! Add 5.8s to the tank-boat categorie.

Repairing this seems a little messy due to the famous deck lip. That's why I'm also on the look out for a decent used hull, and hence the post. The deck lip seems to be the major structure, and it obviously is not intact from the lifting of the deck and lip from the rig tension. Anybody have any repair ideas? We're looking at grinding the damage and glassing it back up, unless again a hull shows up. Cosmetically it's a toss-up between a glass repair and mis-matching hulls!

Hey Kieth, this is the kind of situation where I'm reminded that there are times when it is good to be a lowly crewdog. I feel your pain and have come up with an idea so you can finish the series. Isn't there a spare SC-20 hull at the end of the lot? Man, we can have that thing glued onto TDBB in no time. I've got duct tape and everything. You'll scream on port tack dude!

Seriously though call me if I can help and I'll be there. Ed

wow, sounds like an interesting afternoon. it also sounds like owner A is being pretty cool about the whole thing, and since nobody was hurt, you have a pretty good war story for the clubhouse/beach. now for my opinion.

boat A tacked. according to rule 13, After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply.

regardless of whether A had rights or not before tacking, she would have had them after tacking (she was starboard after the tack), but:

either:
according to rule 15, When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires right of way because of the other boat’s actions.

or:
according to rule 16.1, When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear.

either way, i read it as boat A is at fault.

Let's see, maybe there's enough left of the starboard hull for this...

We take the SC20 hull, use that as a main hull and the 18 hulls as amas for a trimaran!

If you tried to keep clear from the moment "A" tacked and were unable to do so, then "A" failed to give "room and opportunity" for "B" to keep clear. It would have been a much softer landing if "B" had rounded up instead of trying to duck.

The one thing that Kieth failed to include are a couple of club rules which are an addendum to the usual sailing instructions. Basically when boat A parked after the first horn they were incumbered by the race beer they had just opened and B was obliged to keep clear during the first four sips. Boat B meanwhile spilled their beer and the colision took place during the rescue attemp. Club rules clearly state that all other boats are to keep clear of any boat declaring a beer spill recovery. Boat A was clearly at fault because they continued to sip while Boat B was in an emergency situation.

Both of us also forgot to mention the mandatory penalties for being at fault in an incident that causes additional beer spills. The penalties here are truly Draconian and can only be mentioned by those who have passed the rituals to join the inner sanctum...

By the way, official is that the hull is toast (too much time to repair with resulting lack of trust...), so now I'm really looking for a hull. Anybody?

To keep it fun I'll also take suggestions for what to do with the old one, my first thought is to turn it into a bar!

finish removing the deck and then hinge it and make an equipment locker out of it.

Or a big beer cooler!

Keith, I like that one

Kieth, we must memorialise this hull. It has wupped many a faster hull in it's day. Surely making a cooler for fleet beer would be primo. If you don't have the heart just let me know and Joe and I will perform the chain saw surgery with appropriate cerimonial hoopla and respect. While this post has generated LOL (see LOL post) and an in depth but shallow review of some rules (we don't need no stinking rules) we are all disapointed that you will not have your sled for Sunday's race. I will keep my eyes open whilst driving around south county this weekend. If I find an 18 and swipe a hull the the owner probably won't notice till spring (ya think?).

beer cooler. i like that.

Yes, we should all keep a socket set in our cars for the right opportunity. Roof racks too.

Yes, the proper ceremony is needed! The hull (along with the rest of the boat) was tied with Roger for first place overall for the year coming into Frostbite. Frostbite has been a bit of a disaster to say the least!

Will be crewing on Alec and Wendy's 6.0 on Sunday! Look out!

Sailing Pro Shop in California may still have a pair of 1979 light blue TheMightyHobie18 hulls in OK condition for $200 (collect). They did about two months ago when I was looking. I didn't take them up on the offer 'cause I couldn't figure a cost effective way of getting them from CA to TX.

My port hull snapped clean off at the front cross beam whilst on a screaming reach in Galveston bay!

I ended up buying a hull off Rick White's son - but I know the starboard hull on that boat was toast - which is why he was breaking it.

Good luck.

Chris

Their website used gear page lists some blue H-18 hulls as being sold. Maybe I should call them anyway...

there's a boatyard in houston area selling "TheMightyHobie18", description says needs mast & sails, maybe this is a parts boat.
http://www.bayportboatyard.com/BBY/...48faa2dbdda86256c230006270a?OpenDocument
I've gotten some hard-to-find stuff from them for my Ensign, but have never met them.