You should be able to go tomorrow. Just try to get a couple SS or Monel rivets before you forget about it. You don't even really need rivets. Just a couple of SS seif tapping screws would do.

As for the tiller extension...you just throw it around the back and pick it up on the other side. It won't take long to get the hang of it.

Have fun tomorrow.

Thanks Jack! I don't have a clue what I'm doing but I did get myself a paddle!

You got the mast up and down...by yourself. That is better than a lot of folks on the Hobie forum can do with out fancy poles and braces. That is harder than anything else. Just go do it and report back.

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Its embarrassing to have a chicken for a mascot but probably not any worse than a nut.

Success!

Well everything went well except for the wind. There wasn't any! I had a couple good moments were I got moving pretty good but it was fleeting. A couple of times I got the heart pumping pretty good but it was over before I knew it.

Mostly I just sat there or moved from side to side trying to figure it all out. I think if I had a light steady wind I could pick this up pretty quickly. I can see from just the couple of good moments that I'm really going to enjoy this.

It is a lot of work however, doing it all by yourself. Stepping the mast, rigging the sails, sitting in the middle of a lake with no wind while ski boat wakes make you think the mast is going to snap in half, and then having to break it all down, load it up, lower the mast, tie it all down whew!!

Can't wait till tomorrow!!


P.S.

What is the minimum wind speed before I need to worry about capsizing? I'd love to take the wife and kids along but until I get more experience I'd be worried about that.

It's a lot easier to learn with too little wind than too much wind. Once you learn to get the most out of your boat in light winds with sail trim etc you can sail in any wind. If you stick close to shore tomorrow there's no reason not to take the family out with life jackets etc. If its light again get the kids hanging on trapeze on the wrong side while your on the correct side, let them steer while you lay on your back near the mast looking up changing the sail trim so you can see the difference each change makes. Go in the shallows deliberately tip over a few times and right it then you all know what to do. Have a go at doing the wild thing, trying to fly a hull in light wind with your weight on the lower side of the tramp your heart will thump in 4 knotts of breeze. When capsizing let the wife and kids know to slide down the tramp with their legs together and grap any rope when they're near the water so they stay with the boat, you'll laugh all day and the family will want to go again.

Right on! Get that sucker out on the water!

Sorry I missed this party, but I'd like add a few things.

First, there is only one place on a H16 where an alu rivet is acceptable, on the post '95 jib traveler car adj block in the corner casting, which your '81 doesn't have. That's it! The loads on your mast base while raising the rig will shear the rivets. I've seen it happen alot. Also the alu rivets will work and bend, and eventually your mast base will become loose. Stainless or Monel will fix it right! Get a few extras to have in your spare parts kit. Get a Hobie catalog and call a dealer or cross reference the rivets for size. Learn to love stainless rivets, they hold your entire boat together.

Of course with 5200 gluing that sucker on you might never have that problem...which brings me to my second point. Just use silicone to seal it! A part as vulnerable to breakage as a solo-stepped H16 mast base shouldn't be 'permanently' adhered. You'll probably be changing it again at some point and breaking the 5200 is a lot of trouble sometimes.

There's a block off plate inside of the mast that you can access once the base is off. Goop that entire plug with a good layer of silicone and you'll be good. And really, I don't even goop up the base with anything, it's not necessary, but you can if you want to.

Hook up with your local fleet and sail on!

J

That depends on a lot of things (crew weight and knowing what to do with it, ability to handle gusts, etc.), but one thing is certain.....you will flip it eventually. You should be OK up to aboout 10 mph for now, but this brings up an important point. I've scanned through this thread, and righting the boat hasn't beeen mentioned. You need a righting system, and you need to practice with it under controlled conditions with assistance available. Search here and the Hobie 14/16 forum, and you'll get lots of ideas.

Once you've flipped it a couple of times and know you can right it, you won't be so worried about capsizing....it's just part of the game!

Ocalacat:

Get Rick White's series of sailing videos; a ton of information that will enhance your sailing experience.

Took my nine year old daughter out today. Had some decent wind. I got a little nervous a few times and we got moving pretty good. My daughter took some video and I'll try to post some of it (once edited or you'll get sea sick) so you guys can look at it and tell me if I was close to the point of flying a hull or if I'm just totally green and new and wasn't even close to that point?

Right when the wind really picked up and i puckered up, I look over and my daughter has opened the water proof box with my keys, cell phone etc... needless to say, I was caught a little by surprise with the wind and the situation at hand. I remember thinking oh crap! this boats about to go over and everything else with it.

I let out the main sheet all the way, snatched the jib sheet out of the cam? (not positive if I'm using the correct terminology here) and as calmly as possible told my daughter to please get it all back in the box as quickly as she could and don't do that again without asking first.

Anyway, It was a lot of fun and she really enjoyed it. She just kept saying faster dad! She hasn't stopped talking about it and can't wait to go back out. I think she about has my wife convinced, but she (my wife) really doesn't like lake water, gator's etc...

I think we'll get her out there tomorrow!

I'm not a big fan of 'gators, either.

Man, you were brave to take your car keys out with you! I'm affraid I would lose them overboard so I always hide them somewhere on the outside of my vehicle, under a bumper or something, so if I do break down and end up walking back to the car, at least I can go pick up the boat and/or get home.

Put the cell phone inside a couple ziplock bags, then in the box, then duct tape the box shut, then tie it to the tramp.

Do you have trapeezes on the boat yet? That's the next step, your daughter will love that!

Yeah, I debated on the keys but in the end decided to take them since I knew the box would float and there were a couple of shady characters hanging around the boat ramp. I realize now that they can't float if there not in the box.

I'm going to put the trap wires back on before we go out again. They really want to go today, but I'm beat. Plus the wind is about 11 mph and the gusts from the thunder storms which are almost always present are on top of you before you know it.

My wife says if I put her in the (lake) water she'll never go again. I could see that happening today. She has no problem with the salt water but just has this thing about lakes now. It's funny since we used to Ski, Jet Ski etc all of the time.

I have to admit that I even get a little nervous now when I'm floating around in some of these smaller forest lakes. Can't wait to get this thing to the beach.

Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions and advice!!

OK- Now that the painful start is over-- its time to get to Daytona Beach on a weekend and get real. Pull up next to someone else with a Hobie 16 and ask for assistance after you get everything nearly ready to go. You will get plenty of willing help there. Crescent Beach also might work. Tiny Ocala National Forest lakes this time of year are AWFUL. At the ocean you get a nice 10-12 knot SE seabreeze in the afternoon. Now- you do have to now how to get thru the shorebreak... But too early there is no wind- like til 1 PM.
This is why we have been telling you to find a helper. Or go to Lake Eustis Sailing Club.

Thanks Dacarls,

Like I said, I think the beach is the place to be. Trust me, not finding a helper, is not for lack of trying, I looked for help for a month. I did try to contact the Lake Eustis Sailing Club about lessons but when I finally got the guy on the phone, he had just left the hospital and asked me to call back. So I got tired of looking, calling etc... and just decided to get out there and figure it out on my own.

Hopefully I can make it to Daytona or St Pete this weekend or next, I've just never been comfortable showing up somewhere and saying hey help me out. Guess that's something I'll have to get over. Is there somewhere in particular (at Daytona)where I should head to? Is there a favorite spot like in surfing, where everyone gathers?

jodi, i have found cat sailors to be very willing to share knowledge and help in many ways. i think Eustis is close to ocala.. IMHO.. you should go there and try to meet some people. just go there on a weekend, there will be people.

there is also a regatta there in a few weeks, you could ask around and see if anyone needs crew... you can learn a ton that way as well...

good luck

Thanks Andrew,

I'll definitely check them out and I plan on going to the Wildcat Regatta.