I'm fairly new to my older Hobie 18 and am having 2 problems. Hoping to get some advice before I go out and just start replacing things:

1) forestay swivel sticking - once the rig is tensioned, the upper forestay on the swivel has trouble turning. So when the sail is unfurled, the stay is twisting, causing the sail to want to furl back up like it is spring loaded.

Do I need to replace the swivel or should some lube do the trick? (and if lube, what kind is best?)

2) Jib halyard jumping the block - a couple times my jib halyard wire has decided to jump out of the block, and get jammed in between the sheave and the wheel of the block. Do I just need a new block or can this be somehow tensioned?

I'm sure I could just replace all of these parts but I would like to save the $ if possible.

Thanks - djm

Some dry lube and a thurough cleaning of the swivel might help things - you should use McLube Sailkote or a dry silicone lubricant. Be careful with some of the dry silicone lubricants because the can still remain a little tacky - and that's bad because it will collect sand and dust. If that doesn't work, you probably need to rebuild the swivel by replacing the bearings or simply replace it.

I don't recall what the jib halyard block looks like but it sounds like something may be bent allowing too much room beside the sheave. I seem to recall that that Hobie 18 wire block has a pin and ring that hold the assembly together. It's possible that the pin is too long leaving the assembly sloppy.

#2 If I remember correctly the jib halyard is just a small line to raise the jib. You take half of it off when you tension the jib. If you have a wire, this maybe part of the problem.

#1 Swivel, I have done this once but it was a long time ago.

My memory is that the stock TheMightyHobie18 Swivel is a big shiney metal thing that is almost sealed.

I cleaned it in hot spoapy water. Soak it, operate it, hold it up to let it drain and then repeat until the black stuff stops coming out. (change the water frequently and try to get dishwashing detergent in the swivel)

Then I let it dry and flushed it with WD-40. Let dry it and soaked it in krytox. Let it dry and it worked for a few months.

I woud start looking on eBay for a cheap replacement.

The stock upper swivel on a Hobie-18 is a pretty simple affair - no bearings or the like. If cleaning it doesn't help it may be time for a new one. The furler drum does have bearings, and Hobie sells a repair kit for refreshing those. The other thing here is check just how much tension you're putting on the rig. If you're really cranking the tension in you will have problems with the stock swivel, because again it is a simple piece. When furling on the water you'll find that furling/unfurling works much better downwind, as the tension is off the forestay.

The only time I ran the rig tight was in heavy air, and even then it wasn't super tight.

I never had any problems with the jib halyard block/sheave, would tend to agree that something is bent or worn there as well.

Thanks for the information everyone. Looks like I need to start with a good cleaning of the swivel and an inspection of the sheave.

Keith - you've got me thinking that I may be tightening the rig too much - does anyone have any base guidlines for right tension by wind speed? This is something I can probably Google, but thought I may ask (I've got a gauge)

I personally wouldn't even bother with a gauge on the 18, and in fact any of the tuning guides I've seen don't reference a gauge. In most conditions I'd have the rig tight enough so it didn't flop on shore unloaded, with it being a little tighter in windy stuff.

When sailing upwind with the main cranked you'll notice that the leeward shroud is loose. No big deal.

Your mast should rotate freely as well - if it doesn't your rig is too tight.

There is a performance tuning guide for the 18, some of it is a bit outdated. I believe it was written Phil Berman, not sure if it is still available. I may have mine still, can't remember if went with the boat or not, I can check.

Just get a new spinner for the top. I believe it's attached to the pig tail and it's probaly a good idea to replace that anyway if it's been a while. Another thing to think about is if that thing is binding that bad it may fall apart and you know what that means.

The jumping off haylard is easy to fix. Pull the pin that the shive pivots on and remove the shive. Use vise grips,vise or something similar, squeeze the outer shell of the block closed a bit then reassemble. Just like new.

I agree with what most others have said.
I don't believe I have ever lubricated the upper swivel. It sounds like you've either got too much rig tension or you're trying to unfurl with the mainsheet tight. In general I run a loose to very loose rig on my 18. You definitly don't want to be so tight that you restrict mast rotation. When unfurling, the point of sail doesn't really matter, just be sure the mainsheet is slack. When furling in moderate to high wind, it's easiest (but not necessary) to be pointing downwind so the forestay is slack and the jib is blocked by the main.

As for the halyard jumping off, I've never had that problem. I would do what others have suggested and squeeze the housing closed. Otherwise perhaps a slightly larger wire diameter would do the trick.

sm

Rebuilding the drum located the actual problem at the swivel on our 18. Our dealer (Jim Sohn) stated that over time, and without periodic lubrication, the swivel will develop "flat" spots. Lubrication got us by (needed replacement).

Berman describes marking the shrouds at three feet above the deck and stretching a tape measure straight across these points. I recall a six inch deflection, when pressing inward on one shroud, to be the heavy air setting. His book (the Hobie 18 Performance Manual) is filled with these type of measurements. A similar method is described for diamond tension by pressing inward to within one inch of mast and measuring up from their attachment points (12", 24" & 36") for varying conditions of "the three W's", wind, water and weight.

The diamond tension technique is where I think the Berman is out of date. I believe most find it better to tighten the diamonds so that there is no side to side flex, then use the downhaul to bend the mast on the major (not minor) axis (detailed in Catamaran Racing for the 90's). At least that's the method that worked best for me.

jib halyard - on my 18's the block is at the end of the wire halyard. You should be using a rope halyard thru that block to raise the jib. Purchased a new one recently that didn't come with the block. I am running the rope thru the eye at the end, works fine. The stock block doesn't have a removable sheeve. On the swivel- they do get flat spots and corrosion. You can clean and lube to get more time out of it. I have installed a swivel above and below the turn block on the forestay, its not necessary but if one sticks the other won't. It adds 1" to the overall forestay lenght and weight is minimal. I also use the jib halyard with sister clips spliced into it, I think that item is more than worth its cost.

About the halyard, I definately have a wire halyard taht attaches to the sail. It has a rope tail that secures the tack of the sail (tiny block toward the endo of this that lets me get a 3:1 purchase at the tack).

Should I remove the wire halyard and just use a long length of rope?

What are sister clips?

I'm pretty sure that the TheMightyHobie18 I used to have had a wire luff halyard for the jib too. Sister clips are two little clips - usually flat pieces of stainless - that have a tiny slot on the side that opens into the round interior. You put two clips at 90 degrees to each other and they will slide inside each other. They have no moving parts and stay connected when they can be protected like in the jib luff. Makes it easy to remove the halyard tail used to hoist the sail.

sister clips are also known as Inglefield clips or hooks. They are also sometimes known as flag clips since they are most often used on signal flags.

There is no need to replace the wire haylard with a line. If you like to spend money for no good reason you can put sister clips on or you can learn how to tie a sheet bend knot.

I have been having helm issues my boat would fall off really bad so i messed with my fore-stay, i loosened it up allot then went sailing! Before the boat was falling off re bad now it rounded up with it real loose! so I tightened it a little but still real loose now it is doing better but i think the forestay is really to loose yet, hmm I know its not a Hobie but does anyone have a rule of thumb? if i had chop in the waters i sail i would not go out like this!

Forestay tightness will not have much effect on helm. Two major adjustments will help.

1) Mast Rake. Sailing under way, the sideways resistance is provided by the daggerboard(s), sideways force is generated by the sails. If you rake the mast forward, you move the sideways force generated further in front of the primary resisting force (the daggerboards) and have more lee-helm (your condition here). To reduce lee-helm, rake the mast further aft to bring the sail plan closer to the daggerboards or even aft of the daggerboards to generate weather-helm. All other things being neutral (see #2), a slight amount of weather-helm is desirable because it puts your foils to their best use (allowing both the rudders and daggerboards to generate some lift).

#2) rudder rake. This affects how the boat turns and how how the tiller feels. It is often confused with performance tuning of the foils - it is not. Rudder rake is used make the helm feel more or less neutral but the effeciency of the foils through the water depends NOT on what you feel in the tiller, but what forces are acted on them by the mast rake/sail plan. If your rudders are raked such that the center of effort is in front of the pivot axis (the pintles), the rudders will react opposite of the sail/daggerboard remaining force (weather-helm or lee-helm) and neutralize it somewhat. If the rudder rake puts the center of effort of the rudders through the water BEHIND the pivot axis, the feel of the helm will be more affected by the sail/daggerboard reaction.

To make a clean setup, set your sails to sail to weather, have daggerboard(s) fully extended, and raise your rudders clear (or nearly clear) of the water. The boat should round up into the wind. If it remains neutral or rounds down to lee, you need to rake your mast aft. Once you have a decent amount of weather helm, now adjust your rudder rake until your helm feels like you want it to. If, with rudders now down, the boat changes and turns to the lee, rake your rudders more aft - i.e., further away from being under the boat. If, with rudders down, the boat turns much harder into the wind, rake the rudders forward. Most people like their helms setup with just a little weather helm. It gives boat boards the opportunity to work and is safer (if you should drop the helm or something break, the boat rounds up instead of bearing away and accelerating).

About the large metal sheave that the jib halyard turns around up top. It has a 1/4" pin thru the center of it and a cotter pin holding that in place. The 1/4" pin is the problem(too long). you need to take out the cotter pin and add a washer or 2 under the cotter pin hole of the 1/4 pin while squeezing the sides tight against the sheave with pliers as you put the cotter pin back in. Also bend the sides back flat if necessary. The jib halyard is very skinny and if there is any gap next to the sheave the halyard will find it's way in there. your halyard may be damaged from jumping off the sheave as well, and need replacement.