Im curious is it worth Racing 1991 Hobie 16. or should I look for a New model?
Depends on the level of racing, but for most purposes it's worthwhile.
Does your H16 have any upgrades? New (or newish) sails and EPO rudders would be a nice to have if you consider racing. Also make sure it is class legal, if you consider one-design racing.
If the hulls are solid and the boat is generally in good condition, it would be a fine entry level race boat. The biggest setback would be if the sails are original, they will be pretty blown out by now and not competitive at higher levels.
sm
Steve M.
heres the link to see it. http://longisland.craigslist.org/boa/4057463242.html
and yes im looking to sail/race competitively ... at this point in time looking for a H16 and currently organizing sponsors..Ive sailed many boats before Farr 40s Tp52, blade rider moth, Fj, 420, F18 etc.
The sails look like the original 1990/1991 (neon). As sm said, if the sails are blown, your H16 will not be very competitive.
sailingfreak13 wrote: and yes im looking to sail/race competitively ... at this point in time looking for a H16 and currently organizing sponsors..Ive sailed many boats before Farr 40s Tp52, blade rider moth, Fj, 420, F18 etc.
At what level? At the very top, a Hobie 16 has a useful life of a season or less.
At club level, some old guy on a moldy 1973 model is still gonna kick your ass. A 1991 is relatively new compared to most 16s. You could probably get one a decade newer for $2k more.
Go look at it, with your experience you should be able to determine its condition. Hobie 16's get very loose in the frame. Check how much one hull moves relative to the other.
sailingfreak13 wrote: Im curious is it worth Racing 1991 Hobie 16. or should I look for a New model?
Depends on your budget. π
Get the newest, "lowest mileage" boat you can. Sails are extremely important, so focus on buying a boat that allows you to also buy brand new (class legal) sails.
My opinion it would be better to have an excellent condition boat with new sails than a slightly newer boat with old sails.
See what the local Hobie 16 fleets are sailing, a 1991 would be considered a fairly new boat in the South but I suspect it's an old boat in the Northeast.
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Damon Linkous