H-16 Cradles Anyone?

Kenny I would like to see you make some front and back mast cradles.

I would consider cradles on the front of my trailer for a Prindle 18. I would imagine some made for a hobie 16 would be very similar. I second the Mast cradles.

A good mast cradle would be very nice. Both front and rear.

OK guys...looks like I'll be making some front and rear mast cradles. I know that the front cradle will be generic because of the Y flat bar, but the rear will be harder due to the different shaped rear cross beams. If any of y'all would like to trace your cross beams and send them to me, that would be a big help in determining what shape the cradle will be. I might have to make 2 moulds...one for the newer square beams and one for the older round beams. Your feed back is greatly appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

here is the cradle that came with my boat...i think it will work on both round and oval beams.

A guy in our group with a P16 has one of those that came with his boat as well. Wish I knew where it came from and if they are still available anywhere.

The cradles like the one pictured above were called Mast Caddies and were manufactured by a company called Midwest Aquatics out of Birmingham, Michigan. Best I can tell from my search they are no longer in business.

I have a nice used one that I would be willing to sell. $75 + shipping. if interested email me.

Edited by DaveW70 on Nov 24, 2010 - 07:43 PM.

DaveW70...how bout I buy it and make a fiberglass version...how much?

Kenny ... regarding the Hobie 16 hull cradles ... what's the cost for a pair? Also, if I decide just to use two, is it better for the cradles to be positioned at the front or back of the trailer? What kind of hardware is needed to attach? Thanks!

the Mast Caddies are really nice but hard to find these days. I think it would be a good starting point to re-engineer a fiberglass version.

I'm guessing the same as the H-18 cradles...$78 each, not sure about the mounting hardware...will have to wait until I make one. I would start off putting them in the front.

Now I'm thinking about purchasing hull cradles for my homemade beach transport/dolly first, then possibly the trailer next. If I had the money, I would cradle everything, but it's too close to Christmas!

Regarding my dolly, the axle is 1" steel roll covered by PVC pipe & a layer of hard rubber. So possibly a couple of U bolts to attach?

The H16 hull shape is rather unique. Looking from the stern along the keels, the hulls are shaped sort of like two V's that are leaning toward each other. I assume the custom fit hull cradles will have to be installed so that the V's of the cradles lean to the inside, right? Or is that only for the stern? Are we talking one shape for the stern, another for the bow, and (the one I'm interested in - for the dolly) a different shape for the middle of the hull? You can see that I'm no engineer ... HA!

Yea...I'll start with the front cradles, then the stearn, they will be custom fiited to protect your hulls. Started shaping the front cradles today! What size is your PVC pipe...standard size is 2"...this is what I'll shape the moulds to fit.

Kenny ... I finally got a chance to look at the PVC on my dolly axle. It's 1" PVC pipe, outside diameter around 1-3/8". But making the cradle to fit 2" should still work ... and you would also be able to attach cradles to a trailer cross beam that is 2" thick, right?

After you made your hull shape measurements, are you finding that you have different fits at front, back and middle or will you be able to shape a Hobie 16 cradle that can be used at any point (or at least a couple of locations) on the hull? Again, I'm looking for a cradle that fits the balance point of a Hobie 16 (with mast up).

Yes on both questions...the base of the cradle will be appprox. 2", so it will sit on top of the 2" square tubing for your trailer and be able to bolt it on to your pvc pipe as well. The shape is made for the balance point, but should fit the stern as well...maybe not as tight but should be OK, if not, I'll look into building a rear set also. Contact me from my website and I'll send you a pic of the hull shape I'm working on.

I have a Mast Caddie left over from my Nacra that I just sold. It's in great condition and I can't imagine not having it now. For years I used beach towels etc. to protect my mast and crossbeam. The buyer only wanted the Nacra and not the trailer or Caddie. It expands to different size crossbeams and masts.

Send me a pic

wgary wrote: I have a Mast Caddie left over from my Nacra that I just sold. It's in great condition and I can't imagine not having it now. For years I used beach towels etc. to protect my mast and crossbeam. The buyer only wanted the Nacra and not the trailer or Caddie. It expands to different size crossbeams and masts.

Hi Kenny,
It's just like the pic above but a pic of the real thing is in classifieds under "cat parts for sale", "trailer cat for sale - galvanized..." and scroll down to the pic of it or email me at wgary@aol.com.
Cheers,
Wes

OK Wes...I aleady have one of those.

I have the plug made for the front cradle, and hope to start making the mould later this week. I checked to see how it fit on a H-16 at SYC yesterday and it fits fine. I'll have to make a different set for the rear because it has a much smaller hull shape. Does anyone think the cradle should have rolled edges or can I get by with straight edges?

Bump...will finish the H-16 front cradle mould this week weather permitting...taking orders. Cradles will sell for $66 each, will let ya'll know how much shipping will be after I make a pair and weigh them... I'm offering a 10% discount on the first 10 (pair) orders...will only charge exact shipping to your zip plus the cost of the shipping box.

They should have rolled edges and carpeting as well. I think that if you left hard edges and happen to drop the hull on one while loading it would surely puncture the hull.

KennyB wrote: I have the plug made for the front cradle, and hope to start making the mould later this week. I checked to see how it fit on a H-16 at SYC yesterday and it fits fine. I'll have to make a different set for the rear because it has a much smaller hull shape. Does anyone think the cradle should have rolled edges or can I get by with straight edges?

Rolled edges will be a LOT more work to make...already have the plug (with straight edges) ready to spray orange tooling gelcoat...guess I'll think about the rolled edges.

Then just make sure that when laying the carpet, leave enough of an overlap to go over the edges and partially down the outside of the cradle.

Edited by turbohobo on Jan 24, 2011 - 10:18 AM.

Took most of the day, but decided to add rolled edges to the plug. Will spray the orange tooling gelcoat tomorrow, then start glassing.

Sprayed the orange tooling gelcoat and put 2 layers of glass on the plug. Only 4 more glass layers and the mould will be ready...waiting for the next warm spell to finish ;p

Finished the mould this morning...just have to fine sand and polish it and will start making cradles. Anyone interested?

Those are going to be some good looking cradles.

Could we put them on sailboxes.com ? Will send better pics later, but these 2 should do for now... $66 each, same shipping as the H-18's