Hobie 18 sailors, intel, suggestions requested.

Not sure what epoxy work you're refering to, but the front crossbar brackets are just a drill and bolt on installation.

First, thanks for all the great advice/knowledge re the H18.
I was reading a bunch of threads on the H18 Forum, there seemed to be a problem with the early Redline boats, & those utilizing WINGS.
In one thread Matt Miller said, if you have wings, & the patch under the front beam was only the width of the beam, to fair the hull/deck joint with thickened epoxy, then add a patch appx 12" wide.
I understood this to mean all boats with wings, not just the Redline boats.
Are the boats with wings holding up with just the 4 screw anchor plates?
I'm not adverse to glass work, it looks pretty accessible with the hatch mounting ring removed, which I intend to do anyway in order to install the screw in covers. But if it really isn't needed, I won't bother. We are not heavy weights, but I foresee the odd time we would have guests that weigh in at the wing limit.

Dramatic difference!! Great work, Ed!

Thanks, that was my first try at rejuvenating old fibreglass. I think I'll polish both Nacras in the spring, it isn't that much hard labour with the power tools.
I constantly see people here buy an old boat, & immediately want to paint. I'm thinking you have to do almost the same prep work before paint, if you want a good job. Might as well try a restore first.
When I first bought the boat I thought it was white. Apparently the colored hulls were an option. I test sanded a few small areas, then talked to a couple of auto detailers & a marine shop. They both told me to ditch the 400 grit & start with 600-800 or heavy compound, & to buy a decent power polisher.
The boat is in such good condition that I decided to restore it to original.
I wish I was in Texas, & could put it together & launch! We put things away a bit to early, last sail was Nov 8th, we could have been sailing this week too, with wetsuits & booties.

Edchris177 wrote:
I was reading a bunch of threads on the H18 Forum, there seemed to be a problem with the early Redline boats, & those utilizing WINGS.

I know, I've added the patch to my boat (a red line) and I actually started a thread showing how I put the patch in.

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=49780

The older boats were a heavier construction than the '85 red lines. It's your call. If you look under the hull flanges where the crossbars attach and there are no visible cracks, I probably would not worry about adding glass patches. If you want to do the job right, it is somewhat involved as you're working in a fairly tight space which makes grinding and sanding difficult. The tough part is grinding away the excess glue from the hull/deck seam. You need to grind the glue away and then create a fillet with thickened resin in the corner for the new glass to lay properly without any voids. When I did the job, I actually used several layers of 6oz carbon cloth and laminated it in in several steps. I would say the project will take at least a couple weekends between the prep work and the curing cycles. It's definitely easier if you have the hulls apart too.

sm

I wish I was in Texas, & could put it together & launch! We put things away a bit to early, last sail was Nov 8th, we could have been sailing this week too, with wetsuits & booties.

We're pretty spoiled down here. It's supposed to be near 80 degrees tomorrow with 10-15 mph winds. The 5.7 is gonna get wet!

I'm in Tennessee and its going to be 75 deg with 14 mph winds... the boats are getting wet up here too

Edited by fxloop on Dec 10, 2015 - 09:50 PM.

I know, I've added the patch to my boat (a red line) and I actually started a thread showing how I put the patch in.

That is a very good write up. I actually came across it while perusing that forum on last weeks Hongkong layover.
I also saw threads regarding cracks & corrosion. I have now inspected everything, & found nary a crack, or hint of corrosion, the pro of a lightly used freshwater boat.
I have the boat completely apart, & built some stands that screw to the sawhorses, allowing me to rotate the hulls to any orientation.
With the hatch flanges out, access is not bad. I'll do the patch in the spring, but use FG vs Carbon.
I had the end cap off the boom yesterday, to clean/inspect/replace traveler bearing & bungee. All was good, just needed a cleanup, (except for the bungee). I had read about problem with the screws on the outhaul line cleat being seized, mine came out easily, looking like new.
Hobie used SS rivets on the end cap. The cap is under tension, & the flange holds all the loads, the rivets only keep it from falling out. Is there any downside to using AL rivets when I put it together?
Also the H18 manual calls for 7' of 1/4" bungee. From that, I assume it loops through the end of the traveler, then deadends at the two holes in those boom cleat clamps that reside inside the boom.
What do you use to prevent bungee from wearing through at the traveler? It seems that thin metal will wear it quickly.
Is there supposed to be some sort of thimble, or do you just replace it often?
Took the sails in yesterday to have them gone over. This is not my boat, but an identical one to mine, the sails are only a couple hundred numbers apart.

Edited by Edchris177 on Dec 19, 2015 - 04:36 PM.

The boom end cap is one of the few places on the boat where aluminum rivets are OK. As you noted, all the load is inboard so the rivets just keep the cap from falling off.

As long as there are no sharp edges, the bungee will be fine passing through the outhaul car as designed. It should last several years.

sm

Congrats on the boat and the progress.

Not sure what opportunity you have, but the BIGGEST thing I've learned since moving from a few years on a Hobie 18 to an F16 would be this: "Don't overcomplicate things" aka Keep it Simple..S..

Basically, and folks will almost universally agree, when the 18s were built they didn't know design limits for materials as well nor the loads they will encounter.... so more was better. So the boat is overbuilt. Fine, no problem. However, the down side can, and often is, more parts are used than necessary, which can lead to unnecessary weight (not a big deal), unnecessary complexity (could be an issue), and therefore multiple points of failure (definitely an area of concern).

Then the balance is simplicity AND convenience while sailing. Each sailor has to find their own mix.

That said, there are a LOT of things on the original H18 design which can be simplified or made more convenient (which may add complexity, but it's purposeful) by examining the rigging and layouts of more modern boats. I'm finding it real interesting.

Cheers - Rob.

An update on my progress.
We had a shi**y spring, along with Wifey wanting top floor of one house painted, interior trim/doors changed, so things got delayed.
Got the bottom wear strip done last week, along with the front beam interior patch to alleviate wing loading problems. Pressure tested the hulls, found one tiny leak in a dagger trunk, 1/2 way up, must have got a small rock caught at one point. It was an easy fix, good access through hatch.
Traveler, & outhaul have new parts installed, new Viking Marine hatches put in, & will assemble boat today, or tomorrow.
Speaking of hatches, am I the only one who wants to slap Viking Marine?
I ordered the H18 hatches,(from a Hobie dealer), & figured it would be a 10 minute job. Guess what...the damn rivet hole pattern does not match up with the old,(also Viking hatch). I tried rotating it, made no difference, had to drill new holes, right beside the old. This meant I had to epoxy small tabs under the perimeter
What were they thinking?

Don't know much about the Hobie brand, but I must congratulate on you bringing new life to an old boat...

With some of the new rides costing as much as my first house... well condo.... glad to see some of these yard queens getting a second chance...

Update.
I've had the 18 out a few times now, most of the kinks worked out, but I have a few questions.
Daggers- Hobie says 4' of 1/4" bungee. It seems near impossible to stretch the 2' length from the dagger through the deck lip hole, & have enough to tie a knot. Before I cut any, what do you guys use? (I was thinking a single strand of 5/16"). How much "pull" does one need to keep them in place?
I rigged using some old bungee. & stretched it with a piece of line, so tension is adjustable, just to get on the water.
I purchased some of that 3M strip dagger well liner. Where in the well do you use it, & how much?
Is it just at the front/rear, top/bottom edge, or a strip along the side?

Rudder kick up- I have one set pretty good, the other tends to let go at high speed. The spring adjust screws turn easy, to start with, then they get pretty stiff.
Should I take them out, drop the spring & clean? (The boat is sitting on a lift in the water, are there any plungers, or other parts that might fall out & disappear?)
It seems a large screwdriver won't fit up through the casting, a smaller one doesn't have the bite to turn the screw. Any tricks?

I did the reinforce patch back in May.

The tough part is grinding away the excess glue from the hull/deck seam. You need to grind the glue away and then create a fillet with thickened resin in the corner for the new glass to lay properly without any voids.

Mine is a black glue boat. I found the glue to quite brittle. Rather than grind, I used a wood chisel, & a small hammer. It was VERY east to set the chisel right at glue edge, one or two taps & the excess broke of, almost like obsidian. It came off in large chunks which I shop vacced out.
I had the hatch fittings removed, (installed new screw in hatches), the extra room is so useful, I would remove the rings, even if installing the same hatches.