First thing I would look at would be the leaf springs themselves - are they sized properly for the load you’re carrying? I’ve never seen shocks on a...

Temperature definitely also affects cure time. Hotter ambient temp will result in a shorter cure time. Also the vessel that the resin is mixed in. ...

The most important factors for getting a good bond are surface prep and cleanliness. You can use epoxy, but personally, for this application, I would...

tnell wrote: Seems like we all talked about this maybe a year ago More like 3-4 months ago. This thread is like deja-vu.... smEdited by Dogboy on...

Sailing in big waves definitely requires a lot more steering input than in flat water. Usually when going upwind, you have to ease the boat into the ...

Looks nice, but they were notorious for leaking and water being permanently absorbed by the open cell foam, unable to be drained out. This would resu...

JohnES wrote: A TrailX Trailer for $395? Can't go wrong there Well, maybe..... It’s a 40 or so year old trailer, plenty to potentially go wrong the...

I went with 5.30-12 tires on my trailer. Mostly this was out of necessity - I was travelling to a regatta and got a blowout. The local West Marine di...

I believe the FX-1 uses the same mast hardware as the Tiger. I suggest you post on the Hobie forum since Matt tends to check posts there frequently...

Glassed hulls - check! Beams bedded - check! Power wash hulls - It’s Time! sm

I wouldn’t support it all the way up at the bridles. The objective should be to distribute the load on the hull as equally as possible. If the weigh...

Looks good. Two comments.... You may want to use something other than wood for your crossbar inserts. Once that wood gets wet and swells, you’re pr...

car_guy wrote: Was it the weight slowing him down or technique? You don’t mention windspeed, but if you were solo, I’m gonna guess it was probably l...

I would stick to penetrating lube and only use heat or impact as a last resort due to the potential for damage to be caused to the fiberglass. Stainl...

The elastic righting line (hawaiian righting system) is designed to tie off at one transom (can be tied to the rudder pin or put a separate hole in th...

I also prefer to use rope. One piece (4 each) around each corner of the crossbar angled inboard and at opposing directions, tie each piece with a tru...

Very common issue on cats with overlapping jibs. Simple mod is tie a 3/16” diameter bungee cord from the junction of the bridle wires straight back t...

Rudder rake is definitely a good place to start. Make sure both rudders are fully locking down and the cam system is functioning properly. Rudder ra...

Nice job. You could probably recoup some of the cost selling oversized pins and renting out that reamer to other 21 sailors. I’m sure there are othe...

PVC supports in the hull is definitely not going to work. PVC could potentially be used for the form to make a fiberglass tube, but certainly not for...

The standard 1/4 prestretch that Hobie supplies has always worked reasonably well for me on the H17, H18, and H20. As you noted, the sole purpose of ...

Rope (line), not shock cord. You can’t get the tramp tight enough with shock cord. On a H16, the tramp tension helps keep the whole boat/frame rigid...

jalex wrote: Also, Would getting adjustable uppers help? Possibly, but it could also mask the problem to some degree. Adjustable castings will let y...

Sounds like a hole mislocation issue (that’s really the only thing I think it could be since your old rudders presumably worked fine and you’ve tried ...

Are you using rake adjustable castings, or are you using the old-style fixed rake castings? sm

Perhaps consider a Hobie 17? They are fairly rugged. Designed for solo rigging and sailing (but can handle a small crew). Depending how you store it,...

If you’re going to go this route, why not just run the cable down from the mast tang (i.e. attach a trap wire to the front of the wing). Doing so woul...

Looks good. Not really sure what’s being shown in the 2nd pic. Anyway, hope you slathered the whole thing in Tefgel. If not, the first drop of salt ...

Maybe have your friend turn a shoulder on the sleeve so it fills the gap between crossbar and the post. Otherwise, the extra clearance is not ideal b...

tradisrad wrote: Does it pass through the cross bar, or does it sit inside the bar? Both. The hole in the top of the crossbar is larger than the hol...