Aleksi Bardy wrote:
I just bought a second hand Hobie 18. While the boat is a lot of fun, I have
problems with inserting and removing the daggerboards. It seems to require a
lot of time and effort even for a strong man. They feel too tight. Should I
apply some kind of lubricant? Is there a special technique for this? I fear
using this much power will harm the daggerboard slots some day.


These boats were not expensive and the parts weren't molded very
precisely. It could be that the daggerboard slots don't match the boards
very well, and they bind. I seen about a dozen or so Hobie 18s set up
and they vary from loose & sloppy (boards thump in the slot) to almost
impossible (similar to yours).

How much work do you want to put into it? You could cut out the
daggerboard trunks, remold them, and then glass them back into the
hull... this would have the benefit of allowing you to check them for
parallel too. OTOH you could do a little sanding on the tight spots
inside the trunks with a short batten. Using some teflon wax on the
boards might help too.

Raising the mainsail is also some work, but manageable with the help of
silicon spray.

Does the mainsail track have any dents in it? It may just need a really
good cleaning with a pressure washer... take the boat to a car wash!

Hope this helps. I'm not a big fan of cats but the Hobie 18 is one I do
like a lot.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King