Hobie 16 rigging order, tension
On 31 Aug 2003 00:28:38 -0700, (Gabe Silverman)
wrote: Hi there - I just bought a 1984 Hobie 16 and I have a few questions about rigging it. To date I've been raising the jib before I raise the main. I was told that the overall rig tension relies heavily on the jib halyard tension so I've been putting as much force on the jib halyard as I can before cleating it off. The main is much easier to raise before the jib is up and tensionsed - what is the reccomended rigging order? Main or jib first? I usually raise the main first. You can still crank down on the jib and cleat it off after the main is raised. You don't need that much tension though. Yes, the forstay should be loose and the jib should take the tension. But you don't have to put all your weight on the jib halyard. Just pull it down hard and cleat it off. I'm missing the teflon washer that sits at the base of the mast - I read about fabricating a temporary one out of a plastic milk container - to date I've been sailing without one and have noticed that the mast very rarely rotates. In addition to the lack of a washer, I think it may be partially due to my jib-halyard tension. Could I possibly be putting too much tension on the jib halyard? They're really cheap and should be available somewhere in your area. If not, look for them on the web. Your mast should rotate easily and shift position with every tack. If you're in very light wind and it doesn't shift on it's own, it should be easy to push over manually. My boat is missing the original downhaul and the gooseneck that I have doesn't make it any easier to apply downhaul with a 1:1 line setup. Reccomendations? Eventually I'd like to buy a better gooseneck and a downhaul system. With so many thousands of them out there, it's not surprising that hobie 16 parts and upgraded hardware is available very easily and not that expensive compared to other sailboat hardware. Just do a google search for hobie cat parts. Or you can get stuff right from Hobie. Everything you need (parts diagrams, manuals, catalogs, etc.) can be found by starting at http://www.hobiecat.com/sailing/accessories.html My 16 has no boom vang - should it? No. I've read about people sheeting the main "block-to-block." I'm unable to do this - I can't come closer than 3-5 inches between the main sheet blocks. Possibly due to too much jib halyard tension? Probably. If you're raising the jib first, pulling very hard on the halyard and then having a tough time getting the main up, that could be causing the problem. A popular aftermarket item is short blocks so you can sheet the main in tighter. Lastly, I've read that a common problem with the 16 jib is the battens getting caught on the halyards when the sail tries to switch sides - I'm having this same problem. - (I've read about the hinging battens that Hobie sells - I have more pressing expenses on this 16 to worry about so I'll have to make due with what I have for now) - Is there anything wrong with using a saw to shorten the actual battens? All you should have to do is when you're tacking, backwind the jib for a short time and then let it fly over quickly. This will not only help prevent the battens getting caught up but will also tack the boat faster. In light wind, you'll just have to live with helping it over when you tack. Clearly they can't be so short that they can't be tensioned, but if other people are doing it and having even slight improvement, then I'm going to as well. If yours are too long, go ahead and shorten them. But even as short as they can get, they'll still sweep the halyards when you tack. That's the unavoidable result of a full batten on a sail that overlaps the mast. Thanks for your help, No problemo. Steve |
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