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.

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

Thank you in advance for your tips.


Aleksi

On Sat, 07 May 2005 10:37:32 +0300, 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.

No it shouldn't be this hard. I have no Hobie 18 experience myself
but I have an 8 m long cat with daggerboards that I operate with
ease. Search the net for the numerous and lively Hobie and beach cat
foras I know exist.

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

This can come from any of a number of factors including
luff-curve/mast-curve mismatch, worn and oxidized/dirty mast,
local dimensions at inner batten ends...

My mainsail is usually harder to raise early in the season.
If this is due to grit washing off or me getting fitter is
anyones guess :-)
But I always manage to hoist it single-handed and without
using the winch - hmm maybe not the first few times in a season
when my hands are still used to office work only.

Candles and soap-bars are both popular for lubricating
mainsails.

Hopes this helps,

--
/Martin
http://hem.bredband.net/b262106/

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

Thanks, I'll try sanding the boards. It helped a bit to swap them; they look
identical, but there seem to be tiny differences.

Aleksi

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.

In article ,
"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.

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

Thank you in advance for your tips.


Aleksi

Check out the forum at http://www.thebeachcats.com/, lots of good info there.
--
Trent Stevens - http://www.trentstevens.net
PTED

This is a free country: and I have the permits, licenses, stamps, tags,
stickers, back ground checks and tax receipts to prove it.

On Sat, 7 May 2005 10:37:32 +0300, "Aleksi Bardy"
wrote:

I just bought a second hand Hobie 18.

I had one of these when I was 12. I stuffed a 454 Chevy motor in it.
It was fast.