Hi all,

Had a lot of fun on my H14 the past 5 years, but last summer when sailing in a little breeze with my friend I was overtaken by a 420 Class Dinghy
So after 5 years on a H14, I finaly bought myself a Hobie 17 SE to carry some more weight and speed.
My weight is 170 lbs and mostly solo and sometimes with my little daughters in moderate winds 8-17 knots. She`s all original and no visible structural or visual damage.


--
Ben

1977 Hobie 14 T
1991 Hobie 17 SE
Holland
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nardus

She`s all original and no visible structural or visual damage.

First off, congrats on the new 17. They are great boats and you will find it to be a lot faster and easier to sail than your 14 was.

Regarding structural damage- I highly recommend you take the boat apart and closely inspect the crossbars, they are susceptible to galvanic corrosion and cracking at the bottom of the inboard side, where the main anchor bolt passes through. This can be hard to see with the boat assembled.

The boat can be fairly easily disassembled and all you need is a 5/16" hex wrench. Remove the trampoline and then remove the four bolts that pass through the crossbars. Rock the hulls out to the side and the crossbars will slip off the end castings. Closely inspect the mast step area and the reinforced areas where the dolphin striker attaches for excessive corrosion and cracks. It's also a good idea to check the screws that hold the end castings onto the hulls. If the boat has never been disassembled, it is very likely (almost certain) that the end casting screws will have loosened up.

Good luck and enjoy your new toy!

sm

for transport home we disassembled the cat and took some pictures. The cat is somewhat dirty but structural far better than my H14 !
The centerboards are a bit shaved, needs some tlc and some epoxy. The mechanics work fine.

The rudder has a new cam kit and has no repair marks. Seems okay.

End castings at some little corrosion. maybe replace the metal brace. port:

closeup :

other one:

starbord :


After close inspection I discovered a cracked wing hole ..

Maybe after I made an inspection plate, i can reapair it from the inside witg some resin and glassmat.

tobe continued ..

--
Ben

1977 Hobie 14 T
1991 Hobie 17 SE
Holland
--

Congrats!

The 420 won't stand a chance now!

--
Ron
Big Bear Lake, Ca.
1990 Hobie 18 Worlds
1988 Mac 26Dagger
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Congrats and welcome, you will love the wings

nardus

Maybe after I made an inspection plate, i can reapair it from the inside witg some resin and glassmat.

Here is a good resource on leaky wing sockets repair.
http://imgur.com/a/EcHTi

and

http://www.hobiecat.com/f…wing+tube+repair#p210921

There are 2 important points:

1. Get 5 inch access ports -- 4 inch are too small to work with. Make holes for the ports and then do the repair. Install the ports AFTER the repair is done. You will have much more space to do your work this way

2. Do the repair with fiberglass (or carbon) tape, rather then wide cloth. It will stay on the tube much better if you can wrap it around multiple times.

--
Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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Thanx ! , seems I onthe right path. I already have a 5 inch plastic port inspection hole. Not from Hoby, but from the naval store.
After fixing the wings, I'll make a little dry storage compartiment for clothes and stuff.

For now I'm in the market for a good trailer for carrying my H17 and h14.(not at the same time)

--
Ben

1977 Hobie 14 T
1991 Hobie 17 SE
Holland
--

Little update : I have sold the H17 in 2016.
I went to France in 2015 and sailed the H17 from the beach on the Atlantic.
Pro`s: Great boat, fast, geat upwind !! steady, more control than the H14 (alot) the rectrangable dagger board where perfect where i sailed.
Con: It`s a 100% solo boat. With passenger(s) again: a lot slower, a little heavy when launching from the beach.
After a wing tube broke in heavy seas we sold her, and continue sailing on the H14.


Now looking for a Dart18 or Nacra570, more boyancy & speed..
I can buy a 2003 Nacra 570 with spi, she little heavier than the H17 and a lot more dan the Dart18..

--
Ben

1977 Hobie 14 T
1991 Hobie 17 SE
Holland
--

Ben, Interesting update. I'm curious about how the wing failed. Did it crumple under load, or did it crack and tear apart? Where on the tube did the failure happen?

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Mark Hirte
Nacra 5.0 1983 - (1st cat)
Deerfield, Il
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nardus

Little update : I have sold the H17 in 2016.
I went to France in 2015 and sailed the H17 from the beach on the Atlantic.
...

Thanks for the update! Now that's a proper reason to revive an old topic.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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sorry but my experiences with Hobie 17s are negative. Owned 2 H16s first one 1972 new, great cat;sailed first Hobie 18 with wings in early 70s great boat. Friend Ben sold me his old prindle 16(i had 6 of those still have 2, great cats) and he bought hobie 17 sport with wings and regretted it from day one. Too low to the water and slow;dagger boards clogged with sand & did not retract. He could not keep up with prindle or hobie 16s! I Lost N5.7 to n'or easter and have 3 Dart 18s which i feel is still a best bet for the $; well designed, easy to single hand, great in high winds.