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Reply to: Hobie 16 Sail Number

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[quote=Dogboy]A three digit mainsail number for an early 1990's Hobie 16 most likely means it is a mylar sail.  There was a very brief period in the early 90's where Hobie experimented with vertical cut mylar sails for the Hobie 16.  I don't know why, but for some reason, they used 3-digit sail numbers for these sails (the standard Dacron sails from this era would have had numbers right around the 100,000 mark).

If the seams of the sail cloth on the mainsail run vertically, then you have a mylar sail.  If the seams run horizontally and are integrated into the batten pockets, then you have a horizontal cut Dacron sail (the standard sail material).  This of course all assumes it is even a Hobie OEM sail.  Check near the tack fitting (downhaul grommet), there should be a sailmaker's placard which would say whether it's a Hobie sail or not.

The problem with the mylar sails is that they had serious delamination issues.  The adhesive which holds the mylar scrim to the Dacron backing would fail and the two plys would separate making the sail much weaker and unable to hold proper shape.  Unless the sail is in immaculate condition (i.e., unused) it is likely delaminated and all but useless.  I would certainly take this into consideration when looking at an older Hobie with mylar sails.

If the sails are Dacron, then the sail number either indicates that the sails are very old (not original to the boat), or the owner chose a custom sail number which is another possibility.  It's not likely that they would be sails from a Nationals or Worlds boat since those sails typically have 2-digit numbers.

In any case, the sail number itself is less important than the actual overall condition of the sails.  Check thoroughly for rips, broken stitches, broken batten protectors, stains, and delamination when purchasing a used set of sails.

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