[quote=mattson][quote=johnoau]Hi All,
Getting back into sailing, after a very long lay off. I'm looking at buying a second hand beach cat, possibly a Hobie 18 or similar. The Hobie 18 is appealing as it can take the family (Mrs and Master 9) on a good sail, or solo or two of us for a more adventurous sail.
What general pointers would you pass on when looking for/inspecting a pre-owned cat?
Cheers,
Johno
[quote]What to look out for in a Used boat
The Hobie 18 is a very well constructed boat however two common problem areas are soft spots in the Deck just in front of the rear cross bar where the skipper sits. Also be sure to inspect for cracking where the front crossbar attaches to the hull. If you are getting an excessive amount of water in the hulls, the most common point of entry is the dagger board trunk. Check the seal both at the top and the bottom. The area at the top is very often where you will find the problem. As with all Hobies, be sure and drain water out of the hulls after use, and leave the port off to allow humidity to escape. Used boats are generally priced in the $1000 to $3500 range depending on age, condition, and whether or not it has wings.[/quote] http://hobieclass.com/hobie-classes/hobie-18/
If there are soft spots in the hulls, can these be repaired easily or just avoid?[/quote]
Regarding the delamination right where the skipper sits, I had this very same issue on a Hobie 18 that I picked up many years ago for $100. The method of injecting epoxy is not meant for large areas, but having only paid a buck for the boat, I figured I would roll the dice and fix this area which was over 2 ft in length. I documented the process with photos, but never did a write up. Basically, I drilled holes every two inches and started injecting epoxy, covering the holes with masking tape as epoxy started to exit them. The only issue is that the deck became so hot I literally thought it might ignite.
I sailed the boat for 10 years. One point is that the issue arose in other areas of the boat, which I repaired, but finally decided it was too much. Found replacement hulls for free, and cut up the old ones.
The point is that if you find a really cheap boat with this issue, the repair can work quite well. But just know that delamation will probably continue, so you have to keep an eye on it.
Photos of repair are below. Sorry, but you'll need to click on each one to view:
http://www.catsail.com/projects/delam/[/quote]
