Home Made Yard Cover - Part 1

While I feel that commercially available yard covers are a good long term value, I was out of money allocated to sailing gear for the year (and the season hasn't started). So, I looked into making one using a heavy duty polyethylene tarp. This post is in two parts - design and materials purchase, then actual cover manufacture and results.

First, I got the approximate measurements from my Blade:

The length was 16' 6 1/2" including the pintels, but because I wanted to wrap the boat to completely cover the stern, I decided to go with a 20' tarp.

Tarp sizes are quoted in total material used to make the tarp, not the actual finished tarp size. I don't know why they size according to the material size and the finished size ends up shorter, but they do, so be careful in your ordering.

The finished size on this kind of tarp is around 19'6" so I wouldn't have that much extra.

The width of the tarp when I measured from the where the hull began to curve below the boat to the same spot on the other side was about 11'4", so I decided to by a 12' width tarp. The finished size width for this tarp would be around 11'6".

Note: in hindsight, I would have probably preferred to get a 14' tarp to provide more wrap under the boat.

Next, I did my simple design in an Excel spreadsheet. Basically, I wanted to be able to secure the tarp all around via the grommets using bungee cords wherever possible. The grommet holes run one every 18".

The grommets holes shown in yellow are where I would place grommets using a grommet tool that runs less than $8 at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100200416&marketID=75&locStoreNum=1942&categoryID=500464

The dotted lines indicate where I would initially cut the tarp. In the front, I would cut equal distance from each side of the tarp up to where the front cross-beam minus about 8 inches, so I could wrap the tarp under the cross-beam and bungee to the tarp wrapped under the rear cross-bar. Also, to provide more of a finished edge to the cut areas of the tarp, the idea was to overlap the material place some poly rope along the endge and secure it in place using the grommets through the folded material. The rope would also be tied to the end grommet.

Final width of the tarp which wrapped around the front and rear hulls would be determined once I made the initial cuts and then measured it with the tarp on the boat. I'd also determine the final design for wrapping the tarp around the bows and stern, once the initial cuts were made. My original throughts were to make custom cuts and do the same doubling up of the material to provide a finished edge and securing the edges with grommets.

I searched the web and found several places that sold a 12' by 20' heavy duty tarp. They have different colors, but I chose the silver as I thought it would reflect heat better. Also, most sites offered poly tarps that had UV protection. I have seen the sun eat up a regular poly tarp like you get at the hardware store in a year or two, so I wanted this to last a little more given I was doing some extra work on it.

I ended up buying from A1tarps.com: http://www.a1tarps.com/product.jhtm?id=177&cid=21

They had the lowest price on the size tarp I wanted $30.24. Here is the description off the web site:

Silver heavy-duty tarps- 14X14 Mesh Count, 12 Mil Thickness, 6 oz per square yard, aluminum grommets every 18 inches with rope reinforced corners and eyelets. All of our silver heavy-duty tarps are weather-proof- providing 100% UV Protection and Shade. Every tarp is Waterproof, Mildewproof and Rotproof.

When the tarp arrived, I was impressed by the weight of the material. The sun will eventually shread it, but I felt it would last longer than any tarp I purchased thus far.

I laid it out on the boat and the size was just about right, and given the custom work I'd have to do for the front and rear hulls, I was glad I had a little more material to work with. Given that I have to cut the front, the excess material may come off of that end of the boat.

Protective Board Case

With lots of time to kill while waiting for sailing weather to roll around, I figured I'd make a case to protect the boards for my Blade. I had heard some guys just stuck their boards in the legs out of some old jeans. I also saw commercial versions for $75 plus shipping.

Neither appealed to me, so I started by fooling around with the design in Excel.I thought the bag should allow the boards to be inserted from either end and be held into place by velcro. Then the bag would fold in two and have a handle for easy carrying.

I measured the width of the boards and figured out how much fabric I needed, then sketched this blueprint.

I went to the local fabric store and bought 60" X 40"duck cloth for the outside and a similar size piece of soft quilting fabric for the inside. I also picked up 18" of 1" wide velcro and 18" of 3/4" polypropylene strap material for the handle. The last item I bought was some heavy duty thread.















First, I cut the duck cloth to the specifications shown below.



Then I cut the liner material to be the same shape, but 1/2" less on all sides. I then folded the 1/2" lip of duck cloth in to cover the liner material and pinned it all around using straight pins.

With our sewing machine on the fritz, I asked a friend to sew the outside, then fold and sew the material for the board cases and attache the velcro and handle. Overall, I am pretty happy with the case.

Gulfport Yacht Club

Great People, Great Facility, Great Sailing

I recently drove to Florida to pick up my Blade F16 from Falcon Marine in Cape Canaveral. While in Florida, I enjoyed three great days of sailing. Two of those days were spent sailing at Gulfport Yacht Club (GYC) and I felt compelled to write about my experiences there.

GYC is located in Gulfport, Florida, on Boca Ciega Bay, South East of St. Petersburg just off of I-275. Boca Ciega Bay has beautiful aqua waters generally running 8-10 feet in depth with lots of open areas for sailing. I participated in their first club race of the season on March 7th, and then sailed again as a guest of the club on March 8th.

Great People
My first experience with the club officers was contacting Commodore Mary Ann Robertson and Secretary Bill Prater via e-mail concerning sailing in the Saturday, March 7th club race. They were quick to respond to my e-mail and very welcoming. Together they helped me with accommodations, relayed the schedule for the Saturday races and confirmed that as a guest with an attending sponsor, I could sail again at the club on Sunday.

Upon arrival, Club members were quick to introduce themselves and helped me with where to park, where to set up and even helped me rig my boat. Throughout the day, other members went out of their way to offer pointers, direct me to where things were around the club and helped me move my boat. After racing, there were good conversations about sailing and many other topics. Overall, there is a welcoming, easy going vibe here that is great for an outsider and sailing in general.










Commodore Mary Ann Robertson

Great Facility

The club itself consists of a clubhouse, areas for storing your boat, a beachside cabana and a launching beach with a boat ramp. The clubhouse is small, but includes a front porch with tables and a grill, a dining/meeting room and a kitchen as well as restroom facilities.

Boats on trailers lined the perimeter of the property with many being secured by tie down straps anchored in the ground. There were all kinds of cats there and some monohulls. I saw F16, F18, Hobies, Tornados, Darts, and many other boat types. While there were a large number of boats there, I was able to trailer my boat in, take it off the trailer and wheel it to a setup area with no problem, despite it being a race day.

The noon skippers meeting was held in the beach cabana with tables and chairs and what also appeared to be a sail storage tube area.

The beach area is small as well, but featured soft sand and had plenty of room for main sail rigging and launching for all the day’s competitors. The slope of the beach is not too great as I was able to move my boat to the launch area by myself. Beach wheels were left on the grassy area just up from the beach. There is a well marked channel leading out of the beach area for access to the bay. During my visit, I also saw several mono hulls launched via the boat ramp which is also in the beach area.

Another handy feature is there are numerous hoses positioned all around the club so you can wash the salt spray off your boat after you sail.

Great Sailing
Sixteen boats raced in the first club race of the season, starting at 1:00. A variety of boats participated as GYC scores using Portsmouth. About half the competitors were A-cats with the other eight being primarily F16 boats (Blades, Vipers Taipans) with a Dart and an H14 rounding out the fleet.

A pontoon boat was used as the RC boat, but there was also a chase boat that was positioned at the windward mark. Overall, the RC was very responsive to wind shifts and moved the starting line and buoys accordingly during the afternoon.

Three races were run in what I would estimate to be 6-8 knot winds, all sausages. While all boats started together, the line was long enough to ensure there was not overcrowding. Right after the race, results were posted on a blackboard on the clubhouse front porch. A-cats finished 1-8, with an F16, the H14 and another F16 taking the next three positions.

I returned the next day as a guest to sail in the afternoon and winds were up at around 8-10, with some pretty good gusts so it was lots of fun, especially flying the spinnaker. Other members were also sailing so we sailed with an H16 and a Prindle.

GYC, A Great Place to Sail
The combination of the people, the facility and the well organized racing make GYC a great place to sail. Add to that very reasonable membership dues and guest launching fees, and you really can’t beat this gem of a club.

GYC will be hosting 2 Regattas in 2009 on Gulfport Beach. The GYC Multihull Regatta is April 18th & 19th and the F16 Global Challenge November 10th through the 14th. Their website features more information about the club including a race and event schedule, fees and contact information: http://www.gulfportyachtclub.com/.

If you are in Florida, plan to visit, or looking for a warm place to sail, I’d strongly encourage you to check out GYC.

Blade and Falcon Comparison

Falcon Marine bought the catamaran related assets from Vectorworks Marine and Matt McDonald moved from Vectorworks to Falcon Marine. I picked up my Blade this past week at the Falcon Marine and they had the Blade stacked on top of the Falcon, so I asked my friend who was traveling with me to take a couple of pictures.

Securing Your Beachcat

With today's lightweight cats, like the F16 and A-cats, there is a need to secure your boat to the beach when not sailing. Failure to do so can result in your boat flipping or worse.

I recently read the thread on the Catsailor forums that examined a number of options. The idea is to have an anchor that goes deep enough to hold the boat down (especially if the mast is up), but easy to plant and remove.

One poster there suggested Ace Hardware as a place to buy "auger anchors." I could not find these on the Ace website nor from calling some hardware stores in the Chicago area. It may be that this is more of an item that is only offered regionally.

I did find them at TrueValue hardware's online store for $5.29:

http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-169165/Detail

I went into the local TrueValue and bought two for around $6.25 each. They are made of a pretty heavy duty 1/2" rod and the auger at the botton is about 4". They are 30" long. I intend to use a large screwdriver to put through the eye and twist them into the sand.

I also bought two tie down straps with adjustment clamps. I have used these before to secure a canoe to the top of a car and they are the best tie downs I have found. I will update this post once I try them. Here are pictures of the anchors and straps.

Interested in F16??

Here are some F16 Web sites & blogs that provide information about the F16 class.

First of all, here is the international F16 site. Good information about the various types of boats that are currently F16 compliant and a host of pictures.

http://www.formula16.net/

Another site with some background on the Blade F16:

http://www.geocities.com/f16hpclass/F16HP_boat_show_dynautic_blade_F16.html

The F16 Forum on Catsailor.com:

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=6&page=1

Here is a good blog on F16 sailing. Its based in Singapore. Lots of tuning information:

http://boatsbikesboards.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/hybrid-blade-second-sail/

And here is the site for the Midwest factory rep. for Falcon Marine (formerly Vectorworks Marine, the US manufacturer of the Blade F16 - and now the Falcon F16):

http://www.windline.net/blade.htm

Favorite Cat Sailing Forums

Here are a few of the cat sailing forums out there that I thought readers might appreciate. There is a lot on these sites to help the novice to the more exeperienced cat sailor. So far, Catsailor is my favorite. A good deal of off-topic stuff, but lots of great information about cat sailing.

Catsailor
http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/cfrm

There are forums for the different types of catamarans. For example, there is a forum just for F16: http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=6&page=1

Beachcats
http://www.thebeachcats.com/module-forum.html

Sailing Anarchy (specifically Multihull Anarchy)
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?s=384dcff904c28ad44ba4a937dcdeee7a&showforum=37

Hobie Cat
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/index.php?sid=cd861536736d36b6f523c2a44dc23a27

CRAW & CRAM Regattas

There are two excellent catamaran racing organizations in the Midwest. CRAW (Catamaran Racing Association of Wisconsin) and CRAM (Catamaran Racing Association of Michigan). Here are their websites:

http://www.crawsailing.org/

http://www.websitemagic.com/cram/

There are at least 20 Regattas currently scheduled for 2009. Click on the table below to see the dates/times/lakes and locations. Also, see the map for locations of the Regattas.

For official information, go to the the CRAW and/or CRAM sites for the notice of race (NOR) and the full dates/times/locations.

Why I chose F16 / Blade

I thought it might be helpful to someone considering the class to hear how I came at the decision to go F16 and buy my Blade.

My criteria set consisted of buying a performance cat that was a lightweight, single handed, fast boat that was versatile in terms of sail plan. For example, I really wanted to learn to sail a spinnaker. I am more of a recreational sailor than racer, but I also wanted the option to do more racing.

The first boat I looked at was the Hobie 17. There is some presence of this boat in the Midwest where I live and used boats were available at very reasonable prices, but it was primarily the weight that ruled it out. Lugging it around the beach and righting it looked like it would be a pain.

The second boat I looked at was the Hobie FX-One. This is really the boat that got me interested in high performance cat sailing. It had the modern hull design and the ability to sail a jib and a spinnaker, plus it just looked cool. Weight was a factor in not going with this boat, but also, both new and used ones seemed a bit hard to come by. While racing isn’t my highest priority, I couldn’t figure out who they were racing against – at least in the Midwest, anyway. I didn’t see any Regatta pictures that showed an FX-One.

I was e-mailing back and forth with someone who I met on the Hobie Forums and he suggested that I look at the A-cat. Wow, what a cool boat. I liked the idea of a light weight speedster and this was my introduction to open design where as long as you stuck to some basic parameters, the boat could use different materials, etc. Also, there seemed to be some racing of A-cats in the Midwest and a supply of used boats at reasonable prices. But, it was pretty much a racing boat and did not have a spinnaker. Also, it seemed a little too light for my recreational sailing.

I then looked at the Nacra F17. It met nearly all of my criteria, plus there was an active racing community in Wisconsin and Michigan. The weight of the boat put me off a little though, and I personally didn’t like the looks of the boat (nothing personal, F17 sailors).

Then I discovered the F16 site and the Blade. Again, a very cool design like the FX-1 that met all my criteria. I looked into building one, but while I think I was up to it technically, I didn’t have a spare 200+ hours the designer indicated it would take. Then I e-mailed Matt McDonald at Vector Marine. He gently steered me away from the home build and answered my questions about the Blade. He also said he had a used Blade destined for Europe, that wasn’t sent due to the unfavorable exchange rate. A couple of weeks later, I was in Florida on business, so I drove over to Titusville. Matt spent well over an hour with me showing me the production process and showing me a Blade he had rigged up. I was impressed by all the standard features of the boat, how it could be tuned from the wire and the quality of the workmanship. Also, Matt knew the production end, but was a sailor as well. Minor point but I have spent my fair share of time talking to people who don’t know about catamaran sailing (even Hobie dealers). It’s reassuring to buy from somebody that knows what you are talking about. I came home determined to figure out a way to buy it.

Below is a table comparing the various boats I considered (click to make larger). Data was taken off of web pages. I am told the weight for a F17 boat is closer to 300 lbs. Also, boats like the H17 and F17 do have a jib option, but I couldn't find any information about the jib dimensions.

Catamaran Launch Sites - Chicago Area

There are several Lake Michigan catamaran launch sites in the greater Chicago area. This commentary is from a fellow Chicago area catamaran sailor.

Winnetka
This appears to be the best prospect, unless there is some show-stopping aspect that is not yet apparent. It appears that the weekend beach launch fees of $23 daily / $233 season are the 2008 rates, which will probably go up for 2009.

Nevertheless, this appears too good to pass up, if not too good to be true!It appears that the facilities generally wouldn't allow putting the mast up with the boat on the trailer & hitched to the vehicle, due to trees overhanging the road between the parking area and the beach, based on the Google Maps satellite photos. However, that would be an inconvenience, not a show-stopper, and one would have to assess that on-site. http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4DKUS_enUS269US270&q=Sheridan+Road+and+Lloyd+Place%2c+winnetka%2c+IL+60093

Highland Park
I see that their 2009 weekend beach launch fees have been increased to $70 daily / $334 season / $814 season launch+storage (L< ft, W<=8 ft; would have made exception for W=8.5 to fill spot last year). Unless there is a show-stopper for Winnetka, that appears better.http://www.pdhp.org/dir_docs/docs_directory_library/96e8b077-60f2-46b6-8949-1fc42b8f6a68_documentupload.pdf

North Point Marina, Winthrop Harbor / Illinois Beach State Park
I have not been to this site, but I understood that people launch Lasers & Sunfish by carrying them from the parking lot to the beach, and that one probably could use beach wheels to do the same for catamarans. There would be no fee. A motor would be required to launch from the ramp, which would involve a fee. This is per phone call Sep 2007.

Gary/Miller Beach, Indiana: Lake St. Beach:
This used to be a very good venue, and appeared to still be passable when we stopped by there in Aug 2007. We sailed there alot from 1986 to ~1991, with Hobie Fleet 126 when it was still active, and held a Hobie Regatta there ~1990, but haven't sailed there since.

The beach had been a pleasant are for picnicing & swimming a bit, but the jet skis had ruined that by ~1990. I don't know what the jet ski situation is now; I don't recall seeing any Aug 2007. There is a large parking lot adjacent to the beach, allowing masts to be erected on the trailer and cats to be taken off the trailer onto beach wheels. However, in Aug 2007, the beach had extended out ~150 yards from the lot, with sand dunes built up to maybe 15 ft high, vs. ~50 yards with no dunes ~1990.

Also, sand bars had developed with water depth ~3 ft out another ~100 yards. Two strong people probably could traverse the dune at an angle. Or, one could use the ramp, for which they had dug a channel through the dunes to continue using. With winds from the W, S, or E, the sailing is great. Of course, the waves quickly become very high if the wind has a major northerly component, with the full N-S fetch of Lake Michigan.

Velocitek SpeedPuck

My latest purchase is a Velocitek Speed Puck.

http://velocitek.com/products/speedpuck

This is basically a GPS based speedometer and compass for your sailboat. I bought it primarily to help me tune my sailboats while on the water.

As you can see from the picture, it only has one button that allows you to turn it on and change modes (speed, max speed, heading, etc.). I like the simplicity of this unit as I don't like to screw around with a lot of buttons while on the water.

It also has this neat function that allows you to download your GPS information from your SpeedPuck to your computer and then re-create races, etc. via their SpeedPlay software on your computer (PC only right now).

http://velocitek.com/products/speedplay


I purchased a spinnaker pole mount to put it on my Blade F16 sailboat. See the photos below for how it mounts.

The Speedpuck has this heavy duty velcro on the back called dual lock. After placing a piece of heavy duty velcro on the spinnaker pole mounting bracket, you mate the unit to the bracket.















You might be a little wary of the fact that it uses this velcro-like material called dual lock, but it is pretty tough. I tried to shake it free and gave it some pretty violent shakes. It also comes with a lanyard which I intend to tie to my spinnaker pole.


More to come on this unit...

Wind and Weather

I continue to find sites that publish the weather and wind speeds for various locations in the Midwest.

Below is a link for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) page for Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Huron. You can click on any city where they have an observation station and get wind speed, tempature, etc.

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/metdata/

Here is another site called SailFlow that allows you to see current and historical wind speeds for the Great Lakes region. Click on the map and follow the drop down box to your area of interest.

http://www.sailflow.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=210&regionProductID=29&timeOffset=0

H14 Turbo Conversion

Introduction
With the help of Dan Berger, a veteran catamaran modifier, last summer I converted my 1979 H14 from unirig to a Turbo. Because my boat sits on the beach, Dan suggested I set up my H14 like a H16 without a rolling furler for the jib. This setup allows you to take down the jib after each sail and save a little money on the furler.

Converting your boat to a turbo is not an inexpensive conversion. You can buy a used H14 turbo (if you can find one) for less than the price total shown on the parts list below. To save money, I bought used parts from Dan, eBay and Craig’s list and got the remaining new parts from a good Hobie Cat dealer in Austin. Often, you can get great deals on eBay on the jib, blocks and trampoline, which are the most expensive parts. Overall, I did the project for a little over half of what is shown in the parts list below, but this includes a new jib and a new trampoline that combined cost almost $600. The remaining parts were purchased for less than $320.

The H16 or “Little 16” setup as Dan calls it, requires most of the typical H14 Turbo rigging, except the jib with the jibstay isn’t rigged all the time. Instead there is a separate forestay that supports the weight of the mast when the jib is not being used. To raise and lower the jib, there is a jib halyard setup just like the H16 that attaches to the upper forestay and consists of the jib halyard block, jib halyard wire, shackle, jib halyard line, downhaul block, cheek block and cleat. The cheek block and cleat are attached to the lower mast – again just like the H16.

Please note that this conversion requires some basic mechanical ability and should be undertaken at your own risk. Also, parts numbers shown in the parts list should be verified prior to purchase. Prices shown are from the 08-09 Hobie Cat Parts Catalog.

Let’s start with additions to the H14 trampoline frame that must be completed to allow you to use a jib and trapeze setup.

Dolphin Striker
First of all, you’ll need a dolphin striker. This provides additional support to the frame when you are out on the trapeze. You can bend your front crossbar if you fly a hull or trapeze without it. This is basically a solid post attached underneath your mast step that has a wire (or bar) with threaded post ends that attach using nuts to either corner casting (see picture below). Hobie Cat or Murray’s sells a dolphin striker for the H14 with that only requires 4 rivets and is pretty easy to install.

Installed Dolphin Striker

For the Dolphin Striker installation, you can use the striker post as your template for marking/drilling your four rivet holes. The bit size is 3/16”, as are the stainless steel rivets you will use. Once you have drilled your holes, use a pop rivet puller to attach the striker post.

I used a consumer grade pop rivet puller which I would now highly recommend you NOT use. Look for a pro model that has longer handles that will provide you with more leverage. The consumer models are fine for aluminum rivets, but it is pretty tough to pull stainless steel rivets with them.

Heavy Duty Rivet Puller

Once your striker post is installed, thread the support wire through the solid post end and attach the ends to the corner castings using the provided nuts (see picture below). Tighten the nuts to the point that the wire has a solid thud, but don’t over tighten or you could damage your crossbar or corner castings.

Attach Dolphin Striker to Corner Casting

Jib Block Support Wire
The next thing you will need is a trampoline with special grommets installed to allow two jib blocks to be attached through the trampoline to a jib block support wire that runs underneath the trampoline between the two sidebars. Unlike the Hobie 16, the jib blocks on the Turbo are on the trampoline rather than the front cross-bar (see picture below). I have seen H14 pictures with blocks rigged on the front cross-bar, but the typical setup is for the blocks to be on the tramp, attached to the jib block support wire.

The trampolines that Hobie Cat sells for the H14 have these grommets already installed. There are several places that sell aftermarket H14 Turbo trampolines (not class legal) as well.

Hobie Cat does sell a conversion kit for pre-1982 boats that includes grommets, (plus extended chain plates and the new length shrouds – see discussion below). You may also be able to buy the grommets and have them pressed into place at a tent and awning shop. See this pdf for placement: http://www.hobiecat.com/support/pdfs/e_turbojib.pdf

The jib block support wire attaches to the chain plates via a clevis pin on either sidebar and you tighten it using the turnbuckle until it’s tight, but doesn’t begin to bow the side bars (see picture below).

Jib block support wire

If you have a pre-1982 H14, the chain plates will likely not have the extension with the extra hole extending out from the frame and under the trampoline to attach the jib block support wire. If this is the case, you will need to drill out the old rivets holding the old chain plates to the sidebar and replace them by riveting in the new chain plates. You can get the turbo chain plates individually or a part of the Turbo conversion kit mentioned above.

I had to replace the old chain plates and it was a pain because you have to remove the frame from the pontoon pylons in order to get enough clearance to drill out the old rivets on the underneath side of the sidebars. I would suggest you get a rubber hammer to assist in getting the frame off the hull pylons after you remove the pylon bolts. The hammer is also helpful in getting the frame back on the pylons. Don’t use a regular hammer or you may break your corner castings. Also, be careful when knocking the corner castings back onto the pylons. Hit them with your rubber mallet in several different places so that they go on evenly. When you get to the point that the holes line up again STOP! If you keep pounding, you will damage the setting of the pylons inside the hulls and you will see a bulge in the sides.

Once you have the jib block support wire in place, the blocks attach through the trampoline grommets to the jib block support wire using small shackles (usually included with the blocks).

Jib block installed on trampoline

Cheek Block and Cleat
Next, you need to attach the cheek block and cleat to the lower right side of your mast (as you face the mast from the front of the boat – see picture below). Again, use your cheek block and cleat as your drilling template. These too will require 3/16”stainless steel rivets, but the rivets for the cleat are longer.

You can also tap holes and use fine-threaded bolts for the cleat if you can’t fit the head of your rivet gun inside the cleat (flush with the head of the rivet), but you should be able to use rivets on the cheek block. (Note: you may find it more comfortable to install the cheek block and cleat on the right side if you are right-handed.)

Cheek block and cleat

Note that many rivets do not provide a water tight seal. I was lucky because Dan gave me a number of rivets that had a closed or cupped end or sleeve, so that when you pull them, they seal. If you can find these rivets on the web, they are much better because the last thing you want is a leaky mast when you capsize. Your Hobie dealer should have the separate sleeves to use with the open-ended rivets. If you can’t find any, you will want to seal all rivets with silicone.

Cleat with rivets and sleeves

Jib Halyard Rig
All wire rigging for the jib halyard setup can be “manufactured” at a West Marine store or purchased custom from a sailing shop that makes rigging. At West Marine, they won’t swage the cables for you due to concerns about liability (should you dismast), but you can make them up yourself. Use two sleeves on each thimble to ensure a tight connection and reduce the chance of your rigging coming apart. All cable lengths listed in this article are the finished length measuring from thimble end to thimble end.

The halyard block and downhaul block can be purchased from Hobie Cat. I listed the blocks from the H16 in the parts list. These are a little pricy, so look on eBay for a used H16 Jib Halyard rig with these included. If you buy the H16 Jib Halyard rig, you could also modify the H16 cable lengths to work on your H14.

The upper forestay or pigtail consists of a 1/8” 1 X 19 wire, 8” in length with thimbles on both ends. One end attaches to the mast tang via the shackle (along with your shrouds, trap wires, etc.) and the other to the jib block assembly on the jib halyard block using a clevis pin and cotter pin.

The lower forestay consists of a 1/8” 1 X 19 wire, 13’ in length with thimbles on both ends. Note that this 13’ length is for using two 7-hole adjusters (discussed below). You will want to add about 6” to the length if you only use one 7-hole adjuster.

The lower forestay attaches to the bottom of the halyard block using a clevis pin/cotter pin and then to the 7-hole adjuster using a clevis pin/ring ding.
The full halyard consists of a wire halyard made of a 1/8” by 7 X 19 cable, 11’ 8 ½” long, running through the halyard block with a thimble and shackle on one end (for attaching the jibstay wire) and the other end with a thimble that is attached to the downhaul block. Note: this must be attached to the downhaul block at the time you make the halyard wire. The downhaul block then has the jib halyard line tied to it. The halyard line is 27’ 6” in length and 3/16” in diameter.

Little 16 jib Halyard setup (cable lengths not to scale)

Bridles
The bridles attach to the 7-hole adjuster using a bell shackle as they do in a unirig H14 setup. The turbo bridle wires are 1/8” 1 X 19 cables, 3’ 10” in length with thimbles on both ends. Note you don’t want to buy the Hobie Cat stock Turbo bridles because they have one forked end to attach to a jib furler.

Using Two 7-hole Adjusters
Rather than use one 7-hole forestay adjuster, Dan suggested I use two adjusters connected by a clevis pin with some tightened bungee cord between the two. When the lower forestay becomes slack as you hoist the jib, the bungee pulls the top 7-hole adjuster and lower forestay forward and away from your jib. This helps keep the lower forestay out of the way and protects your jib from excess rubbing. See illustration below.

Two 7-hole adjuster setup (cable lengths not to scale)

Jib
Hobie Cat sells the class legal jibs, and you can also get used ones on eBay. Its worth looking because this is one of the most expensive items on the parts list. There are also aftermarket jibs (not class legal) sold by a few suppliers. There is at least one supplier that lists H14 jibs on eBay as well.

Jib Sheet / Clew Blocks
You’ll also need a jib sheet along with two jib clew blocks and a shackle for attaching to the clew of the jib. The jib sheet is 5/16” and 32’ long. See diagram below for how to run the jib sheet.
















Shrouds
The shrouds measure 15’ 3 ¼”. If you have a pre-1982 H14, the shrouds may need updating to the new length. I was able to use the shrouds on my boat as they were the correct length. Hobie Cat does sell shrouds of this length separately or in the Turbo Upgrade Kit (along with the chain plates and trampoline grommets). These often can also be found on eBay.

Trapeze Setup
Trapeze wires measure 13’ 5” each. You’ll need a set of two, plus two dogbones, two adjuster lines, two rope locks and one shock cord to attach the adjuster lines and runs beneath the trampoline (see picture below).

Trapeze rig

Rigging Instructions
See this helpful pdf showing how to rig a Hobie 16. The same principles apply to rigging your Little 16 jib setup.

http://www.sailtoronto.com/PDF/Hobie%20Rigging%20Basics.doc

Dan advised me that you want to have the full load of the mast on your jibstay so that it is rigged tight. Also, the lower your jib on the 7-hole adjuster, the better. I attach mine to the shackle that connects the 7-hole adjuster to the bridles using a twist shackle Dan included with the parts I bought from him.

The final product is shown below. Happy sailing.

Finished boat

Other helpful hints from Dan:
I added a bungee to the mast that keeps the jib sheet from fouling. Simply tie a bungee around the front beam near the corner casting, run it through the existing halyard cleat (front center of the mast) and to the frame on the other side. Make sure this bungee goes under the jib sheet.

I also found that you want the jib to be attached to the bridle/forestay connection as low as you can get it. I used a twist shackle attached to the shackle that connects the bridles and forestay.

The jib clew plate has several holes in it. Based on the rake of your rig, you need to adjust it to find a sweet spot. Move the shackle (that holds the clew pulleys) up and down the plate until you get even tension on the bottom and back of the jib. This will give you a better sail shape and keep the sail from flapping.

A few advanced helpful hints from Dan:
A Hobie14 sails much better with a very raked-back rig. There is a lot of discussion on this topic on many of the forums, but I will give a brief synopsis. You typically want to have your mast raked back so far that when going upwind, your main blocks are block-to-block—and that is using the low-profile 2.25” blocks. This requires you to have adjustable upper rudder castings so that you can rake your rudders under the boat to compensate for the mast rake. This makes a Hobie 14 very fast and gives it less tendency to pitchpole. You will find that you sit farther forward and when you trapeze, your feet are right at the sidestays.

When I rigged my 14 with a jib, I found that it sailed much nicer with slightly less rake and a tight rig. I couldn’t get the jib to tighten properly, but when I moved the rig forward by moving the sidestay pins up, the angle moved it onto a better position. This is something you will have to adjust until it feels right for you.

Here is a table of all the parts numbers, cable lengths, 2008 prices, etc. Click to make larger.

Introduction

This blog is about sailing catamarans in the Midwest. I am starting it because I love sailing - not just being out on the water, but also the technology, the gear, and the people.

The blog will be a mix of sailing experiences, how-to's, and product reviews. I will also add my favorite sailing links including other supplier web sites, sailing blogs and cat sailor forums. It's my hope that this blog will bring together all the resources that I'm aware of to aid someone wanting to sail in the U.S. Midwest.