HobieSailor.com

Picture Time

2008-04-01T17:41:00.004-04:00

Also the Journals of Gary Gapyear and Catherine & Sheelagh.

My Life

2008-04-01T00:41:00.002-04:00

I've heard the comment or derivative of it a few times. "I wish I had your life"
Everyone has my life, you just have to choose to live it. It's often much easier to make excuses for why you can't do something than just making it happen. There are many adventures I haven't taken yet for that exact fact. I cherish the ones I do take and plan many more. Why aren't you?

Stop watching reality TV and wishing and just start doing.

"The Real World"

2008-04-01T00:37:00.002-04:00

Back from Copan safe and sound. Was quite a fun lil adventure the last night there. Ended up with a group from the hostel. One Brit, Two Americans, and Three Irish walk into a bar. Sounds like the start of a bad joke or a really long night. Especially with a 545 bus ride to the airport. But did manage to grab and pack my bag at 5am without a wink of sleep and make it to the bus in time.
Pictures coming very soon.

Technology

2008-03-29T12:45:00.001-04:00

Technology is a scary thing.

I'm sitting at a corner of the temple right now and my blackberry has internet.

I hiked the nature trail first and there are so many butterflys here from small monarch looking ones to big blue ones the size of a small bird. Also have seen deer and rodents running around.

Copan

2008-03-29T08:58:00.000-04:00

What do you get when you get when you mix me with a free flight voucher about to expire and a weekend to kill?
A weekend at an ancient Mayan temple in Honduras.
I just arrived yesterday. I had an idea how the bus ran and an idea of the hostle I would stay at. Made it safe and sound with a good nights sleep and am off to explore copan now.

And Tharr Were Pictures :)

2007-05-18T08:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.hobiesailor.com/albums/CostaRica2007/

All good things must come to an end

2007-05-15T12:03:00.000-04:00

The last two days in Tortuguero were awesome. Sunday night was the football national championship. The local bar was packed. And if you´ve ever watched latin american football you know how excited they get. I made some friends with a couple locals so that made it all the more fun.
The park was amazing. I took two canoe trips into the park and saw many camen, frogs, fish, turtles, and birds. The second trip got a good rain forest soaking half way through so we didnt see much while retreating in the downpour.

Stay tuned for pictures when I return :)

Manual Antonio

2007-05-12T16:05:00.000-04:00

Just arrived back in San Jose and not a moment too soon. Manual Antonio was a let down. The park was absolutely beautiful, but the town was pretty mediocre. It was the dirty tourist kind of town that I hate. Where it's all centered about getting money out of the tourists by selling everything imaginable. I really wasn't feeling the vibe and then while I was at dinner I noticed a crowd across the street around a guy with a camera. Apparently he was basically the Tico FBI showing pictures of a gringo that was killed the night before on the beach to see if anyone recognized him. That sealed the deal for me. I avoided the night life and went to bed early. But got up at dawn to be the first along the trail that day at the park. It was a shame I had to leave to catch my flight fairly early but the rest of the days flights were full.

BTW

2007-05-11T09:15:00.000-04:00

It's a very strange feeling to put your shoe on with a Crab in it :)

Back to the world of Internet

2007-05-10T18:47:00.000-04:00

Drakes Bay was awesome. This is what you would picture true Costa Rica to be. Just beach and rain forest. All the roads were dirt, including the airstrip. This is the kind of airstrip where you worry about a cow wandering across it. The flight back was literally me and the two pilots in a single engined cesna.
The first day I went horseback riding through the rain forest with only the guide. He only spoke a bit of English but still communicated ok. We worked our way into the forest and then actually stopped at his house for lunch. His wife and daughter were home along with a worker. His daughter is a student in San Jose and spoke perfect english so that made translations for lunch much easier. He has a great little farm on the edge of the Parque Nacional Corcovado. There were monkeys, Toucan, many other birds and beautiful forest along the trail.
The hotel was a 5 star stay. With only 3 guests, every need was catered too and meals were all freshly prepared on the deck overlooking the ocean.
Day 2 was diving. I did a 3 tank dive off Isla del Cano. The first two dives were both on a pinnacle called El Diablo. We stayed in the 60-70 foot range, amazingly that's where the thermocline was so it was quite warm diving in only a shorty. There were TONs of fish, and a few eels. I was hoping to spot a shark but none materialized. The third dive wasn't much due to some Red Tide in that area. It took the visibility down to about 15 feet and ran most of the fish off. Hoever we did see about a 3-4 foot Devil Ray that made the third dive worth it.
This morning before my flight I spent it on the ridge behind the hotel in a hammock. I disturbed a coatimundi on the way up. It basically looked like a big cat coming down the tree.
Tomorrow I'm off to Quepos and Maual Antonio.

That New Car Smell

2007-05-07T19:32:00.000-04:00

Well new country smell. I love landing in a new country. It's just a different vibe you get that is something out of the ordinary from what is our normal frame of reference.
I just landed in San Jose, Costa Rica for a week. I tried to hop straight to the domestic airline to get out of dodge as San Jose doesn't offer that much of the local beauty but am spending one night here. I'm flying to Drakes Bay in the morning. It's on the southermost part of the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.
I'm going to try and get a SCUBA trip out to Isla del cano.
Google Images

Hobie Parts Galore

2006-04-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

I'm going to post date this for the spring to keep it on top as I mark stuff off as sold. Just scroll down for the regularly scheduled programming.

I am selling off my collection of Hobie 18 parts from 2 boats.
Lots of pictures...

Make an offer:

3 Tramps
1 Blue Vinyl, couple holes worn. Can't remember but I think there is one full good panel that could be used.
1 Blue Vinyl, Great tramp. This is my favoite of the three. I will include the no streach lacing with it. It is double grommeted for the entire tramp. This thing will tighten perfect. I got many comments of this being the tightest tramp they had seen.
1 Sunrise mesh, I custom ordered this about 3 years ago and used it one season. This is custom cut reverse so the lacing strip is in the front. Keeps your sheets from washing out the back lacing strip. I prefered the Vinyl because it had less streach in it.

2 complete sets of rigging.
1 Com-tip mast fully rigged
1 All aluminum mast fully rigged and setup for spiniker
Both rigged for 6:1 dual exit downhaul. Both also have compression plates and forged rotation control

Spiniker package
Above mast
2 piece carbon pole
Rigging Guys
SX chute, recut by Randy Smyth to sheet to blocks at the shrouds. He personally marked up the sail while the boat was rigged and sail flying.
1 or 2 sets of carbo rachimatics (I'll probably keep one set)
Bracket for pole to mount
lightweight sheets. Yale Light I think
0 streach halyard and tack line

2 sets of Rudder castings
1 set new style with plastic cams
1 set old metal style cams with one lower missing

6 Rudders
1 pair EPO
1 pair black lexan
1 white lexan
1 white PVC

Jib blocks
2 Harken blocks still on the cars. Just slide them in to replace your old seaways

Main Blocks
1 Harken set with 3 on boom. Blue fuzzy line.

4 Dagger Boards (all refinished by Bill Hendrix in the last year)
2 "practice boards" one nick at the bottom where I ran aground in Ocean Springs
2 "race boards" perfect shape still, padded board bag for this set

2 Hot sticks (will probably keep one for backup for the Tiger)
1 FX-4 for up to 10' wide boat
1 FX-6 for up to 12' wide boats, must have with wings.

2 sets of sails with all battens
1 Navy Blue, old and soft but no rips or tears
1 White with some crispness. Proably 88-early 90's #12947 This is the set I used on a regular basis.

~~Magnum Wings~~
~~Mast storage brackets~~
~~Rear mast travel brace~~
~~Jib Snorkel cover~~
~~1 88 Port Hull - White~~
~~2 Hobie 18 Hull Cradles~~
~~1 set new style with plastic cams~~
~~Boom~~
~~1 Harken low pro 6:1 with great line. This was the set I used on a regular basis~~

All kind of misc parts: Port Covers and rings, gudgeons, hull brakcets, crossbeams, etc. If you don't see it just ask.

Lots of pictures...

Gone With the Wind 2005

2005-09-15T07:49:00.000-04:00

We are happy to announce a new venue and partnership for Gone With The
Wind 2005.
Lake Lanier Sail club will host Gone With the Wind this year. We are
partnering with the Atlanta Catalina 22 Fleet 58 who also hosts a Gone
With the Wind regatta.

The date has been changed to September 23, 24, and 25th.

Full Details

A Picture Share!

2005-07-03T09:24:00.000-04:00

Blogger has added a new feature to update by phone. Here's the view from horn island@ ocean springs mississippi. Coming back was a crazy fast reach with a lot of flipped boats.

Merry %@*! Christmas

2004-12-23T19:44:00.000-05:00

I'm leaving to have Christmas with my family in Illinois. The only problem is Kentucky is closed... Bleh... Who needs Kentucky anyway?!

Any whoever comments as anonymous how about a name. I don't have ESP, except for Chris cause his british accent shows through.

Pocket Rocket

2004-11-15T13:56:00.000-05:00

I sailed a Mystere 4.3 for the first time this weekend. It was a decent blow of probably 15 steady with some gusts over 20. Waves were not that big. 2 to 3 feet or so but pretty short. Might have been a bit more. I watched Mike flip his A cat 4 times and the I17 sailors were sailing 2 up to keep the boats down.

This boat is set up pretty nice. We sailed it double handed with all 3 sails.
Setting the boat up Alex showed me a problem with the jib. When sheeted tight the tack of the sail gets wrinkled. 2 things that contribute to this are a halyard with stretch in it and the sheeting angle. I moved the attachment to the bottom hole of the clew plate and that helped some but still when sheeted tight about the bottom foot and a half get wrinkled. There is nice shape when it is eased though. Out on the water, it wasn't a major problem as it needs to be let out a bit, but there were times when the jib was misshapen while sailing.
Another design problem is the rudder system is very finicky to get the tension right in order to kick up. Seemed like only about half a turn on the spring screw would go from kicking up to locked hard. I have heard of Mystere rudder problems in the past so maybe this is that problem.
The platform is very solid with little flex in the hulls.
One thing I noticed immediately is that it will turn 3 foot waves into one wild ride. It felt like open ocean sailing on a bigger boat.
It was a fun boat to sail but I constantly felt a bit on edge like it could pitch pole at any given moment. There were several near misses including a couple times the entire boat drove under water and came back out. It was a hard boat to trapeze off of due to the size. I wanted to get further back but ended up with one foot on the shroud and one at the rear cross bar to keep footing. This seemed to work best but still put the weight a bit far forward. Another issue of the size of the boat was limited freeboard. 2 up with around 370-380 waves would slap the rear beam hard. There seemed to be a fine line between keeping the rear from slapping waves and the front out of the water.

If you get a chance to sail one of these go for it, they are exciting. It will make your 18 or 20 footer feel like a Cadillac.

Thanks for the sail Alex.

Hobie Tiger Mods

2004-11-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

Here is my list of planned modifications after the first sail. I have been also checking out the other Tiger's in the area to see what works.
I'll update this later with pictures.

1. Trapeze doublers under the tramp
After the capsizes this weekend and having to retie and untangle broken bungee's this seemed like a pretty good idea. Also adding a small lead to a block to allow the bungee to run better.
Part List:
H406 qty 2 Double 16mm air Does this come with a shackle? If not 2 H245 stamped shackle.
H404 qty 4 single 16mm air
H424 qty 1 red 1 green (to tie blocks out to)
Excel Racing 1/16" Blue 20 feet (to tie blocks to leads and some extra)
32 foot bungee
Cost:~$100
Complete
Was very easy and highly recommended. Hardest part was using a drill on a brand new boat. But came out good with some self tapping screws and 5200

2. Jib return and under tramp
Thanks to Rick Harper for this idea. The Jib sheet isn't used as much with the very small jib and self tacker. So this moves it under the tramp and gets it out of the way.
The sheet runs from the cam on the crossbar, under the tramp near the rear, to a fixed block at the rear beam, to a block at the front beam (attached to bungee that turns at the beam and goes to rear beam), back to another fixed block on the other side of the rear beam, and to the other cleat.
Price:
H442 qty 1 16mm single for bungee
rivets #8 I think
H351 qty 3 29mm carbo tri lite
10 foot bungee
Cost:~$55
Complete
Really makes a difference for a clean tramp.

3. 2nd Carbo Rachamatics for spin
In heavy air with both crew and skipper at the rear beam the carbo near the shroud gets half a wrap, at best. This adds a second carbo rachamatic at the front beam and then the tail goes through a block at the rear of the tramp. the block is on a bungee that goes through a grommet and rear beam to front beam. Keeping the slack out of the way.
Part List:
H442 qty 1 16mm single for bungee
Have the 2 carbo rachamatics all ready
Eyestraps and rivets for rachamatics
10 foot bungee
Grommet Kit
Cost: ~$30 + 2 carbo Rachimatics (~$100)
Complete
Was my first time using a Grommet kit. Make sure you read the directions. I practiced off the tramp but took three times before I was comfortable enough to put one in the tramp.

4. Jib downhaul (all blocks 16mm airblocks)
This allows the jib halyard to be adjusted from the tramp
Part List:
1 cheek Micro (does H423 or H416 work better) and fastener
H417 to attach to pole
H404 for end of line
H442 qty 2 for beam (16mm stand up)
H416 qty 2 to turn line up at beam
H242 1 red 1 green
H423 qty 2 carbo cam cleat
rivets for cheek and stand up blocks
Cost:~$110

5. Jib traveler cleat
Had thought about changing this but think I'm just going to keep it as is and downsize the line.
Part List:
H281
H423 carbo cam cleat
Cost: ~$20 (just downsizing the line now)
Complete
Just downsized the line.

6. Furler line relocation
I used the center cleat for the jib traveler limiter. So need to move the furler line out somewhere else.
Will use the 2 grommets all ready at the edges of the tramp to run under the front crossbar
Part List:
H242 Red
H423 carbo cam cleat
Cost:~$20

7. Stainless clip to allow the jib to furl
With the self tacker installed you can't fully furl the jib without untying the line to the block on the tacker. This just uses a stainless clip there instead of a knot.
Part List:
One stainless clip
Cost:~$14
Still can't find the right sized clip. May add a block with a becket so it can be clipped to easier.

8. Lower main sheet angle
Lower the angle of the cleat at least on hole. You have to work it in changing conditions, but where it is set stock can not be cleated from the wire at all.
Move it down one or two holes
Part List:
None
Cost:
None
Complete

9. Snap Shackle for top block
Makes it much easier to hook and unhook the webbing bail without loosing a pin
Part List:
Snap Shackle
Cost: ~$30
Complete

10. Main Traveler angle
The traveler cleat is about impossible to uncleat from the wire.
Bend it down slightly to make it easier to uncleat.
Part List:
None
Cost:
None
Complete

11. Chicken Lines (for distance racing)
A line tied to the rudder pin. Up to a small airblock at the bridal mount (there is a hole there not in use). Some slack with the double eye stopper used on the trap to adjust. A bungee to the front beam to take up the slack.
Very small line tied in loops with a climbing ascent knot along the line. Then a small line with a stopper ball attached to the spreader bars on our harnesses. Then when needed just pop the loop over the ball.
Part List:
40 feet of line used Marlow Marstron (1/4" 6mm)
10 feet of bungee
H404 qty 2 for the bridal
Have small line
Have stopper balls
Have trapeze stops
Cost:

12. Spinnaker tweakers
The spinnaker seems to be a lot less volatile when pushing down the line some. So these will attach to the cross bar to lead the sheeting angle slightly forward. There is a eyestrap for the tramp I can tie too.
2 Holt Allen Snatch Blocks I ordered the 40mm and they seem too big. I think I'm going to exchange them for the smaller set. I was worried about them running freely if I upsize the sheet.
3 or 4 feet of line
Cost:~$60

13. Spinnaker luff tensioner
Supposedly this will increase the life of the sail. This is rigged to "catch" the luff when the nylon stretches and keep it from wearing excessively.
I used Marlow Excel D12 (7/64" or 2.5mm) Tensile Strength 1,345lbs
I wonder if this is a little big. I have also seen Marlow Excel Vectran (1/16" or 1.2mm) Tensile Strength 206lbs used.
To rigged this I used a very small splicing fid taped to some utility string and then tied the string off to the rope and pulled it through. The fid made the job much easier pushing it up the pocket.
Cost:~$10
Complete

14. Polish
Protects the gelcoat from UV, makes the boat easier to clean, and helps with water flow.
Starbrite Teflon Polish
This is also a good time to sand out gel coat inperfections.
Cost:~$12 and lots of elbow grease.
Complete

Other ideas
Larger diameter Spin Sheet and Halyard
Tapered Main Sheet

Tiger Maiden Voyage

2004-11-02T19:39:00.001-05:00

This weekend was the maiden voyage of Fn'A. It was perfect weather of 12-15 with some bigger gusts.
It was a rush. I managed to flip it twice. Both pushing it hard. The first time was trapeze out with the spin up and the boat accelerated so quick it spun my footing out and flipped me off the back of the boat. The second was in the middle of a gybe and turned too quick and it threw my crew off the boat. Then the third time we were experimenting with weight placement going up wind and put the weight a bit too far forward we pitch poled and I landed in front of the bridals and my crew was hanging over the spin pole. I'm sure glad I got the soft snuffer not the hard one now, it would have shattered. Sunday was much lighter and I had a more experienced crew that I was training with a bit for the Steeplechase.
We did manage to earn a Turkey for a last place finish at the Turkey Shoot. It helps to keep the pointy end up racing.

Boats, BBQ, and Blues

2004-11-02T19:39:00.000-05:00

The trip to Memphis was a bit to exciting. After finding a cheap hotel near Rooke Sails and the Airport, I notice the fact that a half a dozen prostitutes are walking the street there. It was pretty obvious when someone picked one up right outside the hotel.
I survived the night and more importantly my truck and trailer were not violated during the night.

That morning I went up to find 3 Tigers still in boxes and bubble wrap. It was a bit intimidating trying to assemble a boat from scratch. I am lucky to have a lot of very good Tiger sailors in the area to help get things just right.

I was a little disappointed in the size of Beale Street, it was only about two block worth of bars. But over half of them had live bands with was perfect for my tastes. I spent the most time a small bar with more of a rockabilly band playing before being dragged off to a dance club by some locals I met. Fun time but it sure was hard to get up to go see Graceland and hook up the boat for the trip home.

Picture Pages - Gone With the Wind

2004-10-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures Jay Gorday took at Gone With the Wind. There are some good pictures of my boat broken and some windy sailing on Sunday.

Illinios

2004-10-18T16:31:00.000-04:00

The leaves were changing and fall was in full force.
I went with my mom to look at a house in the country she was interested in buying.
It needed a lot of work but at least there was some interesting lawn art.

RIP Superman

Cruces

2004-10-18T16:29:00.000-04:00

Listening to music and watching live music has always been important to me. It's funny but I tend to associate good times and memories with music just like some people do smells or sights. Going to see Cruces play one last show brought back a lot of good memories. The funniest of which I had forgot about till Derek asked me about it. One show they played in a small music store, he and I found the Tempest arcade game had all kinds of free credits on it. He and I played that game continuously until he just about literally had to be torn away from it so he could begrudgingly play the show.
I got to see a lot of old friends and meet some new ones. Lots of pictures were taken, most were not too incriminating of the drunken debauchery that followed.

and a Video Clip.
Lots of pictures

On the Road again...

2004-10-15T15:52:00.000-04:00

I'm off for the weekend to see my family in IL. Also have ulterior motives to see some friends from High School play one last show and drop off a hull to sell. Cruces will be performing at Hanger 9 one last time Saturday night.

Social Distortion & Tiger Army

2004-10-12T01:01:00.000-04:00

Tonight I got to see two bands for the first time. I grew up full of angst and listened to Social Distortion a ton. It was great to see them play. Mike Ness has to be about the only man on the planet that can wear eyeliner and still look entirely hardcore. He really is the charisma of the band. It is interesting to see how he has grown up over the years, just like the crowd. Mike Ness is now married with two kids. It was a lot older crowd then your typical hard core show. This stands to reason though when a band can still fill the Tabernacle after 25 years. They played a good mix of old "classics" and new songs off the new album. The new songs definitely reflect a kinder gentler Mike Ness and a man devoted to his family.

Tiger Army had great energy and I wish I had seen more but unfortunately I only caught the last half of the set. Tiger Army consists of a singer/guitarist, drummer and a stand up bass player. They have some great videos on their website. And don't forget your 3D glasses for TA II: Power of Moonlite EPK in 3D.

It's Official!!!

2004-10-06T09:46:00.000-04:00

The insurance is straightened out and I got my check yesterday.
I had planned on spending the winter deciding between a Hobie Tiger, NACRA F-18, and NACRA I-20.

I found a deal too good to pass up though and decided on a Tiger.

The NACRA I20 is a machine when it comes to ocean sailing but there just aren't very many around here and having to eventually replace a carbon fiber mast concerns me.

The NACRA F-18 looks like a fine boat still. The masts are rumored to be a bit more flexible then the Tiger. It also has some really fine hull lines. Since it's still in its first year I'm a bit concerned in significant design changes in the future like the Tiger had changed from the first years.

The Hobie Tiger is a proven design. And doesn't seem to have any weak parts. The NAF-18 class here is primarily Tigers also, so lots of people to ask questions.

I am sending in my deposit today and should be driving to Memphis in a few weeks to pick it up and put it together. I'm pretty excited to buy a boat still in the box. I found a great deal where we are ordering 3 at once that are all ready at the factory ready to ship.

I've decided to name the boat FNA in honor of the NAF-18 class. So you can now get to hobiesailor.com using www.fna18.com as well.