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I'm not sure where all this weight that everyone seems to think I'm adding is supposed to be coming from. By my estimate, I've added the weight equivalent of three 1x4 planks of wood, but then I am also removing a 26 ft. aluminum mast and replacing it with two 10 ft. pieces of PVC conduit...

I've thought about that, but then I keep coming back to "Why?" By splitting the mast, I'm already halving the amount of force that each one will have to carry, and I intend to continue using the boat's original side stays. So, with the original forestay and the two side stays, and a fairly...

Your thoughts about the trampoline being too low had occurred to me, too. Fortunately, that trampoline only cost me $50 and a couple afternoons worth of work to produce, so it won't be a huge tragedy if it turns out not to be the right solution. I consider all of this to be basically in the...

Hello, all! I couple of years ago I had a thread on here asking about converting my Hobie 16 from its default sailplan over to another rig type in an attempt to make the boat a little more docile and fit my personality better. After seeing all the responses in that thread, doing some...

I'm sure the headsail-only idea will work if I put on the extra leeboards. I'm just not sure I'll have the time to do that before my parents' scheduled trip in June. I absolutely intend to sail the boat with the new sail. I figure, with a rolling furler, even if I don't like the way the genoa...

That's exactly what I was thinking. Would it not be possible to keep the main on board and hoist it if things don't go well with the headsail-only rig? This isn't about being right. I just like doing things my own way. I am a non-conformist by birth, so taking what is the most popular beach...

This boat doesn't have daggerboards or anything similar. Everything else I have already considered and begun thinking about. My questions is: To where will I end up having to move the jib fairleads? I'm guessing I'll have to put them on the sides of the metal frame, much further out and aft...

Okay, I really like this idea, so I just ordered a new (used) sail from Masthead Sailing Gear that has the same luff length, but a slightly (15cm) shorter leech and a luff perpendicular that is 50cm longer than the original jib's. The foot of the original is around 150cm, so I figure that would...

I like the idea of using the boat's original rig, and the jib-only idea had already occurred to me. The point here is to keep both hulls in the water. Speed is not a priority. I just want to be able to get back to where we started (if there's any kid of current) without having to row it or...

I am getting closer to having my Hobie Cat ready to put back in the water, and now I find that issues of rigging and sail performance are becoming more and more prevalent in my mind. I've never actually sailed the boat - it was damaged when I received it. I do know, however, that heeling and...

Any chance you'll be turning out more of these any time soon?

I'm not so worried about the seat itself. It's the attachment and support that I need help figuring out.

I don't have the level of metalsmithing ability required to construct anything like what you guys are talking about here. I work mostly with wood and cardboard. What I need is something that uses mostly stock parts. I don't mind drilling holes and bolting things together, and I am no stranger...

Hello, all! I recently acquired a 5m long Hobie Cat sailboat, which I guess is called a Hobie 16, for basically free. It's been around awhile and has some parts missing, but seems basically seaworthy. For the price I paid I think it's definitely worth fixing. Anyway, I am in the process...

Okay, so my friend and I have decided to go ahead and go into business building sailboats. He is a widowed retiree who loves to build sailboats and I have a degree in management, so it seems like a good pairing. My friend has already found one prospective client whose dream boat hasn't been...

Well, I don't like beer, so none was ever actually at stake here, but I've realized that there's no way I'll ever be able to correct the flaws in his reasoning. I figure, as long as he knows that it helps to have a heavily weighted board sticking down in the water, it's okay if he doesn't know...

Well, I showed my friend all of the answers posted here and he still maintained that he was right and that all of you are wrong. Of course, that brought us back to the original conversation and, in the course of that, some new and interesting information did come to light which I think bears...

That's pretty much been my M.O. already. Whenever he tells me anything that I'm not sure about I consult my resources, although I've already been studying sailing long enough on my own to understand most of what he says. I was just a bit shocked to hear him so adamantly defend his ignorant...

Just a little trailer sailor. About 4 meters in length, totally open - no cabin or deck. It's a pretty simple boat, so I'm thinking he should be able to put it together without too much going wrong.

No, actually. What happened with that project was that I didn't have a totally enclosed indoor space to work in and the cardboard got rained on a few too many times before I was able to waterproof it. The hull I originally built still exists, and is surprisingly intact considering the number...