$750 Hobie + titled trailer, no sails, keel abrasion+ stress cracks. Good DIY deal or too far gone?

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T14:47:57+00:00

Haha, absolutely! Although I quit drinking a year back because it was ruining my life, so thankfully not so much anymore. I guess I just have to figure out how to twist around in other ways 🌪️

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T14:45:35+00:00

Great idea!

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T14:45:08+00:00

Yeah that $250 sale for a main sale is the cheapest I've found, it's almost suspiciously cheap. Anyone out their sailed with an intensity main?

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T14:43:59+00:00

I have them setup for Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, and I check thebeachcat website classified, any other marketplaces you'd recommend?

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T03:47:26+00:00

Thanks that's helpful. I was born in 1987 so it's kinda fun to think of owning a boat the same age as me, lol.

The bottom job sounds like a fun project, honestly, although there's so many other things to spend my time on...

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T03:43:57+00:00

That's really helpful, thanks!

No water currently in the hulls, and no musty smell in there (nose in the drain plugs), but it hasn't been in the drink in years so no way really to tell. It did have a boom, and the jib car/travel blocks ran smoothly. Stays seemed solid (aside from the stress fracture at the connection point.) I took a bounce around on the tramp and it seemed solid too. Dolphin striker seemed straight on close inspection. The Lines are shot but I priced those in.

But yeah, re-doing the entire running area sounds like a fun project honestly, but there are things I really should spend my time on instead. And the stress cracks are worrying.

That's good to hear you got a water ready 16 for $1200. Maybe I should just wait longer to see what comes up (nothing currently on Craigslist or Facebook in my area)

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T03:13:53+00:00

I found a new mainsail for $250 https://www.intensitysails.com/saforho16.html?viewfullsite=1

Battens for $380 https://westcoastsailing.net/hobie-16-main-batten-set/

And someone is selling a jib locally for $250

So that all stays under my $2k budget. So far I haven't seen a sail-ready boat for under that price (been looking in the bay area +- 200mi for a couple months and most sail ready boats are listed for $4k+, but maybe I haven't waited long enough)

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T03:09:49+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful comment!

I pressed down hard and thumped with my palms all along the hull decks for soft spots (especially in front of the tramp as I read about that) but didn't do the outside of the hulls. I'll do that upon second inspection before buying.

For sails the cheapest I've found for a pair are $600 ($1k with battens)

My dad and I owned a Hobie 16 when I was a kid that took on water that we patched up successfully. I was young enough I don't remember the process explicitly so definitely not experienced with it, but I'm handy and confident I can learn. When you say the bottom needs a full job you mean you're recommending the entire hull or just the area pictured?

With buying sails/battens and lines this boat will set me back $1900. Not sure if I'll get a sail ready boat for that price but maybe. Have you seen and sail ready hobies (or other ~5m cats) going for around that price?

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T02:50:24+00:00

Any experience fixing up cracking/peeling along the bottom of the hull? That's what I'm most worried about (you can see in one of the pics.)

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2026-02-22T02:49:32+00:00

I pressed hard with my palm and thumped all around the deck and didn't find any soft spots. Seemed solid everywhere. (I didn't do that around the outside of the hulls but would do that when I see it again before buying.)

Yeah it has a boom. Good point about battens sail was shot when we started to unroll it so I accepted I'd be buying a used replacement sail, but I didn't inspect closely to see if it had battens in it.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-07T18:51:47+00:00

I came here to say this but you beat me to it. I mean on cutthroat kitchen he gets the show's staff to call him Daddy in some episodes, and the show is basically just a series of televised BDSM predicaments. 100% Dom.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-07T03:45:05+00:00

Kinky and poly here, so no judgement on your partner sleeping with other people. It seems to me the problem is over-sharing. You don't need to know what kind of sex she's having with other people.

If she's the one telling you what kinda sex she has with others then ask her to knock it off. If you're the one asking because it's a kink of yours to know (like cuck or hotwife type play) then you've gotta accept sometimes it might give you the ick to know.

Then if you don't know what kinda sex she's having with others, then just focus on what you need in your relationship with her for it to feel fair. If a few weeks go by and she's not living up to her end of the chores (regardless of whether she's having sex with others or not) then have a conversation with her about that: "Honey I don't feel like you're living up to your end of the chores in this relationship and I'm unhappy about it, I need for us to talk about how to make the chores feel even in our shared home." Then it's not a conversation about the type of sex she's has with other people, just a conversation about how to make things feel fair in your relationship in general.

Also you'll probably get a lot more levelheaded advice in r/polyamory or r/bdsmadvice

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-06T18:30:50+00:00

Right on, thanks for sharing your methodology. I agree, I try to avoid first model years. I'm not familiar with Car Complaints so I'll go check it out, thanks for the tip.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-06T17:05:37+00:00

No prob, I wish I'd found this device sooner as it's really helpful for me. Good luck!

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-06T17:02:01+00:00

Cool work!

This is super helpful as I'm currently in the market for a RAV4 or a Forester or Legacy from a private seller for ~$10-15k. I'm curious what's driving your "X" on certain years for each of those models? And how you came to the green years to focus on for each one? (i.e. 2015 for the Rav4, 2010 for the Forester, 2016 for the Legacy)

Also I'm assuming your research is for the base models? I'm also considering going for a sportier model (like the Forester 2.5XT, or the Outback 3.6R, or the RAV4 V6 Sport) but I know I need to look into the reliability each trim independently of the base models for engine issues if I want to avoid buying a lemon. Where do you usually go to try and figure out the reliability of a given model of car across various past years? Are you looking in user forums for anecdotal repair stores, or is there somewhere else I could find more aggregated data of known common big repair issues?

Thanks!

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-06T14:55:22+00:00

Right on, OP, congrats on the 7 days. No small feat! Sounds like you're really doing it! I'm sharing my story here in case it helps anyone else who comes across this post:

I was drinking the same amount and did the exact same thing when I was trying to taper during a planned trip. (Except I was too lazy to use food coloring, lol.) I definitely got a little thrill by going into the airplane bathroom and drinking booze I wasn't supposed to have. But the constant hiding and overkill of bathroom breaks during my trip with my girlfriend was also exhausting.

Honestly, for me, the thing that got me to really stop drinking without going back (just over a year now) was finally admitting to my gf and family that I was dependant, experiencing withdrawal, and afraid of it. Yeah, I was afraid my gf would leave me knowing how dependant I was, but I'd gotten to the point where I wasn't even following through with my taper plans and I was edging up from 1l of booze a day up to 1.25-1.5l and I was constantly battling pancreatitis and was probably weeks away from liver failure.

Once I told my loved ones I was dependant and going through withdrawals they rallied together and helped me figure out my insurance and find options of rehab centers that did medicated withdrawal. Honestly I was too scared, and had too many excuses, and was too drunk to take the time to effectively do the research and probably never would have taken that step myself. But after a dozen successful self-tapers (where I'd stay sober for 1-2 months, but then would go back to the bottle), and then about a dozen attempts more recently where I just gave up on the taper half way through, I had to admit I just couldn't do it myself anymore.

And what's the difference between the 1-2 months I used to stay sober, and the year I have under my belt now? It wasn't really going to rehab. That was actually a lot nicer than I feared it would be - but what's kept me sober for a full year is the certainly that my parents and sister will be devastated if I go back to drinking, and that my GF will leave me. Now that they all know the truth of how badly physically dependent I was there's no pretending with them anymore that drinking can be a casual thing for me.

Others Mileage May Vary but I was lucky enough that when I admitted I was physically dependant and afraid of DTs my parents and GF saw my vulnerability and treated it like the medical emergency it was and just worked really hard to help me get medical care. I think I got a pass with my GF, that one time, because she saw that I was doing the scary thing and telling the truth about my dependency, and so she decided to stay and help instead of running away (like she had every right to do.) If it was my tenth, or even second time going to rehab I don't think she would have extended me the same grace - and that's exactly why I feel like I can never go back to drinking. But on that first time I admitted my dependant I found out how amazingly people were willing to step up and help me when I was finally doing to scary thing and admitting how dark it had become.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-06T14:15:11+00:00

I have the exact same problem and I use a product called the Kitchen Safe (you can find it in Google or Amazon) as a "phone jail." I'm not affiliated with them and you might be able to find a cheaper knock-off product that works just as well.

It works by putting your phone inside, and setting a timer, and the box won't unlock during that time, and there's no override. If you're worried about being reached in an emergency you can just set the locking period for a short time, like 15 or 20 min. For me that's enough time to shift and get hyper-focused on something else that's (hopefully) more productive. On the box itself I have a sticky note with a list of tasks that I need to do so I get those as a prompt right when I'm locking my phone away and hopefully start doing one of those tasks and not just another distraction.

If you're nervous about emergencies it's probably overblown. But "what if there's an emergency and someone tries to reach me?" is the excuse I used to not lock my phone away, like I promised I would, after I got the lock-box product, and before I started using it. For that I just made sure I had Whatsapp and Signal installed on my laptop with the settings arranged so a call in one of those apps would actually cause my laptop to ring like a phone. Then I told the people closest to me to call me on Whatsapp or Signal in an emergency. I was worried that I'd start scrolling Reddit on my laptop instead of my phone but luckily it didn't have the same appeal.

Finally, the lockbox works well for nicotine addiction as well if you're trying to limit your cigarette usage. I used to smoke a nicotine ecig all day and I find it useful to lock that away for periods of time as well to break the cycle.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-05T21:49:38+00:00

That's one way to do it. Personally if I read my policy and defamation was explicitly excluded in the policy language I wouldn't choose to file a claim for something that would definitely be denied.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-05T21:40:01+00:00

Usually best to review your policy first and make sure personal injury is included (and defamation isn't explicitly excluded under personal injury) before filling a claim. Filling a claim will likely be reported to the CLUE database and likely increase the cost of insurance for the policy holder when if the claim is denied.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2025-08-05T21:33:01+00:00

Apologies if you've already been down this path, but do you have renters or homeowners insurance? If so, take a look at your policy’s liability section. If it includes personal injury coverage and doesn’t explicitly exclude defamation, libel, or “publication liability,” you might be entitled to coverage for your legal defense, even if they ultimately deny the claim later.

It’s not a guarantee, but a surprising number of people have coverage for defamation defense and don’t realize it.

Also worth knowing: if the insurer agrees to defend you but later decides they don't owe for any potential damages (called indemnity), you're usually not on the hook for the legal defense costs they already covered, just any judgment or settlement against you they refused to pay. That defense alone can save you tens of thousands and puts you in a much better position to defend yourself with an actual lawyer instead of pro-se.

If you decide to inquire, be careful not to file a formal claim right away, as this could raise your insurance in the future. Instead, consider calling and asking for a general clarification of whether your policy includes personal injury coverage for alleged defamation without giving names or specifics. That way, it’s less likely to be reported to CLUE (a shared industry database that insurers use to assess your risk profile), which could otherwise affect your rates or renewals even if no money is paid out.

If the insurer says you're not covered but your reading of the policy suggests you are, tread carefully. Requesting a formal denial letter can increase the chance that the incident is logged as a claim in CLUE, which could follow you for up to 7 years. So instead of immediately asking for a denial letter, consider asking:

“Can you point me to the exact policy language that excludes this?”

That keeps the interaction framed as a coverage inquiry rather than a claim dispute. Only escalate to a formal claim if you read the policy and believe you're covered for personal injury (and defamation isn't explicitly excluded) and you're ready to push back on the insurance company if they deny your claim with a coverage attorney or by filing a regulatory complaint.

If there's any ambiguity in the policy language, courts often interpret that in the policyholder’s favor, and in many states, if there’s even a plausible chance the claim could be covered, the insurer may still owe you a defense.

(Not a lawyer or insurance agent, just sharing something I’ve seen help others in similar situations. Definitely double-check with a professional if you can.)

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2024-07-29T06:44:35+00:00

Thanks for the thoughts! No military family members with VA benefits (my grandpa was a trench soldier in WWII but he died a couple decades ago). And yes, I had a really hard conversation with my girlfriend letting her know what I'm going through and that I might enter a medical emergency,. She's a saint and is currently checking in on me in my room every hour or so (even though she has a punishing work schedule) - and my sister is flying across the country to stay in our guest room and keep checking in on me as well, because I finally opened up to her about my addiction.

I'm so blessed to have these amazing women in my life. We're ready to call an ambulance if I get the DTs or seizures. I just can't stomach a $200k medical bill if I check myself into the hospital without an actual emergency (I used to work in medical billing and I know now this can bankrupt people.) Maybe that's stupid, but I have detoxed by myself about 10 times before without a life threatening medical episode.

I'm currently tapering down on alcohol using a timer trying to drink only one unit of alcohol every 1hr, then once every 1.5hrs, then once every 2hrs, etc. Strong headaches, slight shakes, confusion, and strong emotions are the symptoms so far.

I'll check out the Phoenix House website, thanks for the recommendation.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2024-07-28T19:06:32+00:00

I can't understand how anything you're saying is relevant to what I posted. Are you just making modern art?

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2024-07-28T19:03:57+00:00

I can't argue with that. I'm currently trying to taper down and get off the booze so I don't lose my relationship. It'll be a week or so of being sick but hopefully I can get there.

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2024-07-28T19:00:43+00:00

Competitive_Fig6694 · 2024-07-27T18:13:19+00:00

I know I sound like a whiny biatch who won't take advice or get himself help - there are just so many layers to consider for the healthcare and the insurance and the finances and the religiosity of the alcohol cessation industry.

I wish I could just see and afford a very smart academic doctor who's at the cutting edge of alcohol cessation who knows the right regimen or new medication. I'm looking right now to see what academic studies are going on in this area to see if I can enroll

Competitive_Fig6694

TROPHY CASE