General Hobie Class Rule 15.2 says:
Shrouds and forestays shall connect to the HOBIE CAT CO. supplied shroud adjusters. The twist toggle shall not be removed and must be used as supplied.
The rule applies to all Hobie classes except the Tiger and Wildcat.
However, during the 2023 Hobie 14 Worlds in Cesenatico it became clear that some Hobie 14s had been supplied or modified without the twist toggles as required by General Hobie Class Rule 15.2.
Due to supply shortages, the issue couldn’t be resolved for the event. For this reason, it was decided to grant an event-specific exception for the twist toggle requirement.
Following Cesenatico, the Rules Committee has worked with the manufacturers to properly address the situation. So, it is with great pleasure we can now announce the statement received from Steve Fields, Hobie Cat Company:
QUOTE
General Hobie Class Rule 15.2 explicitly outlines the manufacturing requirements, which are adhered to by the Hobie Cat Company.
The toggle serves as a crucial safety mechanism by providing a balance, ensuring that an equal force is exerted on both the anchor pin, the anchor bar, and the hull(s) lip-joint and hull & deck seam. Upon a detailed review, it was identified that around the time of the Hobie Multi-European Championships, we experienced a supply chain disruption.
Our commitment is steadfast towards the International Hobie Class, our Hobie Sailboat dealers, and most importantly, the class sailors.
As a measure of this dedication:
Hobie & Hobie Cat Europe is committed to providing replacement twist toggles at no cost to customers who have purchased new boats through our sailboat dealer network. We are determined to track the sales of Hobie Cat 14 sailboats impacted during the championship in collaboration with our dealers, ensuring rectification. Additionally, Hobie Cat Europe will assemble and supply kits for the Multi-European event to offer convenience on-site.
We apologize for any inconvenience to the Class and to the Event.
Best regards
Steve Fields
IHCA Rules Committee
VP Hobie Sailboats World-Wide
UNQUOTE
Further to the above, it has come to the attention of the Rules Committee that sailors in more classes have removed the twist toggles to obtain more mast rake. This is clearly illegal. If necessary, the legal way to go here is to shorten the shrouds as provided in General Class Rule 15.1.
Keeping the twist toggles in place is a crucial safety feature as explained by Steve.
We do in this light recommend twist toggles are routinely checked as part of boat inspections at events.
Not much fun to be disqualified for not having the twist toggles in place as required.
Should you be short of the required parts, your local Hobie dealer will be ready to help.
IHCA Rules Committee
