Hobie Cat for NooB?

MisterGrumpy · #1 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

I got the chance to live out a life -long dream last summer and got a sailing lesson on a small lake in NH. THIS year I want to do "more". My wife is signing me up for community boating in Boston but I want my own boat. I am looking to spend cheep, cheep money. I know that in a year or three I want a 30'+ cruiser to go, well, anywhere I damn well please, but for now I just need to get the basics down.

Now, I'm a motorcyclist and I know in the bike world there are a lot of 600cc Ninja-type bikes for sale cheep because people buy them and scare the **** out of themselves because they are really racing bikes. Well, there are a lot of cheep Hobie Cats for sale around here.

So I looked on the net. I saw a LOT of pictures of cats up on one hull, soaking wet crew. WOW! Exciting! Thrilling! Racing! Those are not really words that I am looking for right now. Stable. Controllable. Fun. There, tose words are more like it.

My question is this: can a regular Hobie 16 be a good, stable learning boat or is it pretty much just for racing and showing off?

My follow up question is: how much are dry suits?

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

A good drysuit is at least $300 generally. I wouldn't say that a Hobie cat is all that great a boat to learn on, even though they're a hell of a lot of fun. You're better off learning on a regular sailing dinghy, since a regular sailing dinghy will teach you more about sail trim and boat balance, which is a bit tougher to learn on a beach cat.

Plumper · #3 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

I'd go for it. Sailing a Hobie is huge fun and you'll live longer than the guys on Ninjas.

sailingdog · #4 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

Plumper-

If his goal is to learn about sailing, he'd learn a lot more on a Flying Scot or Lightning dinghy IMHO.

Plumper · #5 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

Who cares, Hobies are great fun and good learner boats too. He's not asking about FS or lightnings.

camaraderie · #6 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

Hobies are a blast...Quite a bit different than sailing a regular monohull but who cares. There ARE monohulls with similar thrills like the Moths but they are not as easy to learn on.

Soontobecruiser · #7 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

I sailed a couple of monohulls a few times and then we bought a Hobie 16 and loved it. Find some one that has sailed a hobie and go out for the them for a day. We now own an Islander 36 and are looking to move up to a 42' catamaran to do some extended cruising. Good Luck.

MisterGrumpy · #8 (**permalink**) 03-20-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plumper

Who cares, Hobies are great fun and good learner boats too. He's not asking about FS or lightnings.

Actually, there are a lot of Lightnings around here too. I love the cat boats but $8K+? Not for a first boat.

sailortjk1 · #9 (**permalink**) 03-21-2008

agreed, Hobies are a fun boat, but are they a good learning boat?
If your asking me I would say no.

sailingdog · #10 (**permalink**) 03-21-2008

It would help if you read his entire opening post. He clearly asks if the Hobie 16 would be a good boat to learn on. IMHO, they're really not great boats to learn on, they're fun boats, but there are much better boats to learn on. Beach cats, as a general rule, are way overpowered and tend to capsize a bit too readily for any real learning.

They're a handful with crew that knows how to use the trapeze, and a pain in the butt if you're singlehanding them and trying to learn how to sail at the same time. Anyone trying to learn on a H16 would probably spend more time flipping the sucker back upright than sailing. That isn't a good way to learn IMHO.

The Hobie 16 also tends to pitchpole when running. That's not only dangerous, but really discourages the novice sailor.... as only fear can do.

In many ways, the sailing dinghies I mentioned are far better learning vehicles. They are very responsive to sail trim and boat balance, but tend to be a bit less capsize prone, since they're not quite as overpowered as a Hobie 16 is. Here are some stats:

Hobie 16
Length: 16' 7"
Beam: 7' 11"
Mast Length: 26' 6"
Sail Area: 218 Sq. Ft.
Weight: 320 lbs.

Lightning
Length: 19'
Beam: 6' 6"
Mast Length: 26' 2"
Sail Area: 177 Sq. Ft.
Weight: 700 lbs

Flying Scot
Length: 19'
Beam: 6' 9"
Mast Length: 28'
Sail Area: 191 Sq. Ft.
Weight: 850 lbs

As you can see, the Hobie 16 is the shortest and lightest of the three boats, but has the greatest sail area.

BTW, I think a Hobie cat is probably a better boat for a child to learn on than an adult, since a child will weigh less proportionally, and will be able to get away with a few things on a H16 that would dump an adult. I grew up sailing on the H14s among others... and had a blast... but then kids don't have as much inherent fear about getting injured...since they tend to believe they'll live forever.

Quote:

My question is this: can a regular Hobie 16 be a good, stable learning boat or is it pretty much just for racing and showing off?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plumper

Who cares, Hobies are great fun and good learner boats too. He's not asking about FS or lightnings.