Hobie 16 to a Mono Questions

[littlelizzy]

I never got over racing my 16 Hobie. The experience is like no other. You may try to find a Stilleto which I think is about 27ft Catamaran that cooks. It is also trailerable but not much for interior accomodations

[HeartsContent]

Moved from a Hobie 16 to a Macgregor 26M. Wouldn't go back unless I could have both.

I was quite worried about dealing with the slower speed and it's a non-issue. The comfort and trips that I do are something that I could not do on my Hobie16. Anchoring out is absolutely fantastic - a real getaway.

A Telstar is fast but not such a great cruiser. All sailboats have their trade offs.

[gregschultz]

A few years ago I bought an older (mid - 80s) 20' trailerable trimaran (Haynes-Hunter Tramp). It is a blast to sail, the set up time is about 30 minutes and it is reasonably quick (best speed I've noticed on the GPS has been 15 knots). The cockpit is big enough to camp in, or you can drive it up on the shore and set up a tent. When I first bought mine I scoured the web looking for others and noticed some in Texas around the gulf, so you might be able to find one quasi-locally (well used, I'm sure).

The guy who responded with a Telstar has the hot lick - look at their website and play the video on raising the mast. It gave me religion! I just can't quite bring myself to plunk down the money for a new one. If I lived on the water it would be a different story.

What ever you buy, my advice is to replace the boat trailer lights and wiring, the hubs, bearings, bearing buddies, tires and wheels!! No matter what the previous owner says about their condition, I've replaced them all by the side of the road! Learn from my "slowness"!

Good luck with it.

[SHNOOL]

Going cat to mono, in the size range you are talking about, does give possibilities of going faster than 6 knots.. Obviously with the right conditions you could plane!

Hull speed on my Capri 22 is theoretically 5.9 knots. I have done 6.4, and several have proof of exceeding 8 knots with them.

My capri 14.2 however, I had well over 9 knots (couldn't watch the gps, was busy last number I saw was 9.1, just before I nearly capsized steering for shore)... surfing downwind with it, planing with my fat keester in it creating 3 foot wake before a thunderstorm.

Yes the mono's are slower. Some of the earlier posts give you an idea of how much slower. But if speed is all you are after, buy a jet-ski, or kite board.

If you want comfortable accommodations for 2 or more (overnight) 20 foot will be a tight minimum.

Because our lake has a limitation of no overnighting (dumb I know), I bought my boat as a larger cockpit, generally quick boat with a decent place to hide out of the weather.

Only you can prioritize what you need in a boat.

[smallboatlover]

For the people saying monos or slow and not fun. i get my 16' mono up to 10-17 mphs and i get an adreniline rush when i'm hiking and the boat is still on a steep angle.

[HeartsContent]

The adrenaline rush on the Hobie 16 is realizing that on a windy day, screaming across the water, you are not fully in control of the boat and if you capsize - it could hurt!

There is nothing that touches flying a hull for long distances - man you guys are going to make me buy a Hobie 16 again!

[SloopJonB]

You can't really compare them - the only things a mono and a Hobie have in common is sails and they both float. They must even be sailed differently - bear off in a puff on a cat, round up in a mono.

Think of going from a Ninja bike to a car - lots of fast cars but it's not the same thing no matter how fast a car you buy.

[BikerSailor125]

I've been sailing and racing for almost 40 yrs. Boats from 420's to Frers 50's. I highly recommend an inexpensive transition with excitement in a J-24. Small, maneuverable and sturdy. In a race on Lake Huron we encountered a squall of 50+ mph winds with blinding rain. We weathered it with two reefs in the main and a storm jib. Another J-24 did not recognize the twisted gray towel in the sky and was caught with full main, jib and spinnaker and still survived with no damage. That crew were actually standing on the outside of the boat and hanging onto the lifelines when the spreaders touched the water!!!

I've seen several sound J-24's for less than 6 grand. For a Hobie sailor the Spartan cabin is more than luxurious.
All boat buyers need to test the hull and deck with a moisture indicator before taking the plunge. It may save you grief and dollars. I didn't listen and payed for it.