hobie cat 16 as a 1st

[avenger79]

is it worth learning to sail on a hobie cat with the future want being a larger 30 foot or so monohull? reason i ask is hobies have always held an intrigue for me. they look fast and fun. we have many smaller lakes near us to sail on. if i start with a bigger boat i would have to travel quite a ways to float it.
reason for a hobie over a small mono is simply the interest in a cat.

[SecondWindNC]

Hobies are fun. There are some differences you will have to adapt to when you move to a larger monohull, but there's no reason you can't learn and sail now on a Hobie, and then move up later.

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by avenger79

is it worth learning to sail on a hobie cat with the future want being a larger 30 foot or so monohull? reason i ask is hobies have always held an intrigue for me. they look fast and fun. we have many smaller lakes near us to sail on. if i start with a bigger boat i would have to travel quite a ways to float it.
reason for a hobie over a small mono is simply the interest in a cat.

The lessons learned about how a multihull handles in a big wind can ONLY be safely learned on a small cat, when the penalty for flipping is getting wet on a hot day. If you had $1,000,000 in you pocket, I would say learn on a Hobie for a season. I sail my $100,000 cat with confidence BECAUSE I have beach cat expereince. I would rather have a beach cat sailor take the helm in a blow than a 20-year big boat veteran.

My blog has stuff about both the Stiletto and the PDQ.

And as others will add, the Hobie is fun. I miss mine very much.

[CalebD]

You can't go too wrong with a Hobie, Prindle or other beach cat as a starter boat IMHO. You just may be spoiled by the speed though.
They can provide a bit of a wet ride though.
Go for it.

[lapworth]

Picture it like owning a jetski vs. 18' bayliner. I own a 24' boat and would still like to get my hands on a windsurfer.

[Waltthesalt]

I've had 2 Hobie 16s and lotsa' monohulls from 20' to 41'. The 16 is a classic, the ultimate beach boat. If you have warm water there's nothing to beat the Hobie. I think performance got in the way of parctical fun in later boats. The smaller Hobie was it 14' was too small and tended to drive unde with two people. The bananna shaped '16 hulls was a way to keep the lenght down and help from driving the bow under. Later boats used longer hulls to get more flotation forward.
Is it the best wat to learn to sail? Well certianly for a caramaran. But you can always sail a monohull. The difference with a cat is that it acellerates so that there's a big difference between apparent wind and actual wind. Not so for displacement monohulls. Simply you sail a cat differently. But I say go for it. There's nothing like a Hobie on a summer day.

[nickmerc]

I did exactly what you are saying. I bought a H16 my last semester in college with my tuition money. I read a few books, then got on the water and had a blast. 10 years later I own a Pearson 30. Pirorities changed so I had to adapt my sailing to fit. Good thing the wife loves it. In between I sailed 70' wooden schooners. I found the most valuable lesson the Hobies have taught me is to think ahead of the boat. They sail fast and things happen fast. Once you get used to it and are ahead of the boat, you become very comfortable and confident. To get every ounce of speed out of a Hobie you still have to know how to properly trim sails. Understanding your boats strengths and weaknesses is critical. Hobies can be very unforgiving. On the other hand if you make a mistake chances are you will get wet and have a great story to tell later. Also the simplicity of the rig and the boat allow you to just sail.

Transitioning to a larger mono has a few things to look for. Search this forum and you will see the advice offered.

I say go for it. You will have a great introduction to sailing, have the time of your life, and all for only a around $1000.
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