# Hobie Cat for NooB?



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

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?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

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.


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

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


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Plumper-

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


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

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


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

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.


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## Soontobecruiser (Mar 15, 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.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Plumper said:


> 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.


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## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

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


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

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.



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





Plumper said:


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


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## US27inKS (Feb 6, 2005)

My first boat was a Hobie 16. I had never sailed before in my life. I took the boat out for the first time in 30 mph winds, with no instruction at all. I learned very quickly to dump wind from the sails, and I didn't even fly a hull that day.

While there may be better boats to learn on, and boats that will teach you more of the skills required for a keelboat, Hobies are great fun. You can in fact learn to sail on a Hobie, I sure did. The wife however hated the boat. It is wet, and you're ducking under the boom as you tack. Not her cup of tea.

Dog mentioned pitchpoling when running, which can happen. But a hobie is so fast that almost every point of sail is close hauled. Just don't run straight down wind, you can get there faster heading up a bit.

If no one has told you yet, you need to learn about the soft hulls on a H16. The older H16's had a foam filled fiberglass hull. As the hulls age, the foam tends to shrink away from the deck skin ahead of the trampoline. This will seriously compromise the strength of the hull. I learned about this after buying mine. The demise of the boat came when I pitchpoled it (no not on a run) and the port hull was bent backward when the mast hit the water, and the port side sank to just below the surface. It ruined our whole day, just as the wind was finally picking up.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

This is another reason a Hobie 16 is a lousy boat to learn on IMHO. You really don't learn all that much about proper sail trim, since most of the sailing is done with the sails close hauled due to apparent wind effects. 


> But a hobie is so fast that almost every point of sail is close hauled. Just don't run straight down wind, you can get there faster heading up a bit.


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## US27inKS (Feb 6, 2005)

sailingdog said:


> This is another reason a Hobie 16 is a lousy boat to learn on IMHO. You really don't learn all that much about proper sail trim, since most of the sailing is done with the sails close hauled due to apparent wind effects.


That's what I love about a Hobie. There is a LOT of apparent wind.

IMO, you can learn to love sailing on a H16, or you can learn the finer points of sail trim while trying to make an 850 lb plus crew boat move under sail.

BTW, I have never seen a day with so little wind that you couldn't sail a hobie at a respectable speed. I've got a picture of my H16 on the lake that looks like a swimming pool before anyone gets in - except for the (small) wake behind my boat. When I got my first boat, I wanted to sail it all the time. You can sail a Hobie in a wider range of conditions than some other boats.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Grumpy:
Here it is in terms you can relate to.
If you had just decided that riding a Motorcycle would be fun would one of the Ninja bikes be a good choice to learn on if your goal was to tour the US on a motorcycle?????
Same thing.
Hobie cats are a riot to sail, but if your goal is to move up to cruising they are the wrong boat (IMHO) to learn on.
There are plenty of smaller monohulls for sale out there that will give you the learning curve you are looking for before you move up to a 30 footer.
Start with something old and 20-25 foot that allows you to sail a Main, Jib(s) and a Spinnaker. This is the experience you need before going larger.
If you like to get wet and keep your heart rate up get a Hobie.
CK


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## 2Gringos (Jan 4, 2008)

I say get the Hobie. You don't have to sail it on the edge. And if you learn to sail one of those, you can probably sail anything else with a single mast. After a fast beach cat, other boats are, well, kinda stodgy and sluggish feeling. It's like going from your Ninja bike to a BMW.

And keep in mind that a lot of the guys on this forum wouldn't recommend a catamaran to you under any circumstances. Monohull people can be funny that way.


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## sck5 (Aug 20, 2007)

My experience is exactly what SD said. I have a hobie but I learned on a sailing dinghy ~ a pico which is a kind of laser but sloop rigged with all of the sail controls, cunningham, outhaul, vang, traveller, etc. Very responsive and very good to learn on and also fairly cheap. The hobie is a blast ~ my son and I like to sail it on the edge but you can certainly sail it more conservatively ~ I have taken my wife out and she really doesnt want adrenaline pumping too hard ~but as SD said until you learn a bit it is easy to get overpowered, and if you pitchpole it somebody can easily get hurt if they end up flying into the mast.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

2Gringos—

It is easy to say you don't have to sail it on the edge, but until you know how to sail... not sailing it on the edge can be pretty painful or really boring.  

Don't get me wrong, I love hobie cats, and am very much a multihull person, owning a trimaran myself—gave up the Hobie a long time ago. 

The OP wants to learn to sail. Most people who want to learn to do something, want to do so as quickly and painlessly as possible. Learning on a Hobie isn't going to accomplish that. Learning on a Pico, or a Flying Scot/Lightning, is going to be a better grounding in sailing fundamentals IMHO. You will have to learn about all points of sail and how to trim the sails effectively for them all, as opposed to two points of sail, which is effectively what a Hobie 16 sees—close hauled and running.


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## P8dawg (Jan 10, 2007)

I have sailed on beach cats for most of my life and have just recently began sailing on big monohulls. I have been very surprised at how much I have to relearn. Most of the difference is in trimming the sails and efficient points of heading. I really enjoy my new boat, but it's hard to match the speed and agility of a cat. If you like Ninjas, you should buy the cat. Don't forget Prindle or Nacra, which many argue are better boats overall.


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## Bump (Aug 23, 2004)

*Learning on a Hobie*

I owned a Hobie 14 for a few years and sailed frequently on a 16. Lots and Lots of fun, when I wasn't flying through the air or trying to get the damn thing rightside up again. ( I was much younger then and liked to push the hell out of things) But as a boat to learn about sailing not such a great tool. Better off with a monohull that flys main and jib and dosen't scare the bejesus out of you.


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## adamtroyg (Aug 6, 2007)

not going to say 'you can't learn to sail' on a hobie. you should probably try a sunfish or some other small boat to understand points of sail and how to get back to the launch point with out a motor. the other thing to consider, it's a wet boat. i've sailed it in cold weather , but it's most fun when getting wet isn't a factor.


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

Hobies are fun - and not just for beginners. Whenever we spend time at resorts in the tropics, I try to allocate as much time as possible on the beach Hobies. You will find that they don't point as close as monohulls and have a tendancy to flip in guster winds - especially if solo-sailing without additional railmeat.

Setting out into the wind from a beach in St. Lucia . . .


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hi guys. Well, this certainly has turned into a lively debate over night! I showed a picture of the H16 that I was going to look at this morning to my 8 y/o daughter, who has hear the whole conversation about eventually moving aboard and giving up the land. She offered the opinion that "there is no way we are going to be able to all live on that puny thing". She's adorable. The boat itself was OK I guess (although I am the first to admit that I don;t know what the heck I am looking at!). I had read about the hulls getting soft but how can you tell by inspecting it? The more I read and the more I listen to you guys the more I think that the H16 would be a great bit of fun after a season of learning on something a little tamer. Of course, I am becoming convinced that I can get very, very similar fun from a windsurfer at a great savings in space, money and complexity. 

Any way, it looks as if my learning is going to be done aboard the Cape Cod Mercuries, Lasers and Rhodes 19s of Boston's Community Boating program. I looked into it at the suggestion of a friend ( I didn't think that they offered adult programs) and wow! They offer unlimited lessons, unlimited use of the boats, instruction on every thing from the basics to taking some of the larger boats "out to sea" on the harbor. For less than $300 and that includes 5 types of center-board and keel boats, wind surfers and even kayaks. AND I don't have to do a lick of maintenance! 

With the display of type-loyalty that I see here I am surprised that no one has picked up on my expressed affinity for catboats.


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

Of course, learning to sail on someone else's boat is better than anything else.


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## blowinstink (Sep 3, 2007)

I am all for buying a hobie 16. Great boat tons of fun and just ignore all that business about not being able to learn from an H-16 (sail trim and weight distribution is every bit as important on a beachcat as on a laser -- its just that you'll pass the laser regardless of your trim P)). The problem with the h-16 is not so much the sail area as the limited amount of bouyancy in the bows. Some love it, some consider it a design flaw -- for most of us who aren't racing it is a non factor.

If you get serious about a beachcat join the yahoo "beachcats" group and check out this website: TheBeachcats.com - Catamaran Sailing

Go for it!


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## 2Gringos (Jan 4, 2008)

You're in Massachusetts? I have an older AMF 16 ft. centerboard daysailor sitting on a nice trailer on Cape Cod, with a four horse long shaft Johnson outboard. It's very similar to an O'Day Mariner, main and jib. Its more comfortable, double hulled with bench seats. There is a covered cuddy forward big enough for two people to sleep in. Or to get out of the spray in.

My son would probably sell it for a song....he needs parts to fix his jeep. It's a good boat, unsinkable, and will teach you to sail for cheap.

It's just exactly like this one, only its blue and white:
Sunbird 16 for sale, sailboat for sale, used sailboats

Got a Honda 650 Nighthawk sitting in a garage in NJ too if yer interested.....and an aluminum four snowmobile tilt trailer....

( we left the US in a hurry)

Oh, I just realized, for all you guys ribbing me about being a stinkboat driver....I actually DO own a sailboat...and its a monohull...


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## US27inKS (Feb 6, 2005)

MisterGrumpy said:


> I had read about the hulls getting soft but how can you tell by inspecting it?


Just push down on the decks in front of the trampoline. If you can push them down, they are delaminating. The more you can push, and the bigger area you can push, the worse it is.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

CBI is a great place to learn... I spent quite a bit of time there in middle and high school.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

sailingdog said:


> CBI is a great place to learn... I spent quite a bit of time there in middle and high school.


Yea, I knew that they did children but not adults.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

2Gringos said:


> ( we left the US in a hurry)


Best line ever. 
I had a Nighthawk 650. Real nice bikes they are.
Put a price on that boat for me will you?


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## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

Try to manuever a Hobie in tight quarters and light winds.
Good luck.


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## CrazyRu (May 10, 2007)

Try to find any small Nacra, G-cat or Mystere. They all be better learning platforms and behave more or less as "normal" sailboat, just more forgiving. Hobie 14 and Hobie 16 are not good boats. Yes, Hobie 16 is a biggest racing class, but it doesn't make it a good boat.


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## HobieMarty (May 27, 2018)

To say that the H14 and H16 are not good boats is about the most ridiculous thing I've have read in a while. I learned to sail in a small monohull when I was 10 years old but shortly after learning to sail, my little boat was destroyed by a storm in Destin, Fl where we lived. A few years later my family acquired a Hobie 14 and I really learned how to sail on that boat. I already had the basics, but not much experience at all. The H14 was fast and fun and after I learned how to sail it, I could jump on any boat and sail with confidence. I believe that a newbie could have a Hobie 14 or 16 as a first boat if so chosen. Hobie Cats are very robust and well built boats and are very forgiving in the fact that they don't break easily which would also be a good thing for the new sailor. You are going to flip at some point, I'd want to be on a boat that I know won't break on me and is easy to work on as well. A Hobie Cat can be sailed as a cruiser also, you dont have to go around flying hulls every time you go out if you dont want to or dont feel comfortable in doing that, you learn to sail the boat. 
I know this is a very old post but as a Hobie 16 sailor, I just had to give my 2 cents. 
...and now for something completely different...

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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