| Re: newbie question
[Re: Jeff2]
#139823 04/13/08 06:31 AM 04/13/08 06:31 AM |
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 5,558 Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH... Mary
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 5,558 Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH... | I'm trying to find a used boat for my wife and son. What do you mean? It is for your wife and son to sail? Or that you want a boat for yourself that you can take your wife and son out on? And how old is your son? | | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Jeff2]
#139825 04/14/08 06:13 AM 04/14/08 06:13 AM |
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 5,558 Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH... Mary
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 5,558 Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH... | I have now read the other post, and I think you should take the advice given there: Get a smaller boat. You need one that you can right by yourself if it capsizes. Even if you have both your wife and son on the boat, your wife will be in the water helping the child, and will not be assisting you in righting the boat.
While your children are young and until your wife is experienced as crew, I would recommend the Hobie Wave. It is very stable, the least likely to capsize, and the easiest to right. It can handle a lot of weight. It has more seating area than either the Hobie 16 or Hobie 18. It cannot "turtle," because of the masthead float. (This is VERY important when you have small children on the boat.)
You can get the jib option for it and also the single-trapeze option -- that way there is something for everyone to do; your wife can handle the jib, and your son can have fun on the trapeze. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> They have a small spinnaker option for the Wave, too.
I forgot to mention that it only takes a few minutes to put up the mast and the sail and be ready to put it in the water. And if you have beach wheels, it is very easy to launch and take out of the water (especially if you have the bow spreader bar, which I highly recommend, and you can get that separately or it comes automatically, I think, if you get either the jib or spinnaker option.)
Last edited by Mary; 04/14/08 06:21 AM.
| | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Jeff2]
#139826 04/14/08 06:21 AM 04/14/08 06:21 AM |
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 241 Largo, Florida papayamon2
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 241 Largo, Florida | Hi Jeff,
Not to rain on your parade, but I'm concerned about you as a newbie (your word, not mine) on a 20' with a 5 yr old. Beach cats are so light that they power up quickly in a breeze, and a Hobie 20 will have serious acceleration and speed. If you go back and read your previous post, you'll note that everyone recommended a smaller boat. That advice is born out of experience; the bigger the sail, the wilder things can get. I know you have a lot of experience sailing a larger boat, but beach cats are a whole different ballgame, especially when the wind picks up.
Hey, I'm not trying to be contrary. Perhaps you feel well equipped for the challenge, or even insulted that anyone would recommend caution. And maybe you'll be the guy who catches on right away and never makes a mistake. My concern, though, is that you'll be like most of us--forgetting to uncleat that line or finding ourselves in the wrong place when the wind shifts, etc. Things happen so quickly on these cats, and we've all had close calls (funny afterwards!) when we lose concentration. 20' is a lot of boat to start with, especially with young crew.
OK, I've said my piece. I had already done so in response to your previous post, but when I saw what you're leaning towards, I felt I ought to speak up again. I understand we all get to make our choices, but I'll finish with a bit of "Popeye wisdom" that I've often quoted to my teenagers: "We makes our choices, and we lives with our consequences." I just don't want you to endure any consequences that you'll later regret.
I really do hope it works out well for you, whatever you choose. Happy sailing, and might you have much fun and stay safe on the water.
Kevin | | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Jeff2]
#139827 04/14/08 07:58 AM 04/14/08 07:58 AM |
Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 6,049 Sebring, Florida. Timbo
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Posts: 6,049 Sebring, Florida. | Jeff, if you are serious about buying this Hobie 20, be sure you get the owner to come out and sail with you at least once or twice before you try to go it alone. Everyone here has a horror story to tell about some newbie who showed up with a new (to him) cat when it was blowing 20, with the wife and kid, and shortly after was never seen sailing again...
When these things flip, (and as a newbie, you will, unless you get lots of good instruction or only go out on very light air days) they do not stay still. They project a huge barn door of a trampoline to the wind and will be moving downwind quickly, with or without you. Keep that in mind when you and the family hit the water. Have the wife swim for the kid while you hold onto the boat, sail back for them after you right it, but as many have said, you will have trouble righting it alone. It can be done if everything works, but you have to know what you are doing ahead of time.
Read the short article I just posted about the America's Cup crews, the best mono sailors in the world, trying to figure out mulithulls. Guess what, even they flipped it. So be sure the wind isn't blowing too hard (no more than 10 the first few times out) and be sure it's an -onshore- breaze, as that's where you will be headded when the boat leaves you in the water. We've all done it. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
Blade F16 #777
| | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Timbo]
#139828 04/14/08 08:11 AM 04/14/08 08:11 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 975 South Louisiana, USA Clayton
old hand
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 975 South Louisiana, USA | First off, the 20 is a great boat, I had one for 6 years. Now the drawbacks... Not a great family boat, too many lines. Someone is always sitting on something you want to uncleat (not good if its blowing some). If your crew can help by trimming make sure they know what you mean when you scream "GIVE ME MORE DOWNHAUL!" or "RELEASE THE JIB...NOW!!!". You'll end up upside down.
Tried racing with my then 8 year old and did great until the wind picked up. Got kinda hairy, got one hand on the tiller and one on the main sheet and none for the downhaul, outhaul, barberhauler, jib sheet... you know what I mean. Went for a swim. Blowing like it was I was able to right the boat pretty quick and finish.
Next race, son says "Dad, is it OK if we don't go out?" Note: Last race on the 20, sold it the next summer.
Good news is I now hava a Stiletto 27 that I can put the whole family on (and all of their friends) and bought my son a 5.2 (he's older now) so he can be in charge.
Clayton
Good luck! | | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Clayton]
#139829 04/14/08 08:31 AM 04/14/08 08:31 AM | Anonymous
Unregistered
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Unregistered | I agree.. get a smaller cat to start... you can always sell it and upgrade after you get a few 100 hours under your belt (really). Even a hobie 16 can get wild when a storm cloud forms over head..
I have found beach cats keep their resell value very well as long as you dont trash it. | | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Bajan_Bum]
#139831 04/14/08 08:52 AM 04/14/08 08:52 AM |
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 168 San Diego hokie
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 168 San Diego | I would look at the hobie wave or if you need something bigger hobie getaway with mast float. The nacra 5.0 or 5.7, prindle 16, g-cat 5.0 type boats would be ok choices too but will be less forgiving than the wave or getaway. I went from racing keelboats to sailing my Nacra 5.0 and while that experience has helped the catamaran is very much a different type of sailing, I rented a Getaway before getting my boat and the Getaway will feel lightning quick compared to any big keelboat. | | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Mary]
#139834 04/14/08 12:12 PM 04/14/08 12:12 PM |
Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 224 Cincinnati, Ohio Tri_X_Troll
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Posts: 224 Cincinnati, Ohio | Weightwise, I don't think the Getaway would be too heavy to pull out of the water using a decent sedan.
The getaway weights in at 390 lbs and then figure in another 350 for the trailer.
My H16 weighs in at 340 and the OLD trailer weighs in at 380 and my Ford Focus can pull it out. It had to gunt a little on the steep ramp, but it did it. Now a gravel ramp......no chance in moving it.
I grew up around power boats, water skiing, and have to admit that the width of a H20 is goign to be the biggest pain when maneuvering the trailer in tight quarters.
A H20 is going to be much much wider than the car or an 18 foot skiff, so backing it into a parking spot will be tough.
Last edited by Tri_X_Troll; 04/14/08 12:17 PM.
Ryan - H16
I prefer to go sailing because baseball, football, tennis, and golf only require 1 ball!
| | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Tri_X_Troll]
#139835 04/14/08 01:05 PM 04/14/08 01:05 PM |
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 5,558 Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH... Mary
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 5,558 Key Largo, FL & Put-in-Bay, OH... | I wasn't thinking about a car -- thinking beach wheels. But if you use a trailer, weight wouldn't really be quite so much of an issue, because you can winch it onto the trailer (if you can get the trailer deep enough in the water to get the boat started on the rollers).
I haven't sailed on a Getaway, but I think you have to trapeze off the wings, don't you? Might be a little scary and precarious for a 5-year-old. I also don't know how easy a Getaway is to right. Maybe somebody else can say.
If you have a nice, light aluminum trailer and a dolly wheel on the front, you can just unhitch it from the car and roll it by hand into its parking spot, piece of cake, no matter what boat.
Also, we have turned all of our trailers into flatbeds now, 8'6" wide, and it makes it a lot easier to get the boat on and off, because you don't have to worry about keeping the hulls lined up on rollers.
Last edited by Mary; 04/14/08 01:12 PM.
| | | Re: newbie question
[Re: Bajan_Bum]
#139839 04/14/08 03:14 PM 04/14/08 03:14 PM |
Joined: Aug 2004 Posts: 145 Cheshire, UK Simon
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Posts: 145 Cheshire, UK | Please try a smaller boat first! The Hobie Wave would be a great place to start. The bigger boats are a handful - my 20 foot Nacra 6.0 is called Animal, with good reason: it is no respecter of inexperience!
Simon Shadow 067 | | |
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