Hi T55,

I guess we are all concerned for your safety and enjoyment. Since most of us who use these forums are experienced (or at least committed) cat sailors, when compared to the average cruising sailor we probably tend to have higher ambitions in terms of speed being the source of enjoyment. That will have coloured everyone's view to some extent.

You need to work out what YOU want and how that is likely to develop as you gain experience. Do you generally like to potter and enjoy life at a gentle pace drinking a few tinnies of beer as the scenery rolls by, or do you find that you want to keep pushing the limits of speed and control to achieve an adrenelin rush? What about the people you want to sail with?

I have sailed for 3+ years and my wife has never got near any of my cats. We were in Aruba (Caribbean) two weeks ago and I persuaded her to come out for a ride on a Nacra 6.0 (big, stable beach cat) - with two other people to weigh it down. When the swell reached 6 inches the bow came up about 2 inches... that was enough for her to request a return to shore! By contrast, I keep looking for the edge and capsizing more often than I should in order to find it. I enjoy nothing more than powering off the top of waves into troughs several feet deep, and having spray flying from the bows and landing many yards behind me. The question is - which camp do you fall in? Have you seen the Spitfire Video (see separate threads on BBs)? Does their behaviour thrill or apall you? There's been a whole debate on their pitchpoling and capsizing - and you'll see that some of us think it's fun and others don't.

You also need to consider what windspeeds and wave conditions you'd like to sail in, while you are learning and thereafter if you tend to become more ambitious with experience.

One way to look at this is to draw a parallel with cars - that should make for some interesting follow up!

The Hobie Wave is rather like a Ford Ka. It is small and functional. You can drive it solo or two up but no more. You can throw it around a bit and heve a good perception of being on the edge, without leaving a dual carriageway or exceeding 35mph - but it felt good, was better than walking and your girlfriend was maxed out.

The Twixie has got some important trick bits (e.g. twin trapeze and spinnaker kit), so is like a Ford XR2. Still too small to accomodate a family, but a lot more fun to throw around. You have to go a bit faster to get a sense of speed, but you've got more controls to make going faster safe and comfortable. Your mate will enjoy this one more, whereas your girlfriend will either force you to stay in 3rd gear or still love it when you're topped out.

The Hobie 16 is most like the Ford Escort RS2000 from the mid '70's. Nothing like a modern RS2000, but fast, scary and on the edge if you drive round forests. As an absolute beginner, would you like to learn to drive in one? You and your mate are likely to love its accelleration, speed and graceful lines - so what if it is dated, it's a classic.

Most of the people on this bulletin board would probably consider themselves as driving anything from a mid 1990's BMW M3 to brand new Maclaren F1s.

In this context, which car would you buy to suit your needs?

I hope that is a useful perspective, and if not let's have fun with other analogies!

Cheers
Simon