To Catracr

Both the 14 and the Wave are good boats. I have raced both. For a beginner I would prefer the Wave. It is a much better trainer than the 14, it was made as a trainer and has a lot fewer bad habits. For example it is almost impossible to pitchpole as long as you can hang on to the rudder and stay at the back of the boat. Your son will start looking forward to 20+ winds. When other boats are traveled past the footstraps, if they go out at all. As your son grows, both boats can be modified to F14 or super Wave form. If you want to add a jib to a Wave, you will need a pole. The stock system actually makes the boat go slower, it's just too close to the main. Adding even a small jib on a pole radically changes the performance of the boat. Adding a hooter is like turbo charging. Also you will want a good main, talk to Rick White.

A lot depends on your local area. In my area the 14 is dead. There are Waves but they are usually not interested in racing. I can sometimes get a fleet at Houston Yacht Club with kids racing their parents boats. Keep in mind, both of these boats in stock form are really slow by Cat standards. They can raced against Portsmouth Dinghies. The 14 and Wave are about the same speed as the dinghies until the wind get to 18-20, then you eat the dinghies alive. You can learn a lot starting with the Olympic Wannabes.

We purchased a Wave to teach our son to sail. My wife is talking about selling it now. She might actually do it, if the boat were going to a child.


The crack can be repaired so bear with me. There are only a few glues that will stick to the plastic. Epoxy is kind of a mechanical bond, wedging into the cracks. All glues that stick include a "prep" that raises the energy state of the plastic so it will bond. I would not recommend them to make any major repair. All of that I have seen, break down under UV.

The best way to repair the Wave is via brazing or welding. No one want to recommend this for boats because it's new and there are no standards. A good technician can make a permanent repair with a soldering iron and a chunk of old boat. I use a kit and a lot of care. If you don't want to do it yourself, check with a Kayak shop or find out where the local body shops send cars for this. The supplier is http://www.urethanesupply.com/. I use their uni welder lite. Their system is somewhere between brazing and hot glue. Industrial high temp hot glue guns work too but they are a lot more expensive. Check with 3M to find out what works and then start watching ebay if you really want one.

I think Matt is out of line with his comments. The Wave is probably second to the Tiger as the most active Hobie.

Carl