Hay I found the perfect multihull sailboat. It's a 16' trimaran that weighs only 115 lbs. You can set it up in 5 or less minutes. It’s fast and sails well in light winds. Also if you have no wind you can use its human powered propulsion system. It’s also car-top-able and dismantles in an easy to manage package. It’s currently the #1 selling sailing product in the US and Canada, and will soon be introduced internationally. It was voted the #1 recreational product for 2007 by National Geographic. Once you see it at www.hobiecat.com and whether you like it or not this is what the general sailing public wants. The future of sailing is here it’s just not obvious to those stuck in the old world of carbon fiber cats (heck the kevlar/carbon cats are not even the future of sailing). I constantly hear sailors, young and old say they are tired of all the set up time, etc. with most cats, particularly racing cats (& monohull sport boats, etc.), they just want to go sailing and have fun, and they want to spend less than $10,000. Most want to spend around $3-5000 new. They want to race but not with hard core racers.

Also regarding why Hobie will not produce a HT boat or something else, well when it ain’t broke why fix it (the H16 class is strong ((next H16 world’s; masters registration is full; will be a large turnout again like all the H16 world’s of the past – 170 competitors signed up and that number will reach well over 200)), the Tiger is doing great, and the Wave and their other roto-molded boats are consistently strong sellers). Hobie co. is very happy and very successful company, they certainly do not need to build a new light weight cat for a very small portion of the market that really is not a profitable market, and producing a new HT boat would only fragment the strong H16 & Tiger classes.

Fair winds, <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

(Is this a wind-up or not? I'll bite anyway...)

Who is the "general sailing public", are these ppl who cannot sail yet?

I guess every sailing product has its place. How long will it be before these are left in the garage because they are cheap toys (that's all they are marketed as) that will not entertain after more than a few uses. I guess the resorts may get bang for buck.

Also, 52kg isn't light so using the word "only" to describe the weight isn't really appropriate.

It may be entertaining for a little while, but it's NOT the future.

I'm nervous that these toys will actually be detrimental to the sailing community. I've heard a number of friends complain about going to a resort, hiring a dodgy boat, and not having a good time. I blame this on making it too easy for n00bs to be introduced to sailing on their own. First impressions last, current sailors should be responsible for introducing new sailors and give them a good first impression. Don't rely on products that are cheap (and look simple to us experienced sailors) to give the first impression of sailing, they often don't live up to the punters expectations for more than a few hours. Give your crew the sailing bug and encourage them to get their own boat, then get a new crew to introduce to sailing. It only takes a few skippers and owners to do this before classes will start to grow.

The laser isn't doing anything for growing sailing, all it does is suck sailors out of other classes.

Enough time wasted now, and my brain hurts from the frustration!...I think I'll go sailing in a real boat with my new crew.

(whoa, that rant was all over the place!)

http://www.hobiecat.com/adventure-island/models_adventure_island.html


And it is made by Hobie ?

I thought we just had the 1st of april !


Wouter


(This concept has been around for many years already though, this is not new by Hobie)

The AI isn't that impressive. I wonder what it rates without the drive in?

I mean yeah it is a cool idea and has uses but it isn't going to break open the sailing world. The 16 is a heavy old outdated design. Why sail something that would rather dive to the bottom than stay on the surface. Now, the tiger there is a machine, but they thing weighs 400 pounds! Look at todays top cats like the F16's and the A's. Super light super fast.

geesh...buy an ad.

The future of sailing is s kayak!?

Are you sure your name isn't Frank Mighetto?

I can see this turning into another boat bashing thread...oh wait it already has....yawn

You guys have it all wrong, click on Wouter's link, scroll down to the video clip. it's a great idea, but here's what it realy needs: Toss the skinny little Amas and hook it up with some F16 hulls, then replace that tiny stick, again, put a F16 wing mast and sails on it, now add some tramps on the Akas, and you have a real 16 foot trimaran!

In it's present configuration it would be terribly slow in anything under 25 knots of wind, and then too wet as you would be pushing those tiny amas under all the time. But I like the concept, it just needs to be pimp'd. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Frank, is that you?

Yeah those ama's look like they get pressed under easily in that video.

I wonder how that sails in a considerable wind (and chop)

Wouter

The hobie site states the weight capacity is 350lbs but I think thats pushing it. That dude in the picture doesn't look more than 250 and the boat seems to be sittin' pretty low. I'd like to see a similiar boat made of a lighter material than roto-molded plastic. Bottom line this is a cheap boat for cheap thrills and I agree with ncik, they are going to collect a lot of dust in the garage after a season.

wont or cant?

If THAT'S the future of sailing, I've never been more content to live in the past!!

How much does this thing cost anyway?

OK, step outside of the box!!! For those of you hard core sailors/racers, stop reading! For the adventurists, look at it as a way to kayak around a small lake gunkholing, wetting a line or leisurely checking out spaces you wouldn't get to with a regular sailboat. Kayaking has its place! The sail will help when crossing larger bodies of water (relative here) with a little breeze. BUT, You've got to think about NOT RACING!!! Agreed that the statement of the future of sailing is way off base, but it could be useful to the right audience.

JMO,

Clayton

P.S. Of course I can stick it inside of my Stiletto! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

What a bunch of rubbish. The future of kayaking/adventuring maybe, but this has nothing to do with sailing. And if you think the H16 is also the future then I am sure that you are driving a Ford model T.

Well put Clayton. It's not a replacement and has it's own niche.

You guys are funny - and are playing the elitist role that conventional mono-hull sailors did in the late 1960's.

Go back 40 years and replace this with a Hobie 14. "The Future of Sailing!" Bah! Never! Who would ever buy one of those things! Plastic toys! Those aren't real sailboats! After one year, they'll collect dust in the garage!

Sound familiar? Think about it.

I'm not saying that the Adventure Island will ever sell like the Hobie 14/16 did/has. But the pricepoint and simplicity are there - just like the H14 in 1967.

The boats we sail today (even the Hobie 16) are:
1) Too expensive (when new)
2) Too complicated
3) Too big / heavy
For the average Joe SixPack who has no intention of ever racing or even sailing in the ocean.

You guys may look down your noses at these, but Hobie Cat's laughing all the way to the bank.

You're right. Its just that to many of us "sailing" means something that this thing doesn't represent.

I think there is a place for the rotomould boats but that isn't what he is talking about he is talking about that little kayak they built that can't do more than about 6 or 7 knots under sail.

Also he said something abouth the HObie 16, yeah it is a fun boat and i love to sail on it, but not the future!