i'm 17 and sail a prindle 18. i been sailing it since i was 13. my brother is going away to college so im loosing my usual crew. ive thought about getting a hobie 16 with the thought that it would be easier to sail single handed. am i right in assuming this?

ive found a hobie 16 with trailer at a used car dealer ship. they'll sell it to me for 400 dollars. the boat seames to be in sail able condition. i was wounder if i was getting a good deal and what kind of things i should look at before i buy it. any help would be apreciated

First, hobie 16 is not too bad to single hand, but make sure not to flip it, because being 17 you're probally not very heavy, and I couldnt right it solo (at 175 lbs) and probally need a minimum 200 to be able to do it).

$400 is not bad, but what year is it? Are there any soft spots? You can find plenty of old boats with softspots everywhere for that price, but I recommend you try to find one with few soft spots, preferrably none.

I agree, the Prindle 18 is a lot to handle alone. Lots of people, on the other hand, sail the Hobie 16 solo. Do a search on "soft spot" on this forum and you'll probably find a wealth of info. Be sure you especially check the hull around the pylons for mushy spots.

thanks for the information. i know plenty about soft spots because i repaired a humongous spot on the prindle the winter. the year of the boat is 83. when i first looked at the boat i didn't feel any.