Hello Everybody;



I have been dinghy sailing for quite a few years now (Lasers, CL 16) and am quite interested in the Hobie Getaway. I like the fact that it can be sailed solo, is higher out of the water than a Hobie 16, and has a more manageable sail plan than the Hobie 18.



I know that the dealers are going to tell me that the Hobie Getaway is a dream boat for a guy like me and yadda yadda yadda. But I'd like to hear thoughts from you experienced catamaran sailors. Would the Hobie Getaway be a good boat for a first time catamaran owner?



http://www.hobiecat.com/sailing/models_getaway.html



Thanks in advance for all your input.

The Hobie Getaway is a great first catamaran. It is easy to sail and rig (Rotomolded bulletproof hulls, boomless main, roller furling jibs, no daggerboards). It is easier to tack and goes well in good air. Not a bad Portsmouth rating if you start racing. We had several Getaways racing in our evening racing series on the Outer Banks by mostly first time catsailors and they all loved it and when they sailed well they corrected out OK. The boat is a little heavy and does not point as well as most cats. One nice thing is it does sail well with up to 4 people on the boat and the front trampoline is a great lounging area. Just my 2 cents!!



Jon Britt

OBXCC and Nor'Banks Sailing

Jon raises some interesting points. Kinda got me thinking about "family fun" etc. My kids are old enough for a 'family' boat. Maybe we'd all go to gether more... up to now I've been strictly a go fast, have wild times kinda guy.



What we don't know, in trying to advise you, is what "sailing lifestyle" you desire. Lots and lots of boats can be described as "can be sailed solo, is higher out of the water than a Hobie 16, and has a more manageable sail plan than the Hobie 18" and each boat will suit a different sailor's needs and preferences. My Nacra 5.0, for one of many examples, is each of the things you listed as liking about the Getaway, but it's nothing like that boat.



So we usually give a guy like you the advice to find your local fleet by telling us where you plan to sail, and then go visit them, they'll be delighted to give you every opportunity to fall in love with their individual boats, by letting you sail them, crew them etc. Maybe you'll find on one hand, that you like the H16, that being "higher out of the water" isn't so necessary. Maybe you'll like a boat you haven't even heard of yet.



Certainly, you'll have fun, meet people you're bound to have common ground with, and end up more sure you've bought the right boat.

I recently purchased a new Jav2 F18ht and it was late being delivered so I rented a Gateway while on vacation. I thought it would be reasonable fast, fun, etc. What I discovered was that it was very very heavy, so moving it around was a hassle. Two big guys couldnt move it up the beach without wheels and even with wheels it was a project. It was also alot slower than I though it would be. Flying a hull required 15knots plus. and it didnt accellerate like my Dart 16. The wings were cool for hanging out, and it felt like I was on a much larger boat, the wings give you a sense of a cabin, unlike most cats without wings. If you are an experienced sailor, and you are looking for performance you will probably be disappointed with the Gateway. If you are looking to take your kids or family out cruising, the Getaway might work for you. I recommend you look at something more high tech if you want to race or you are looking for more performance. Go rent the Gateway, then go rent or sail other boats too.

The Getaway does seem truly bullet proof, and you probably wont have to spend much time maintaining it. And if you have some place to leave it rigged, it would be a great low worry, low maintenance boat.

I agree with the above performance assessment, YAWN, and also the possibility for young kids and family, then it fits well.

While I'm sure that you'll blow by your buddies in their lasers and opti's.....



The getaway was never meant as a screamer.... I rented one once and took my little sister and her little friend out for a spin in 10-15mph breezes. While it was fun, it certainly wont win any cat-on-cat races and the girls happened to like it. (if you value the opinions of 13 year old girls.)



I had no problem controlling the boat singlehandedly (I sail a 17 sport by myself with a jib) and the wings aren't really wings, but more like a pole that you have to balance on. My boney butt was not the most comfy on those hard things.

Thank-you folks for the great replies. I really appreciate it. No doubt I will have a few silly questions for you. First silly question. What is the advantage of a boomless mainsail? And 2 what do you people mean by a bulletproof hull?

Personally I found that the reduction of the risk of hitting your head on th boom is outweight by the reduction of sailcontrol in gutsty and heavy winds.



Booms of cat rarely come over fast and most boom don't weight alot too.



A boomless main in strongwinds is difficult to make flat and when sheeting out will completely loose shape an make the boat behave badly. Then it requires extra skill to control the boat, just the thing you don't want in a first timer boat.



I would advice getting a boom



Personally I know of quite a few boats that will satisfy your requirements and that are alot lighter to. Most of these Prindles and Nacras can be bough second hand for good prices.



Wouter



Wouter

Definition: Boom - "The sound you hear which informs you that your head is too high when tacking on a sailboat with that funny metal bar on the bottom of the sail."



A boomless rig is one literally without the boom, and hence without that painful sensation of hitting it repeatedly with your head, nose, neck, groin (hey, it could happen!) etc. A good boomless main has a working camber all the way to the bottom, is lighter, and, without that heavy boom, jibes slightly more gently, providd one does it right (imho). But don't give up on booms altogether; often they can more precisely set up the foot flatness. ANd if you know what to do with the sheeting attachment point, you can almost perfect your mast rotation without a rotator, among other things.



Roto-molded hulls seem in my limited experience to go a little less "crunch" and a little more "sproing" on impacts. I'm not knowledgeable to compare other characteristics. Don't attempt to use them to stop a real bullet.



Where will you be sailing, and wht kind of sailing interests you?



Ed Norris

Hello,

My only experience with roto-molded hulls are with a rental Hobie Wave. While it did seam that the hulls could take quite a bit of abuse, this one had a 12" crack just under a cross beam. I assume it was from stress and not an impact. The owner had some duct tape on it and it sailed fine.

Jack Hoying

Fort Loramie, Ohio

i know i am not objective here, but the prindle 16 is a great boat. i had very little sailing experience when i got mine and managed to become a pretty good sailor without too much damage to the boat. it can be single handed, carries two easily, and i have even had four adults and two children (short ride to caladesi) without problems.

one more thing. the prindle is lower to the water which makes for a more wet ride (unless you bury the hobie bows - i can't remember the last time i buried the bows), but the lower trampoline means there is more space between the boom and tramp. i have never hit my head on the boom (at least not on the prindle)

You guys have been a great help. I've considered the Prindle 18 before and weighed the pros and cons against the Hobie 18. The Prindle won. Now it's down to the Prindle18 and the Hobie Getaway. As I plan to do some camping on deserted islands along the Nova Scotia coastline, I like the Getaway but there are probably more Prindles's on the used boat market.



I have another question. When trailering a catamaran on long distance (in excess of 1000 miles) is it best to collapse the hulls? I would think they'd catch a lot of wind on the highway.





ED; Guns scare the crap out of me. I have relatives in the RCMP. They showed me their guns to me once and I was very nervous just looking at them.

We have a group of Hobie 16 sailors that sail on the west coast and camp sail. We sail to several Islands each summer and have great fun. We have actually found the Hobie 16 not to be to wet as compared to other cats due to the raised tramp. I actually bought the Hobie 16 because it was drier than other cats of its length. A friend of ours just got a pair of Trap seats for his Hobie 16 and I was able to sail with him and boy does it add a lot to the boat, plus it is more comfortable than any wing seat out there. I have sailed a Getaway and it can carry quite a load but the performance is not to great, but then again it was designed as a family boat/fun boat.

When the choice comes down to those two boats than I would advice the Prindle 18.



Good, cheap, strurdy, will take three adults on the tramp and sail well. Will also be a heap faster than the gateway. in the order of 12 %. And it has a boom.



Wouter

I've put a Hobie 16 and a Prindle 16 (my own) next to one another and the trampoline is at the same height. It is just that the P16 hulls are taller than those of the H16. The H16 makes by by having the pilons on which the tramp is fitted.

The Prindle 16 is nice but the one we have does sit lower in the water than the Hobie 16’s at our club, and they are also slower than the Hobie 16. Still if they were the same height, all the Prindle 16’s we have sailed are in fact wetter and maybe this is because of the deck angles as the deck tilts to one side, must be some reason.



We had three Prindle 18’s but gave 2 of them away and have one left that we are also trying to get rid of but can’t seem to find a mast for it as the Prindles’ have not been built in some time. Does anyone know of another mast that might work on a Prindle 18? I think if you want something bigger than a Hobie 16 maybe a Hobie 18 would be good as they are bullet proof and perform well, or if you want an old cat like a Prindle 18 why not get one of those Pacific Cats?