Has anyone sailed the Hobie Bravo yet? Impressions?

For those who don't know what a Bravo is go to the following link:

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

I sailed one at a recent boatshow. The boat is slow, heavy and just NO FUN. Stick with the Wave.

There was one available to test at the Megas.
Many people tried and enjoyed it.
The stability was amazing. It seemed to tack very easily and the roller furling main made launching and landing a breeze.
It is obviously NOT a performance boat, except for the Four, yes FOUR(4) beer holders built into the hulls.
At only 195lbs and handles built into the four corners, two kids can easily drag it into the water.
I guess compared to a 49er, 195 lbs may seem heavy, but at least it stays upright.

Funny,

What 49er said. That's exactly what I thought about the WAVE!

If I had a vacation home on the water, I would definatly have a couple of them. Fun little boat. I applaud hobie for designing it. The photo explains it all.

Maybe this is a compromise yacht clubs could live with -- two hulls but only one rudder? Looks like a fun boat.

I thought it was slow, heavy and a blast!

OMG, there is an I20 on the Hobie web site. I thought I'd never see the day.

See the attachment

Mike Hill
H20 #791

It was fun. It has a wide long **** It flys a hull (or heels ?) at ~10kts. It tacks ok. Minimal sail controls.

I hated the main sheet on the rudder. It needs a boom (an option) and a vang. With a boom I would go to center sheeting.

The reefing main made it is easy to dock. It is like a non tippy laser. It would be great as a lake toy or to race with small monohulls.

I like the Laser Vortex better. The Wave is faster and with a hooter would be a lot more fun on summer evening.

Don't count these silly little boats out. Years ago, we had our end of the season fall race. It started as a singlehanded race but we had to double up because it was so windy. In the middle of the race, we were hit by a 60+ kts microburst (lets put it this way, all the J22's in a nearby race were knocked down and one rolled and sank). Afterwards the only boats that stayed upright were a Hobie 18, with a shredded jib and an almost broken forestay and a Hobie 12, the predecessor to the Bravo.

That was the first sail for that Hobie 12. The man had bought it for ~$100 on the side of the road. When the puff hit, the boat went into irons and he rode it out hanging onto the mast. I never saw him again.