SOLO SAILING YOUR H16:
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<br>Last Saturday I solo sailed my H16 in strong winds on Lake Coeur d’ Alene (Idaho) and as a matter of fact I think I flew my hull more than I kept it in the water. I also sailed past a TheMightyHobie18 and Solo cat 18. It was so much fun and so easy but let me tell you why. I sailed my H16 solo with Trapseats and Gary’s solo-righting system. I knew if I capsized that I would have no problem righting it (I weigh 150 lbs.) but mostly the Trapseats allowed me to trap out without actually trapping out. You see if you sit on the top edge of the Trapseat your actually sitting up high where you can see everything very easily and if you sit in the Trapseat (besides being much more comfortable than a TheMightyHobie18 style wing seat) you are actually about the same distance as you would when you are trapped out on the wire. And if the wind gets really powerful you can trap out on the Trapseats and you are actually out about 5 more feet than you would in the normal trapped position and so you have much more leverage in keeping the boat flat. I have not solo sailed my H16 in a while but I can tell you one thing I am going to do a lot more of it in the future, probably this Wednesday. I did use the Superflex battens in my jib and had zero hang up problems – even though I flew a hull most of the day there were some light air times where I had to tack and no jib hang up problems.
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<br>I just wanted to share my experience with you all because I know there are a few H16 sailors on this forum who like to solo sail.<br><br>

Sail-s, You really know how to make a guy jealous... Yesterday, I had the enjoyment of patching a soft spot on the hull of my hobie, and contemplating how in the world I'm going to manage to afford a new set of main blocks, and still manage to find time to get my hobie out on the lake all the while trying to keep my son (1 yr old) from trying to grab & or eat the epoxy I just mixed. But you better believe, when I do manage to get out and fly some solo-hull, I will gladly let all of those poor souls who are working double shifts trying to get the spare cash to repair their hobies know how enjoyable a day of solo sailing is. By the way ( about how much do a set of trapseats run?) It sounds like an excellent investment.<br><br>

Sorry about making you jealous as that was not the intention of my post, just wanted to share my fun day with fellow H16 sailors.
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<br>The Trapseats use to cost about $995.00 but now we (we - as in the Trapseat class) are in the process of having the Trapseats produced by a different manufacturer and are hoping to get the price of the seats down to $500 - $700's a set. You can see pictures of the Trapseats at www.sail-s.com in the section of the site called Trapseat Class. There was a time I was thinking about buying a Hobie Getaway but now I have reconsidered this purchase because a H16 with Trapseats is great fun and my kids love the boat much more now that our H16 has Trapseats. Its just hard to describe how well the Trapseats complement the H16, how comfortable it makes the boat, and the increase in enjoyment. Well blah, blah, blah, I will stop now before I sound like a salesmen (may be to late).<br><br>

I forgot to ask - where do you sail - what lake or Ocean?<br><br>

This trapseat discussion has got me interested. Please answer a few questions. How do you mount them? Do you remove them for trailering, and if so how long does it take to reattach them?
<br>Thanks,
<br>Greg H14,H16<br><br>

Do you fly your jib when going solo or do you go jibless?<br><br>

sail-s, I primarily sail on Lake Champlain, Haven't been out in a while, as I haven't had my own boat the past several years. (Reluctantly sold my '82 hobie in order to get some moving money) Usually go to Fleet 204's madcatter regatta on Oneida Lake each year and crew. Recently I inherited a late 1970's hobie 16 and am rigging it for some fun sailing. I don't plan on making it race legal, (needs a comptip, and is too heavy to be competative), but want to have it rigged to go out & play. Am trying to raise the cash for a newer boat for racing.
<br>Anyway, Greg has some good questions, What do you do with the trapseats do when trailering?
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1. MOUNTING THE TRAPSEATS: The Trapseats clamp onto the side rails of the tramp frame (one clamp on each end of the rail) and the four other clamps clamp onto Tramp pillions that support the tramp frame (one clamp on each pillion).
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<br>2. TRAILERING: I unbolt the camps that attach to the pillions and fold the Trapseats onto tramp, takes all but a few minutes.
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<br>3. TIME: It takes about 10 minutes to re-bolt the clamps to the tramp pillions. The new Trapseats we are currently retooling will have quick pins so that there will be no unbolting required, all you will need to do is pull the pins and fold them up.
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<br>4. You can see pictures and get info on the Trapseats at www.sail-s.com and once on this site click on Trapseat Class. You can email me if you like at [email protected].
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<br>JIB QUESTION:
<br>I've always soloed my H16 with the jib as the jib helps the boat tack easily. I either take the 2 top battens out or use Superflex jib battens (only costs $32.00 for the set) when solo sailing. You could use the standard battens as long as they are short enough and have been shaven down in the appropriate place which gives the jib better shape and also helps them bend easier past the mast when solo sailing. For me when solo sailing the Superflex battens or taking out the top 2 battens just eliminates any possible hassle of jib hang up on the mast or halyards which really hasn’t been a problem for me, but once again eliminates the POSSIBILITY. Also I have known a few people that have purchased the furling jib option for the H16 which from what I have seen really works well for soloing and recreational sailing. The furling jib has less sail area than the standard jib and so you loose a little speed with the furling jib but it is a nice option as you could furl the jib in strong winds if you need this option and so you could unfurl it during a tack if needed. I also tell people to make sure that the Jib sheets and Main sheets are different colors and that the sheet are totally kept apart on the tramp so that in a sticky situation you can react quickly.
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<br>Sorry for the long answer.

I have to add that taking out the top two battens in the jib is ok in moderate winds but not in light winds as the edge of the jib will curl without the battens or stronger wind and kind of acts like a brake (really creates a lot of disturbance with air flow passing over the back of the mainsail). So leaving out the top two battens on the jib in light wind stinks but works when the wind is blowing hard enough! Once again Superflex battens or shaving and cutting Hobie stock battens short enough so they do not stick out to far is the best options.<br><br>

shaving the stock battens worked good on my old H16
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<br>David<br><br>

I looked at the website. those things are pretty cool. A person could really kick back and enjoy the ride with those. How wide are they? can two people sit in them on the same side of the boat? Can they only be bought through you guys? Are there any other pictures of them anywhere? I'd like to get a better idea of what they look like.<br><br>

:How wide are they?
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<br>I have not really measured them but I think they stick out on each side about 3 feet.
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<br>:can two people sit in them on the same side of the boat?
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<br>Yes, very easily.
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<br>:Can they only be bought through you guys?
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<br>Yes at this time we are the only ones you can buy through.
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<br>Are there any other pictures of them anywhere?
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<br>If you go to the web site at www.sail-s.com and then click on the Official Trapseat Class link on almost every page of this site there are pictures of them.
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<br>We are putting a video of this years Trapseat Nationals maybe I could send you a copy.<br><br>