Hey everyone. Thanks in advance for your advice if you can help.

I've been a "once in a while" sailor since a kid, but now I have kids of my own. This is my dilema...

I'm a big guy (~250 lbs.) and I have 3 kids, and girl friend that want to sail with me. I now own a 14' mono hull, but want to upgrade to a cat. The cat being better in the shallow Indian River waterway.

That was then...I owned a H14, but with me and 2 kids it would almost sink. I owned a H16, but my skill level was shakey and my kids were too young to help me step the mast. Then I owned a Sunfish, and that was a lot of fun, but it would only hold 1 other sailor.

This is now...I am reconsidering an H16 or a Hobie Wave. My kids are now a bit older, and my married daughter has since become an avid H16 sailor. I am still a bit nervous about the power of an H16, but I figure I can outfit it in balmy breezes with the old H14 sail I still own. Can anyone make a recommendation of the Hobie Wave for me and my cirsumstance? Or should I bite the bullet and get a 16 and grow into it? I would also like to get a firm grip on carrying capacity of all of these craft if anyone has an idea.

My experience to "the old man"...An H16 mast is just hard to step if you're a rookie. You can make gizmos and buy gadgets to help, but nothing takes the place of a warm adult body to help you attach the forestay when you have 26' of mast above your head and you're standing on the tramp. I saw one guy once step the mast, then jump off the tramp holding the forestay in his hand while he jumped. That is definitly not my style! My advice is find a friend or a boat with a smaller mast. One last point...The comp-tip on an H16 will take a ton of weight off the top of the mast that really helps! Good luck.

Thanks for reading, and I welcome all replies.

Gus

Look at the Hobie Getaway - it's a bigger Wave, basically. Would have enough capacity to take your group out.

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

I would second the Getaway....with wings. Check out Performance Sail & Sport over near you (http://www.perfsail.com/) or find a used one in the Trader. Good Luck.

I'll third the Getaway. They are a great little boat with plenty of floatation. The best part is that they have 4 drink holders!!

Mike Hill
H20 #791

I fourth the getaway - it's a durable boat made for the family (complete with cooler storage in the hulls). I'm not sure about stepping the mast but seriously - once you've done it a couple of times - solo or with some non-skillful assistance, it's easy.

There's a lot of folks on this forum with great (and simple) ideas for shorthanded or singlehanded mast stepping.

Thanks for the note. I must take a test drive on the Getaway! I sure would love to find one for sale in FL with a year or two depreciation. I've never spent so much on a boat (~$6k) and that bugs me a bit.

gus

I found the following advertisement in the classifieds section of this site:



I don't know anything about it except that it is in Florida. and I assume 4k means about $4,000.00. The same boat seems to be offered in a different ad for about $5,000.00.

Jonathan