How do Hobie 17's sail? Are they stable,fast,an easy boat to sail? Do they have any problems? Are they easy or hard to rig? What is the differance in the Hobie 17se and the 17 sport and with the jib on the sport is it hard to roller furl-----

The H17 like all boats have their pros and cons. Generally the H17 is a tough and simple boat but does not carry heavy loads well. To help you decide if its right for you we need to know what kind of sailing your interested in. Are you looking for a state of the art boat. Do you plan to sail alone, race or cruise, How much do you/crew weigh?

Most of the time I sail alone. I do have A crew but sometimes they cant make it. When I sail with my crew the combined weight is no more than 350lbs. I like to drive the boat and make it go as fast as it can while hiking out on the trapezes. But I also just like just to cruise I'm not intrested in racing. I want to be able to sail by myself in stronger winds, I think that's where the roller furl will come in handy. I sail in the back bays of New Jersey and Delaware. Do you think this is the right boat for me?

Sounds like the H17 will fit your needs but there are other boats that will carry 350 lbs better. The F16 (Typan 4.9 or Blade) and the Hobie FX1 have been designed to be sailed both single and double handed however these boats are going to be more expensive. You might also consider the H16.

Your in the HCA Division 11 area which is a center for H17 racing. As a Division 11 H17 racer myself, I would love to see you get an H17 and come out and sail with us. If you get one and have any interest send me a private message here.

I can't say if it's the right boat for you, but as Dan said you are in the heart of H17 country! The H17 is a classic boat, as all the Hobies are in my opinion. I don't race either, and added a "Super Jib" and boomless square top main to my boat. The jib really helps downwind, and increases load capacity. The real problems with extra weight are due to the low trampoline/small hulls. But the boat is very fast for an old timer, and the wings are an added kick! The only other draw backs are:1.) Keep water from freezing in your wing wells! 2.)Keeping sand/gravel out of centerboard wells when beaching, they tend to jam up. 3.) Mast rotation control if you go boomless. If you get one hook up with Dan and his fleet, even if just for a fun sail! They are great sailors, and really know the boat!If you get an SE and want to add a jib, or if you need to patch wing wells, feel free to contact me. Good luck!

We have two Hobie H-17's in our family. Our favorite of the six different sizes of Hobies we have owned. This boat is probably the best of the Hobies to handle high wind conditions. Re, two of the problems mentioned: Best way to keep from freezing the wing sockets, carefully remove the water, then put in wing socket plugs, Hobie part # 50690001, when it gets cold. I sail an early model, 1986 which does have tighter centerboard trunks. To solve the sticking problem, I carry a screwdriver onboard, to push down the board, thru the centerboard line hole, when it sticks up. This works well, just be carefull to not ding up the top of the centerboard too much. As mentioned you are in a good location for the H-17. Market and advise should be available. Good luck.

Caleb Tarleton, Seattle

The H-17 eats wind for breakfast!! Although I have an H-20 and a NACRA I17R I grew up on an H17 and still love this boat!! It really comes alive in 15-25. I consider this my "heavy air" boat, I don't carry a jib and so mainsail only and trapping off the wings allows you to take a lot of wind.

With no jib, it's a bit of a pig downwind in lighter air. It's also a bit of a pig with two people, I really don't recommend it although a jib would help in this regaard. The hulls don't handle a lot of weight and unless you go boomless, it's difficult for two people to tack/jibe as the boom exits the mast so low you need to be at the back of the boat to cross to the other side, need to take turns. With no jib, easy to go into irons while tacking, especially in chop, roll tacking and being prepared to backwind the main/reverse the rudders works well. The wings really keep you out of the chop, lessen your chances of getting knocked off the boat.

The simplicity of this boat is it's best feature, I can rig it in 15 minutes by myself. The 17 mast will stay up with only one of the bridles attached so looping the main halyard around the top of the mast and connecting the twist shackle to one of the bow tangs and then pulling the halyard tight and tying off to a cleat on the front of the mast allows one to raise the mast by oneself. Truly a singlehanded boat, slave to nobody. Once rigged, the tramp is clean, not too many strings to pull. I weigh about 170-175 and have had no problems righting the boat when the winds blowing. If I go over in lighter air, righting is more of a problem, but we never go over in light air.....RIGHT!

Most of my sailing done on lakes in the Midwest where we never get more than 3-4 foot of chop in heavy air plus you can always find the flat H20 on the windward side of the lake, the boat does well in these conditions. Have also sailed it a lot in the Corpus area and off the Mississippi coast. The spring loaded, minimal centerboards are ideal in these shallow waters, the thought of hitting a sandbar with boards down on the I17R is too painful to think about.

Advice is well taken about keeping water from freezing in the wing wells, difficult area to repair cracks/holes. Really requires installing portholes to lay glass if these crack. Attaching a penlight to a hanger works well for inspection and have been able to patch some smaller holes with creative use of epoxy on the end of a hanger. Also, inspect/change the centerboard pulls frequently cause' if these break you could loose both a spring and/or centerboard.

The H-17 is really a tough little boat, putting a couple of foot straps on the back of the wings is a must. Trapped out off the back of the wing on a beam reach in a blow, it doesn't get much better! I have owned 4 of these boats over the last 15 years and have literally broken everything that can be broken, I know this boat intimately. Any more specific questions about anything I'm glad to share my experience. Enjoy, I definitely recommend the boat.