Like an idiot I bought before I read..... As background, I grew up with Beetlecats mostly... (although I would have LOVED a Hobie) on Cape Cod. I want to introduce my 9 year old son to the same fun I've always had in sailing and bought through EBAY a Hobie 16. Never sailed one. I've spent the last 2 weeks reading posts all the way back to June of 2004 and I feel like I know you all! Now I have some questions for you where maybe I have got the wrong impression (in which case I hope you correct me)and I'm sure I'll say something sacrilegious (in which case I hope you forgive me)....... We live on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and the winds are fluky. Storms shoot over the mountains and drop out of nowhere. We also have a place on Cape Cod so maybe we would be better hanging out on Cape Cod Bay where the winds tend to be more constant.

Here is my dilemma.... Do you think the Hobie 16 with its penchant for pitchpoling is a good choice to teach with or will I just "freak him out"? If I "launch him" into the water I just know I will be unable to control my laughter and he doesn't have much of a sense of humor that way..... Do you think it might be an idea to attach those "thingy's" (what ARE they called?)to the forward pontoons that help with the aquadynamics so that the pontoons would be less susceptible to go under? I also plan on buying a righting pole. Or should I look for a more suitable boat? I LOVE the lines of the Nacra 5.5 on EBAY currently but I think it might be too much boat for me now. (I'd still love it!)In earlier posting about what boats you all started with and what boats you recommend for newbies it seemed to me that the consensus was that Nacra makes a real nice boat that would suit us fine. No one ever talks about the age of boats being a detriment to buying them. There is a fellow outside of LA that restores older Nacra's (1972 Nacra 5.2's we were talking about yesterday on the phone)and I didn't know if that was a possiblity. The age question puzzles me and yet I can see that the answer will always be "It depends on how they are taken care of......and old boat well taken care of will be better than a newer boat not taken care of". I wish you wise and obviously well versed people would post when you see a boat that is a good deal and help out the blind like me. I think for the same reason I will buy EVERYTHING possible from the Catamaran Store and keep it "in - house" because I greatly appreciate the informed opinion and the honesty with which the opinion is given. I also need to subscribe to the magazine because I really want to support this great group.
Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing more about what you think.

Greg

You will not be the first dad to teach a 9 year old to sail on a Hobie 16.
Probably not even in the first 1000.
Have fun you'll both love it.

I have four kids. I taught all of them to sail on Hobie 16's. This year the two oldest will race against the "old man" in our club races. Should be a blast...no pressure though!...HA
I have found when you teach a kid to sail you have to be smart about when, where, and under what conditions you go out in. You don't want to start when it is blowing the lids off the trash cans. It may be fun for you and I but not so for a kid.
You also need to know when to say when. As soon as it is not fun for them (could be 10 min) you need to get off the water. I have found that if you press the issue by staying out longer you are less likely to get them on board the next time.
Let them sail the boat while you crew. They will have the thrill of "driving". Of course do so in an environment that allows for a mistake.

have fun!

John

Welcome to catamaran sailing and this forum and thanks for bringing your son along. We need younger cat sailors. There is nothing wrong with a Hobie 16, especially for your first boat and learning. My first catamaran was a brand new Hobie 16 that I bought in 1979. I sometimes think back at the great times I had on that boat, and how I couldn't have been happier at the time. Yes, there are more high tech boats and yes, you can spend a lot more money. Check your fun meter first. You haven't made a mistake, unless the condition of the boat is pretty bad. Good thing about Hobie's is there are a lot of them out there, you can find a spare part for every piece of that boat. If you decide to sell it, there will most likely somebody else more than happy to pick up where you left off.

As far as pitchpoling, I don't know of any mechanical fixes worth adding. Just move your weight back, hang on and enjoy the ride! Don't be intimidated by all the hoopla you hear about pitchpoling. Yes, it does happen, but it happens to the best of us. It's part of the sport. I must admit though, that my old Nacra 6.0 was as close to pitchpole-proof as I've seen. I have put the base of the mast under water before, it popped back up and away we went. Great design.

Other than the new roto-molded boats, the old Hobies are about as bullet proof and forgiving, as you'll find. Good luck with your new boat. Hope to hear more form you.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words of encouragement. I guess I'll go into this with a much better attitude than when I thought it was a mistake. I don't know why I'm nervous because the approach is very much like teaching him to ski. Keep him dry and warm and let him enjoy it...... When it stops being fun, STOP. I think I just want so much for him to enjoy what I think is a great lifetime sport.
Great pictures by the way. Pictures do speak a thousand words.. Look at those smiles!!!!
I'll keep you informed. And once again THANKS.
Greg

Don, what about those Hydrofoil attachments Rick sells that go on the bows? Do those help do you think? I hope so cause I bought them and a power righter pole from the in-house store. Okay, I also bought a video.
Greg