Good news after 4 years of sailing my Wave 4 Waves showed up at a regatta that divison 4 had last weekend in Vancuvor B.C. The bad news is I didn't bring mine I crewed on someone else's Tiger but that was fun too.It looks like the Wave class is finaly taking off. So many older Hobie sailors are interested in the Wave these days just because its easy. I suspect this will continue to grow. Now what I need to find are the class rules for the Wave.
Can anyone tell me where they are on line? I think that if you own a Wave you should try to hook up with your local Hobie divison and get involed ,show up at their events. Its alot of fun sailing with others. I was getting pretty bored just sailing around by myself.
Mark

Waves are very active nationally. We presently have a North Coast, East Coast, South Coast, North Americans, and National Championships.., and a Nationals Series Championship.

Take a look at www.waveclass.org or www.waveclass.com

We have been trying to get someone to put together a West Coast Championship, but it never seems to get off the ground.
We even had a Worlds Championship in the Turks and Caicos. Working on doing another there.
Welcome to the club.

Most of the Wave sailors keep in contact with a email list and agree on which regattas we all want to attend.

Rick

It is important to note that the "Wave Class" that Rick mentions is not affiliated or recognized by the Hobie Class Association.

The Official Hobie Class Association Wave rules are in the IHCA rules book.

Hobie Class Association - International

North American Hobie Class Association

http://www.hobieclass.com/site/hobie/ihca/downloads/classrules/RBook060401.pdf

It is also important to note that the Wave Class Association was formed after discussions with the Hobie Cat factory (they said, "No problem for us, but talk to the class association.") So we then talked to the people in charge of the Hobie Class Asociation, and they weren't interested in including the Waves, so they also said "No problem."

So we formed a class association for the Waves, and after it started becoming sort of successful, the Hobie Class Association decided to include the Waves under their umbrella.

So now the Waves have more different venues in which to compete, the only difference being the sails and other equipment that are allowed.

Well, the other difference is that the independent Wave Class Association has its own officers and issues numbers for the boats and has a national racing series and puts on a National Championship which will be the 9th Annual this year.

It's all for the good. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the info its kind of strange that it went down that way but its good that your nice about it and I agree Hobie just didn't have the vision good thing You and Rick did. We need to get numbers for those boats that want them,how do we do that?
Mark

The Hobie Cat Company and the Hobie Class Association had and have vision for the Wave... We saw the Wave as an entry level sailboat to bring people into sailing, but didn't want the restrictions imposed by racing classes that limit development of the boat as a recreational platform and also sometimes push beyond the original concept as well. What has happened to the Wave in non-Hobie-class racing is having sailors buy expensive custom sails or add on spinnakers and hooters... once again taking away for the original Hobie concept of simplicity. The Hobie Class Association has tried to corral that back into a more simple format for the beginners once again.

Matt
I see what you mean, that is a good vision also. So what does Hobie see for the Wave in the future?
Mark

We continue to make minor changes to improve its ease of use. Most recently the rudder system and next the tiller connectors. We really have not had to make many changes.

Many Hobie Class events offer starts for Waves now. The best format I have seen is free entry, low key starts/races and they still offer trophies.

I think Matt misunderstands why the class was formed. Our vision is the same.., an entry level boat.., and a boat that women, children, and the elderly can sail and be comfortable with.
The class has re-attracted teams of sailors that were starting to retire out of the sailing circuits. For example, Mary and I, Stan and Sharon Woodruff, Chip and Barb Short, et al, were and still are, on occassions a team on a two person boat. But, we bought two Waves for each of the team.., and that makes for more boats on the water.., and lets folks that usually just crewed take the helm and compete.., and compete they do. Many of the ladies mentioned have gone on to beat their skipper partners in some major races.
And we wanted it one design.

At the first Wave Nationals all there were was Hobie mfged sails. They were all very different. We measured some sails and found as much as 8" difference in the luff of some of the sails.

So, we all decided that it would be great to make this a true one-design boat. And that was when we formed the class association.

Hobie Cat Assn. at the time wanted nothing to do with the Wave. Again, that is why we formed the class. And that is a good thing in several ways.
1) HCA meetings usually take place at the H16 Nationals. It is there that all decisions for all the classes are decided. So, the destiny of the TheMightyHobie18, H20, H14, et al were generally decided by Hobie 16 sailors.
We did not want the Wave governed by people that don't even think it is really a boat at all. People that sail the boat regularly should make decisions about the class.
2) By allowing other sailmakers to design and build sails, we started getting sails that made the class much more one-design. And after-market sail prices allowed folks to get sails made of Mylar and Pentex at lower prices then stock sails made of Dacron.
Hobie sails seemed to improve as well and were very competitive with the after-market sails. So, people had options.
The big option is instead of one, cookie-cutter sail fitting all sailors, the sailor can get a sail custom-made for his style of sailing, his weight, or whatever.
Obviously, a 250 lbs needs a more powerful sail than a 100 lb lady or boy. The latter would need a flatter sail.
A very good helmsman can sail a flatter sail, while a lesser helmsman needs a fuller sail that will forgive his steering mistakes.
3)The vision of the class is that we keep building attendance at all of events and have events all over the country.
That pretty much has happened east of the Mississippi, but we have not heard much from the west.

Also, the class has made sure no speed devices can be added to the boat that would start to cost folks money.
All the add-ons mentioned, i.e., Hooters, etc, are absolutely not class legal. Those are add-ons that folks use to just soup up the boat to have more fun when not racing one-design.
By the way, Hobie Cat Company offers a jib and spinnaker for the boat.., so I guess we didn't invent the idea.
I personally do it for races like the Sandusky Steeplechase -- a short distance race based on Portsmouth. I actually won it two years ago on a Wave.
And I actually beat all the H16s and a Hobie 18 boat for boat.
But, again, that was NOT class racing.

Another reason I am trying to soup up the Wave.., I think it is a great buoyant platform that can handle a lot of sail area. For example, the F14 idea was thrown out there to see what would happen. Some folks souped up H14s and I decided to try the Wave. The 14 does not have the buoyancy of the Wave and were unable to handle much more sail power.

Also, I still do not think there is a good youth boat on the market yet. If I can get the rigging working that I want, it would be great for smaller kids (the 16 and other boats like it are more than most small kids can handle)
My idea of great youth boat would be the Wave with a fairly good sized, self-tacking, furling jib, and a furling Hooter.
That would make the boat a two-person kid boat and both would have lots to do.., and be able to do it safely.., and not have to worry about damage to a fiberglass hull (plastic has been holding up quite well)
But, again, none of this is class legal for the Wave Class.

Thanks,
Rick

Differences in Wave main sizes must have been related to some early changes...years ago. The sails are digitally cut, so they cannot vary much.

We also have to understand what "Youth" is here. I think by Rick's description, entry level sailing is not "Youth" sailing. Youth are experienced sailors. They want a high performance boat with strings to pull.

Actually, the Wave jib kit and spinnaker were requested by Hobie Cat France for this training purpose. They are scaled to the Wave size and not intended as true high performance features. That is...they are not maxed out for the Wave.

I would like to add that there is another advantage to the Wave Class Association allowing non-factory sails and trampolines.

The vast majority of Waves are sold to beach rental operations and also to individuals who do not race them. In both cases, as the boats age, the owners may have to replace the sails and tramps. I figure they are likely to do this through local sail and trampoline manufacturers and/or the least expensive sources possible, since those boats are not normally going to be used for racing.

However, many of those rental and privately-owned boats eventually enter the used-boat market and are purchased by people who want to race, or rental boats are sometimes chartered by people who want to race in Wave events.

In either case, we wanted the Wave Class and events to be welcoming and open to ALL the Waves, regardless of the sail and tramp manufacturers. Otherwise, anyone wishing to race the boat would have to purchase a sail and trampoline from the factory. For a boat like the Wave, I don't think most people want to put that much money into it if the boat already has a perfectly good, non-factory sail and tramp. And NOBODY is going to buy a sail and tramp for a charter boat they are only going to sail once.

Also, as Rick mentioned, many of our Wave sailors are couples, who both have boats, which means double the expense when replacing things. So obviously, they are going to try to save money by shopping around.

Of course, the advantage of having the Hobie factory equipment is that then you can race in both the Hobie Class Association regattas AND in the Wave Class Association regattas.

When Rick refers to "youth" sailors, he is talking about kids from ages 8 to 12-14 -- up to the point where they are big enough, old enough, or experienced enough to handle a Hobie 16 with spinnaker or an SL 16. It would be a boat on which the younger kids can develop experience by adding more sails and strings to pull as they are ready for it. It can evolve from very simple and basic to very sophisticated. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> The same platform could be used for the beginner kids in the morning and the advanced kids in the afternoon, depending on how many goodies you add or subtract.

I always want to clarify pricing issues when raised. We have Hobie tramps and sails that are similar in price to the lighter quality after market stuff.

Sails - I see a Calvert Wave main is $895. where a Hobie made Wave main is $676.00 for white ( $219.00 Less than a Calvert ) even the full color main from Hobie is less. The "econo" light weight 3.9 oz sail option is just $92.00 less than a Hobie made main. The Hobie made Wave sails are very durable, Hobie uses 5.6 oz Cloth.

Trampolines - Again and again I get feed back from Hobie sailors that any extra cost for the Hobie quality welded trampolines is well worth it. A white Hobie made Club Wave Tramp is priced at $335.00. That is just $94 more than a sewn aftermarket version. Only Hobie offers the range of mesh colors and heat welded seams. Most other Hobie models (14, 16 and 18s) have competitively priced white vinyl replacement tramps.

So...

After market stuff less money? Not always and not by much actually.

Wow I had no idea I would spark such a conversation but the good thing about all this is there are alot of people thinking about the direction the Hobie Wave is headed. Who knows the Wave may have as much staying power as the Hobie 16 has had all these years and that can only mean more racing and more fun for everyone. I still need to get my boat numbers from the Wave Class Association or Hobie or both. How do I get them?
Mark

Matt,
There is no question about the quality of the Hobie sails and tramps. The factory Hobie Wave sails have improved tremendously in the past few years. I use a Hobie sail myself and will probably get another if I have to replace mine. Or maybe I should just buy a whole new boat and then I'll have a new sail!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

(However, I don't think I want the new rudder system for racing. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />)

I Agree that Calvert is way overpriced. We do have several other sailmakers that are much better priced and still very good quality.

Rick

For the International Wave Class Association (IWCA), it is pretty simple. You just pay $10 to join the class association, and you will be assigned a number. I have a list of the numbers that are already taken, and the database is maintained by the class secretary. So if you have a fondness for a particular number, you can call one of us and see if that number is still available. Otherwise, we will assign you a two-digit number.

For the IWCA the number is affixed to the outside of each bow, and we try to make sure all the numbers are the same size and in the same position on all the boats, to make it as easy as possible for the race committee.

I do not know what is required in terms of numbers if you race in Hobie Class Association regattas. I would guess they would require you to put some kind of number on your sail, and they probably don't care what that number is, as long as it does not duplicate somebody else's number. Same thing might be true if you are racing your Wave in open regattas where there is not a Wave one-design class and you are racing on handicap.

If you are going to be racing in various venues, it would probably be simplest (and less confusing for race committees) if you get a number assigned by the Wave Class Assn., and then use that same number on the sail as on your bows.

I would suggest that you start all this by sending an e-mail to Rick White, who is president of the International Wave Class Association. (rick at catsailor.com) Or call him or me at 419-285-3505, which is our summer number in Ohio.

You can get more information about the IWCA by going back to our catsailor.com home page (by clicking on the Catamaran Sailor logo at top left of this page. Then open up the drop-down site index and scroll down to "Wave Class Website." (Except for the pictures on the Wave welcome page, the information on the site is pretty current, including this year's Wave race schedule.)

For the Hobie Class Association, you can probably get some guidance from Matt Bounds, editor of the Hotline. He posts frequently on these forums with the user name mbounds. Send him a private message. Ask him if he can post his answer in this thread, so other people will have the information, too.

You can also get to IWCA at the following URL:
www.waveclass.com or
www.waveclass.org

Rick