Is there a future for spinnakers / hooters / screechers on the H20? We see very few spinnakers on the Hobie 20 in the Midwest, but we're seeing more and more H20s on the water. Can the Hobie 20 compete in open class and portsmouth events with the Inter20, Hobie Fox, and N60 w/ spin?<br><br>

I'm sure there is as there has definitely been a past. Many H20 race Portsmouth with spinnaker. Ruff Riders usually has 3 each year in all sails class with at least one in the trophies.
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<br>Due to the hull shape and size of spinnaker run on the H20 it does get out of control when the wind gets up to 20mph, more so than an I20 which has the smaller kite and better sheeting system.
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<br>Its a fun ride though and definitely worth the investment. <br><br>

Hey Tim,
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<br>From one Division 7 guy to another....
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<br>Wally has a spinnaker, although I've never seen him use it, probably because whenever I see him it's at a Hobie regatta. Some have expressed concerns about the hulls being able to handle it. I don't know if that would be too much of a problem or not. Suppose it depends on the conditions you sail in.
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<br>By the way, when are you going to turn in that 21 for a 20? I'm thinking of trailering my boat to Green Lake just for the heck of it, but still am a bit up in the air. Time will tell!
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<br>Fair winds,
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<br>Tim J.<br><br>Hobie 20 #541
<br>Bald Eagle Yacht Club, Fleet 52
<br>White Bear Lake, MN

The hobie 20 does well with a spinnaker. While I now have an I20, I used to run a H20 with a spinnaker. It added another dimension and speed to the H20. Most are running it with a Smyth chute somewhere around 360 sq feet. Its larger than the I20 and smaller than the Nacra 6.0 monster chutes used in the worrell. I disagree that it gets squirly in higher winds, if anything I found it much more controllable as it allowed me to go deep in winds 20Kts and in my opinion raises the bows a bit. Three challenges I saw with the chute 1) the comptip is a major concern so you may not be able to reach with the chute in all wind conditions as others on I20s do boat for boat--plus you need to be more concious of not breaking the mainsheet if you stuff as you will undoubtedly snap your stick. (Although all spin boats have to be careful of this). 2) you may notice more stress cracks in the gel coat in certain places as it does add a great deal more stress to the rig and hulls. 3) it adds more lines to the tramp on what I already consider a busy boat for your crew. However, If you are looking for fun, speed, and adding another dimension to the boat I think its well worth it.
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<br>I have never tried the Snuffer on a H20, and think it could make it more competitive in open class bouy events and it may also clean up the tramp compared to tramp launching methods.
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<br>Cheers,
<br>Don S.
<br>I20
<br>236<br><br>

In answer to your post. I don't believe there is a future for Spinnakers on the H20. I run a chute on my H20 in long distance events but it is a pain to set up. The boat wasn't really designed for the chute so you have to many lines on the tramp. Since the jib overlaps it gets in the way of the chutes lines when the chute is stored on a bag on the tramp. I've never seen an H20 with a snuffer but I think it would work well if someone set one up.
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<br>The real problem with running the chute on the H20 is the comptip just isn't tough enough to handle it. I'm always extremely nervous about running my chute in heavy air. I also notice that my bows squeeze together a little more than I would like when I'm setting up the pole on the H20.
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<br>If you want to run with a chute on a consistent basis I think an I20 or a Fox is the way to go. I've sailed the I20 and it is designed very well for the chute and really works great. I'm sure the Fox is good too I've just never sailed one.
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<br>Now that I've had a lot of experience sailing a chute I would like to get into another distance race with my H20. However there just aren't any distance races here in the Midwest.
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<br>Do you know who might be coming down from the MN area for the Des Moines Divisionals. There are 4 of us on H20's comming up from St. Louis.
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<br>Mike Hill
<br>H20 #791
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Mike,
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<br>Do you mean to say that you have four Hobie 20's coming to divisionals, or four people and two boats? Either way, that's great!
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<br>I've been kind of hemming and hawing as to wether I'll go to divisionals or not, but if we get a good turn out that could be very fun. There are 8 Hobie 20's up here in Fleet 52. Of which if we were lucky, seven would come. I can think of at least 6 boats scattered in South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. If we could everyone to commit to this, that could be somewhere between 15 and 20 Hobie 20s!!! Wow! That would be awesome!
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<br>Let's do it!!
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<br>Fair winds,
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<br>Tim J.<br><br>Hobie 20 #541
<br>Bald Eagle Yacht Club, Fleet 52
<br>White Bear Lake, MN

Hey Tim,
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<br>I mean to say that we have four H20's comming. Me, Dave Stahl, Wendal Fouts, and Dave Liembach. We have our camping reservations already. I heard they might fill up so you might want to get your reservations too. reserveusa.com/nrrs/ia/cher is the sight to reserve. Talk it up with your folks. Let me know who you know is comming. If we get a good turnout we might just have to make this a regular regatta.
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<br>I'll finally get to meet you. Make sure Dorcher and Volkman come down. I'm looking forward to another shoot out. 20 boats would be an awsome sight.
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<br>Mike Hill
<br>H20 #791
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