what cat for my weight?

Hello all, I've asked this question on the Hobie forums but I figured I'd try it out here as well. Being that this is an open forum for all designs I figured I'd get a more rounded answer. Assuming I had the money to go out and buy a new cat, what would be the best boat for a 250lbs, 6'5" guy, that prefers to sail solo? I'm a little heavier than I'd like to be, but realisticly my body frame isn't going to carry anything less than about 220lbs. I am really quite partial to hobies and it seems like the TheMightyHobie18 would be a good choice for me, but what do ya'll think? There is definately going to be a new boat sometime in my future within the next 5-7 years I hope. Of course, being a H16 sailor, a new one is literally the things dreams are made of, but I know I'm a little on the heavy side for that particular class. What do ya'll think?

you want spinnaker sailing?
What kind of fleet is close to you? Open or OD?

What is your budget more or less?

I am at 210 and the FX1 that I have seems to handle that very well.

Jeremy at Surf City Catamarans is a big guy, you should see what he thinks of the FX1 and sailing it.

I've never sailed with a spin, but I'm certainly not opposed to learning, not to mention it sure seems like it would add a level of excitement. There are a few hobie fleets near by, I've not quite gotten into the racing circuit quite yet, I will be attending my first regatta this Saturday. I'm sure there are some open races near by. My budget will be pretty limited as I will be on a North Carolina teacher's salary, definately going to be a loan involved. But, I would really like to get into racing and that is certainly a deciding factor. I really just want to find the boat that is more or less the perfect fit, although I'm crazy about the H16 and don't see myself never having one. Like I said, a new boat is not something that I can manage anytime soon, and my needs may certainly change over the next few years. But I'm the kind of guy that likes to have things to work towards and keep me focused. I'll put it this way, If I won the lottery today, I'd have a new H16 tommorow. But, in reality that may not be the absolute best boat for me, and that's the only boat I have any experience with so my judgement may be a little skewed. I just wondered what you guys would have to say, mainly based on my height and weight.

Well I would recommend:
Nacra - F17
Hobie Cat FX-1
F16 Blade

Although I am sure none of these boats mentioned above can be had cheaply. The second hand F16s are going for what a new Hobie 16 would cost give or take a grand. As far as the other two classes of boats I have no idea what the going rate is for used.

The main thing to remember with whatever boat you end up getting is to have as much fun as possible.
<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Supercat. A 17, 18 square or 19. That is if you are OK with open class racing. Fast, lots of hull volume and mfr. will still support them. Prices way less than the new hot class boats.

check these boats out.

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...;amp;page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showflat...true#Post103945

I have an FXone and love it. I'm a twig, but it handles bigger guys quite well. My boat is an 04', but the serial number say's its an 05' and I paid a little over 10k for mine.

Spinnaker sailing is so fun. I'm just learning at it but flying a hull both ways on the course is a phenomenal experience.

At 250lbs I don't think you can race it. I think the maximum weight you can add is 30lbs to make minimum, but it may be 50lbs. Short of the Queen Mary you should be able to right just about anything.

for a budget boat the 17 foot nacra 5.2 was built for 2 up sailing but can be sailed solo

start with a cheap boat in that size range while you save

loans are to be avoided in my book, esp. with the way the financial system is still playing chicken with itself...

Stick with the H16 if you love them.
You can buy a used one very inexpensively.
Lot's of support for newbies at the regattas.
At 250lbs, you only need to add 35lbs to make yourself class legal.
Short of the H16, I'd recommend the TheMightyHobie18.
Same reasons as the H16 but easier to sail on the main alone. Easier to tack too.
You're still within the range to add weight and be class lega.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I do love the 16, I really think it is a great design and I love sailing it. From what I've heard, I can add weight to the boat and sail solo right at minimum. I've also heard that most of the time a solo 16 is scored with a different portsmouth rating or an L4 penalty???? I think that I may be at an advantage in heavy air but I'll have to start attending some regattas to find out for sure, as well as become a much better sailor. I didn't know if any of the other sailors on this forum carried the weight that I do and what boats they sail. This post was kind of just a "what boat do I need to start saving up for" kind of thing. It very well may be a new H16, or good used 18. It's like I've told my girlfriend, I'd much rather be pulling a brand new boat behind a used car than vice versa. But, I've got a buddy that's offered for me to take out his 18 and I hope to do that soon. But keep the suggestions coming, and thanks for all the input. Maybe after this weekend, I'll let ya'll know how I stack up against the competition at the "sweet" 16 regatta, if I don't come in dead last that is.

I can make the FX go pretty well...and I don't feel like I'm going to break it. I am 240 and 6'5"and definitely tough on gear. It's well balanced and pretty fast. Due to the buoyancy I can take 2 no problem.
Is there an active Hobie fleet in your area?
Would you like to race it?
Selecting a boat with an active class (no matter what boat you're talking about) in your area is a good thing to look at.

250 lbs = 113 kg
220 lbs = 99 kg
6'5" = 1.96 mtr.

You are right, the body mass index gives that 99 kg by 1.96 mtr is considered a normal healthy posture for a male. So that will indeed bey your minimum even when crash dieting.

I think Robi gave the right listing.

Inter-17R
Hobie FX-one
and
Formula 16's (Blade F16)

But I would strongly favour the Formula 16 because these have no rules regulating any minimum crew weight or preventing you from getting sails cut to suit your body size. Basically this means that you won't have to strap lead to your boat to make some arbitrary minimum weight and you get better performance for the same investment of money. Basically your body size isn't one-design when compared to 96% of people out there so why should your boat be ? The others will think that you carrying OD sails and lead is just dandy, mostly because that will have taken you out of competition. And not many big events will allow you to race in 2-up OD classes when you are 1-up anyway.

With respect to North Carolina, none of the above named fleets are major, but Formula 16's appear to have the best cards for that area. http://www.frappr.com/formula16classgroup/map

Just how the situation appears from my viewpoint.

Wouter

as a 250 lb 113kg 6 foot two cat sailor whatever you sail you are never going to be as competitive as a lighter fellow , but you can still have fun , if you sail with a kite you can narrow your weight disadvantage quite a bit too but untill the handicap dudes do something with crew weights you have to sail an immaculate race and hope your lighter competition make mistakes .
In UK I race under SCHRS which rates my weight as 75 KGS !!!!!, start putting different crew weights into the formula and see what happens , about 1% difference for every 10 kgs , I'm reliably informed that the SCHRS handicap formula is a very good way of judging speed of a cat and balancing factors that affect it , its a great crying shame that us Big fellas start of with a potential 4% disadvantage before you even start .

Don't let anyone ever tell you weight pays when its windy , modern rigs/sails depower so easily with low drag that lightweigths can keep up up wind and down wind theres no place for weight on a cat or any other racing dinghy .

Still with a high volume platform , full cut sails and a kite you can get near and when the lightwights make mistakes pounce !

Guess you rattled one of my pet gripes , as lightweight run the SCHRS rule I guess they will never make the adjustments us weight challenged sailors require

your only hope is class racing in a boat built for heavyweights exclusively if you want true competition .

I second the vote for a SuperCat 17. This boat has HUGE hull volume and will handle your weight very well. I raced mine solo open class B fleet (DPN>70) for 3 years and finished 1, 2, or 3 nearly every race, both elapsed and corrected. The boat is rock solid in big air and big seas, only pitched once in all that time, and points high as most board boats if sailed correctly. All SC17s are old and can be found cheap. The recent photos of broken SC hulls are caused by dragging boats up a beach and sanding through the bottom seam. Take care of it and it'll take care of you. If you add a squaretop with downhaul it will fly! This boat is a great boat for a big guy on a budget. It will eat Hobie 16s. In fact, if you ran over one you'd just keep going and never notice the impact. Arrrrgh! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

James, there are no F16's in North Carolina or South Carolina. There are maybe 1 or 2 in northern VA, but they don't come South to play. There are 2 in TN and 1 in ATL that will race in most of the races we attend (Outback, Catfest, etc). That's 3 boats. I'd say you're better off getting a nicer 16. Even the TheMightyHobie18's don't show for our regattas here. If it's the fleet you want, H16 it! You'll have to sail solo and take a ratings hit to be competitive, but you shouldn't get hurt too bad.
There are 5 N20's in NC, at least 3 in SC, and 1 or 2 in VA. If you want a boat that'll handle the big boys...there you go.

or...add 35 pounds of immoveable weight to the boat (50 or less allowed) which is class legal (285 minimum crew) and rock and roll <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

"as a 250 lb 113kg 6 foot two cat sailor whatever you sail you are never going to be as competitive as a lighter fellow"

This is not entirely true. I weigh about 260 and race a N20. I try to find crew that keeps us in the 400 lb range. We usually are at the front of the pack in light air. Brandon Wallace and James Gumpel weigh in at around 400 plus as well and dominate the N20 class on the west coast. They even did outstanding on the Javeline. If you learn to sail at a certain weight and get good there, you will be supprised. Being light is not the deciding factor all the time. I like sailing against new people who think they can beat the fat guys easily. And double trapped with the chute up...get out of the way! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Lee Wicklund/Team Chums

I remember a certain "big boy" NOT making an impression against F16's even when singlehanding the N20. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Wouter

Wout, I was first over the line for all but one race. I can't help that the boat has a [noodle] up rating. Granted it does perform exceptionally well in light wind, the rating is extremely hard to beat in most conditions. Take a look at who came in 3rd that race: Nigel Pitt. Sailor for sailor, Nigel is a much better sailor on any given boat. Therefore, how did the others beat him?
... the rating.

I also remember a certain Dutch intarweb know-it-all that didn't show up even for Texel (his backyard), and doesn't have the time on the water to account for any smack talk.

At 6'5" 235lbs the Isotope is the boat for me. Check out the website at IFG. We mostly sail single handed as a one-design no portsmith nonsense. Call us we can take you for a ride and hook you up with a used ride. Hope you have fun at the Sweet 16 regatta. If Trey can get a dozen boats out of the backyards and on the water he deserves a nobel peace prize. Have fun.

J.P.Ayers
Isotope 186
The shark boat

I'll let you in one a secret. I won't be at texel next year either or the year after that or even ... ahh you get the point.

I haven't been at Texel since 1999 I believe and I don't expect I will be back there soon. So keep milking it for all it is worth, baby. Because that is all you got.

Wouter

Whatever you need to tell yourself, Wout. Have a wonderful day...

Trey, I saw you at Texel!
Remember that there was very little wind during the bouy races? And that everyone was (almost) running into the top mark?
Anyway, you where telling me to luff but there was no wind and pretty strong current.

Thanks everyone for sharing your opinions, this will give me plenty to research for the next few years, and I'm glad to hear there are some big boys out there like myself, I knew this wasn't a sport just for jockeys. Nah, just kidding. But really, this has been very informative. Now I just need to up my regatta attendence and see how I stack up against the competition.

Jpayers, I would love to take a ride on an Isotope, thanks for the offer. Just let me know when and I'm there.

Trey, I'll see you at the regatta. I am totally stoked about it. I'll talk to you more about it there but if you ever know of any N20 guy's looking for a crew please let me know, if my performance at the regatta doesn't scare them away. Like I said before, let me know if there is anything I can do to help out, there is a good chance I'll be in Raleigh on Friday piddling around(not definate yet) and I plan on showing up pretty early to set the boat up on Saturday.

thought we were talking solo sailing , sorry , I was

I too sailed big two man cats with smaller crew and was much more competitive than being 50.6% over rated crew weight when sailing solo boats .

Just couldn't find a long enough supply of midgets with popeye arms to play at the front of the boat .

reading posts I reckon that for solo competive sailing the best option is to stay in the Hobie 16 and carry the extra weight to bring to class min and get same hcap , not a lot of fun though !