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16 camper/cruiser revisited #7687
06/06/02 01:22 PM
06/06/02 01:22 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 70
T
tx246 Offline OP
journeyman
tx246  Offline OP
journeyman
T

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 70
vacation arrived and we loaded up the truck and hooked up the hobie. originally, we were headed to lake amistad on the texas/mexico border. as it got closer, i did some research as to where we were going to put in ect. turns out the 169,000 acre lake was now sitting at 29,000 acres. it was 58ft low and the boatramps were 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the water. change of venue was appropriate. lake possum kingdom was selected. (the wife had seen pictures). it is a lake formed by daming of the brazos river in north texas. it is small in total surface acres but is quite long.



we get there sat afternoon and set up camp at one of the many public areas. i get my new sails up and attatch my pvc designed backrests. i put the family in the boat and we head out for a cruise. we go 5 miles up the lake to some sand islands and get out. we eat some lunch and so some swimming. we hop back on the boat and head back to camp. i leave mom and kids on the beach and head out by myself. the wind is 15mph and steady. perfect. i fly hulls the rest of the afternoon. im having fun and the back rests are working well. i change the angle on them so i can hang way off the rail. i put my heel in the back lacing and lean way back on the rack.



next day. we do some sight seeing by going up the lake. we are headed to "hells gate" which is a really cool vertical rock island that features 120ft cliffs. we land on the backside and do lunch and some snorkling. we head back to camp and i spend the late afternoon like i did the first day except my son goes with me and he loves flying hulls. most of the shoreline is privately owned and there are lots of nice homes. they even have there own private deer herds. there is no hunting on the lake and the deer have become civil. in one yard we counted 17 whitetail. some were even walking down a dock to the waters edge to drink. amazing.



day three. i was itching to get all the camping gear on the boat and find someplace out of the way to camp. i installed the forward rack and loaded coolers and totes to it. next i lashed the drybags down the sides of the back racks. the spec says 800lbs for a hobie 16 and i was going to test it. to complete the outfit i tethered a surf kayak to the back rail. all four of us hopped on and the hulls sank even deeper. we only had 8 inches of freeboard left. my real concern was how the boat would handle. i had a good 15 mph breeze to work with. immeadiately, i noticed the very heavy tiller load. the rudders werent very effective. i had to sheet out, make the turn adjustment, and sheet in. about 2 miles in, a loud pop above my head gave me a scare. for the first time ever, the main came down. i didnt get it in the hook right. i went ahead and pulled it down and we used the jib to get us to shore. i pulled the jib down and got the main up and we were off. i noticed right away that not running the jib was the ticket. the tiller load was much better and the boat responded to the rudders. tacking was harder though. i couldnt complete a turn at all. i would stall, straighten the rudders and get going backwards, then turn the rudders to complete the swing. speed is not an option with all of this weight but we make surprisingly good time.



we are headed up the lake to where the river enters the lake. we make our way up the river. i have a few puzzling moments where the wind and bluffs swirl and i cant figure out how to hook it up. by late afternoon we are 7 miles up river. the wind is dieing and the wife doesnt want to camp on the river. we make our way back to the lake proper but it is slow because of the many tacks required. i start jibing now. normally i avoid jibing because that is what usually gets me into trouble. the water is shallow and i know if we tip i can get it up. its getting late and the wind is hard to find between the banks. i break out the kayak paddle and paddle when there is a break in the wind. now it is dark and we are 3 miles from our intended camp site. it is an island at the mouth where the river meets the lake. sailing in the dark with no lights is a no no but we get our flashlights out and go the last 2 miles. stars are everywhere and we havent seen a boat since 1 oclock. its great being alone on the water. we finally make the island and the girls jump off the boat to take care of business that i wasnt made aware of. instead of setting up tents, we roll bags on the tramp and sleep under the stars. of course we eat everything in sight first.



next morning. we roll everything up and head for our truck. conversation is good. ive got the boat handling down now. i actually used the jib in light air the night before with great success. today the wind is 10-15 and ive tucked the jib. we are 6 miles from the truck and they go quickly. i pull up on the beach and everybody hits the water for a last swim before loading the boat on the trailer.



its late afternoon and everybody is asleep but me. we are about 100 miles from home. i know we will be home soon but i am already making plans for the next trip.

-- Have You Seen This? --
Re: 16 camper/cruiser revisited [Re: tx246] #7688
06/07/02 09:07 AM
06/07/02 09:07 AM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 251
beaufort, sc
dannyb9 Offline
enthusiast
dannyb9  Offline
enthusiast

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 251
beaufort, sc
thanx tx, thats a great story. i would love to see pics of you and family touring with your ingenious camp cruiser. i plan to try a similar storage rack system next time i go camping.


marsh hawk
Re: 16 camper/cruiser revisited [Re: dannyb9] #7689
06/07/02 02:30 PM
06/07/02 02:30 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 45
South Florida
89umiamiH16 Offline
newbie
89umiamiH16  Offline
newbie

Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 45
South Florida
excellent story. i wish my camping trips when that smoothly. i'm a new H16 owner and i hope that i will experience adventures like yours.


justin um engineering student my H16 is older than i am

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