Hobie Cat

[Marc L]

Saturday when I got back from canoeing, a fellow camper was heading out in a Hobie Getaway cat.  So I had a little chat with him and mentioned how I would like to take up sailing.  He had someone with him on Saturday, but said if you are interested, you can come next time I'm out.  His next time was yesterday, he stopped by my trailer after lunch to see if I wanted to go and I did.

I was in charge of the jib, by the end of the afternoon, I had the timing right to ease the jib and sheet the jib when turning, no more sudden stop because I eased off the jib too too quick.

His wife does not like going, so he's probably going to ask me again since I liked it so much.  I had only sailed one time before on a 27 foot sloop. 

I can see myself getting my own sailboat of some sort once my son is old enough to tag along, he's 7 now and nervous in the canoe.  He did say he would come in the canoe again as long as I don't bring the electric trolling motor.  Weekends are too short and I like family time, so no point to get something right now that I can only do alone.

 

[Luca1369]

Uh oh!  You're hooked!  Next stop The Bahamas!

 

[Marc L]

Bahamas?  Probably not, sailboat most probably.

I'm a fresh water guy even if I grew up by salt water.  1Km to sea and 1Km to the river, I always went for the river.

 

[Marc L]

Well, I cracked and bought a used Hobie 16.

 

[deal]

That's a great first sailboat. Lots of fun and nothing really goes wrong with them. Two things: Make sure you store the sail where critters won't mistake it for a ham sandwich and make sure you you always tie a figure 8 knot at the end of all ropes/sheets... I once lost a mast after tipping.

 

[boatbuilder]

Have fun with the swimming(sailing) lessons.

 

[Marc L]

Have fun with the swimming(sailing) lessons.

LOL.  Had a close call last week.  I let my friend at the helm and a few minutes later we are flying a hull for the first time.  The cleats for the jib sheet aren't the greatest so I told him quick to ease off on the main sheet.  Needless to say I'm shopping for new jib cleats.  I prefer to depower the jib rather than the main.

 

[Ned]

On the Hobie, the main is the primary engine and you need to stay on top of it at all times on the beat.  Easing the jib won't be nearly as effective as easing the main to keep the boat under control.  In fact, you probably won't want to cleat the main sheet at all as it will need constant tending if you want to stay dry   It's a lot different from a sloop where the jib is usually the larger sail and the main is used more for balance.

 

[Marc L]

It's true that when you compare them in size, the main is about double the size.  Their are two reasons that I wanted to ease the jib first.  First one is because the friend/previous owner of the cat told me I should do that, he also said he's been saved from getting wet by his crew cutting the jib sheet.  Second reason is during some online reading (not fact based info), they were saying that due to the way Hobie 16s have a tendency to pitch pole, this is enhanced when cutting the main and leaving the jib.

I guess I'll find out from experience one way or the other.

 

[Ned]

I did say ease, not dump it.  Easing the jib will let the boat round up with that big main, saving a capsize, but also losing a lot of boat speed.  I spent 16 years racing sailboats so my first objective is to keep the boat moving as fast as possible, while under control.

Cats should be sailed on the edge, that's the fun part

 

[Marc L]

Well, as I gain experience, I will be braver.  Before this summer, I had only been on a sailboat once.  This summer I took lesson and passed my White Sails I, II and III.  Going for Bronze next summer.

Right now, since I'm not racing, keeping the mast pointing towards the sky is my main goal.  With experience, I'll gain more confidence and will experiment more.  I'm supposed to get the trapeze and harness for it this weekend or next depending when I go back to the lake, that's on my list of things to try.

I do agree that cats should be sailed on the edge.  The faster we go, the more fun I get.  Went on a Catalina 36 last night, it was nice, but no thrill.

Now that I know you raced for 16 years, I may come up with questions for you in the future.

 

[Ned]

Cats are bistable, mast up or mast down   When you're on the trapeze keep the main sheet in your hand and don't cleat it.  It's your accelerator.

We have several friends with Catalina 36s and 40s and they're nice boats.  I did a lot of cruising with friends on a Catalina 30 on Lake Michigan.  Don't discount them in a race, properly equipped and sailed, they can be competitive, but not nearly as exhilarating as sailing a catamaran in a breeze.  Someday over a campfire I can tell you lots of stories