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 Post subject: 18 vs 17 help
PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 2:55 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:49 pm
Posts: 4
I am currently considering trading my 1981 hobie 18 for a 1991 17 with a jib kit. I grew up sailing a 16 with friends absolutely loved every minute of it! 4 years ago i sold it and bought an 18. I spent 2 months restoring the boat to new condition. I am a 150 lb guy, the 18 is too much boat for me to enjoy single handed I am always holding back worried I will flip and need help from shore righting. My son is 12 and he is looking to sail with his friends the same problem worries me sending them out alone.

Am i making a good decision?

thanks

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 Post subject: Re: 18 vs 17 help
PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:30 pm 
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Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:05 pm
Posts: 117
Never, ever give up a nice 18. I currently own both a 16, and an 18 that I have been sailing for 30 years....For years I thought I couldn't right my boat solo either, and like you I was thinking about downsizing, after losing my steady crew. A friend kept lending me his 14 turbo thinking I might like it. I spent some time messing around trying to right it on dead days. I was disturbed to find that it wasn't a given that I could get the 14 uprighted either. I could get it sometimes with his bucket and just the right wind conditions...but I have righted my 16 and the 18 solo many times too with no bucket and the right wind and wave combinations.
BUT, I knew I needed something I could count on first time everytime and I found it with a righting pole. I use the same pole on both the 16 and the 18 switching it over to whichever I'm sailing, and I sail the 18 almost all the time now, mostly because it is just in far better condition than the 16, and I've sailed a lifetime on the 18, so it's like my weapon of choice.
The pole is an 8 foot piece of aluminum conduit that I have padded both ends on. I carry it across the hulls in front of the front crossbar and bungeed to it. I have SX wings on my 18 that the pole pads nest into, but the pads on the ends carry equally well bungeed to the front pylons on the 16. I played around trying to carry my pole under the tramp like I have seen on youtube videos, but it drags too much in the waves I like to sail in, AND being a lightweight like you, I found that simple physics dictates that a pole the width of your boat is just what you at 150 lbs will need to lift your 18 mast..I've done the research for you.
I still have a righting line on my boat but I use it mostly as a sissy line if I have crew and we are doubled out on the wing in big waves. The righting line is a little faster if I have crew onboard anyway....but that's not the point.
If I throw the pole on the front crossbar I can fly the 18 hull to my heart's content, or push it hard off the wind and never ever even think twice about it.
I spent some time creating the right interface surface and padding the ends of my aluminum pole, but a friend inspired by my success found that he could do the same thing with an 8 foot spruce 2x4 from Lowes, so if you have a nice 18 I'd never give her up.


Last edited by fastfriend on Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 18 vs 17 help
PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:43 pm 
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Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:05 pm
Posts: 117
Another thing....have you discovered just how easy it it to sail the 18 with the jib furled on heavy days. That furler isn't just for the beach. It took me a couple of years to figure that one out, so since you say you've only had your 18 for a couple of years maybe you haven't tried that yet. I still use the jib to get launched through waves because it keeps the nose down and driving so you don't get forced up into irons in the surf,,,but once you are out there if you are still feeling overpowered...Pull that magic string. I find that I can actually go faster, because without the heeling moment created by that big jib, I can haul in the mainsheet and get some good shape in the main, instead of luffing along with the sails out and flogging.
The wings are great too for a lightweight skipper, because you are essentially already "out on the wire" when you are seated there, and you are really stable in that position with no effort . They REALLY settle the boat down if you trap from them...physics again working in your favor....and no they don't make one bit of difference when you are righting your boat, the lower one moves through the water easily, and the upper one may even be grabbing some windage to help you. And if you have a tribe of kids they will absolutely love the wings..they like triple the space on the boat...really triple.and not only that they spread the kids body mass out to the corners of the boat and that really adds a ton of stability too! The 17 was designed as a one man race boat, and I'm sorry, it just doesn't have the floatation to really haul two large people, IMHO the 16 carrys two better than a 17 sport. let alone a bunch of kids...they will just swamp the thing and have no fun at all..... Happy sailing ...never give up a nice 18..


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 Post subject: Re: 18 vs 17 help
PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:12 am 
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Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:35 pm
Posts: 313
Location: Lake Champlain, Vermont
I'll contradict that a little bit. I've had times where its taken 3 people and a boat to right a soggy H18. Not always a sure bet and definitely harder than a 17. I have both and if I had a choice to make, the 17 is my way to go. I love sailing alone though. But.. since they are relatively cheap, keep the 18 as well if you can.

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 Post subject: Re: 18 vs 17 help
PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:57 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:49 pm
Posts: 4
Thank you both. i am feeling like both boats is the best set up me.

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