Upgrade: hobie 16 to 18

hi, im new to here. I have a 1981 hobie 16 in perfect condition. I have just about mastered it. I am thinking about upgrading to an 18. I mostly sail solo but regularly have another person with me. The appeal I see in the 18 is the speed. Needless to say I am a speed addict. I also see that the 18's tack better because of the daggerboards as pivot points. Any feedback/ opinions would be appreciated.

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1981 hobie 16 with carumba sails
http://youtu.be/IRqA38nn7aI

I'm an avid 18 sailor so there is some bias...

18 is a major upgrade if you're sailing in heavy wind or if you and your crew are over 300 lbs.

The boards are more work than the 16, but easy to get used to.

If you're into racing, the 18 fleet is a bit smaller than the 16 fleet in most areas, as the 16 is still in production.

Our H18 class has been growing though

DO IT!

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Tom
Fleet 259, Central Coast CA
H18 ('81)
H18 ('85)
H20 ('97)
H18 ('78)

I have and sail both for fun on a regular basis. My H16 is my "sport sedan" and being 6'3" 235 lbs I can handle her in most conditions solo. My H18sx is the "sport utility" which I can either solo or take others along. Having mast up storage and launching from trailers make either doable solo so no issue there. Having more experience on h16s, i push mine quite a bit. The 18 i have more cautious respect for being 1st year with her. I do like the fact the 18 is a lil slower to react and I think more predictable. Most fun i had this summer was trapping off the wings on the 18, wow! Sailing the h16 in 20 to 25 mph (gusting 30ish) winds was a blast, a bit scary, and real work out.

My point is they are both fun in various conditions and serve different purposes. Only you know your needs and wants and what best suits you. Good luck.

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'95 H16 sail #101148
'89 H18 SX/ sail #1053 w/ Yellow hulls

Thanks for the feedback I am also wondering how much harder it is to right after a capsize.

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1981 hobie 16 with carumba sails
http://youtu.be/IRqA38nn7aI

Both boats are difficult to right by yourself. 18 can not be righted by yourself unless you use something that allows you to get some mechanical advantage.

Average crews have no problem righting any of the Hobie products as long as your equipment is sound and your mast isn't leaking.

The 18s aren't grossly faster than the 16 but they are easier to tack and handle in bigger winds (mostly what we sail in). The 18 is a faster and much more fun boat with at least two people on board as long as you have 10 Knots plus. One person will be quickly looking for ways to depower the 18 over 10K.

With that being said......the 18 and 20 is the only boats I sail anymore. I still have a 16 but it's hard to get me even look at it anymore much less sail it. I have it to encourage new sailors and fleet members to sail.

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H18 '85
H18 '89 "Knotty Passion"
H20 '96 "20/20 Vision"
Fleet 259 Central Coast California

Aaaah!, that need for speed. Wormholes are used to travel through outer space at great speed. The equivalent in sailing is probably the spinnaker. Have you used a spin at all? Go sailing on a Tiger or better still, a WildCat, especially if the wind is around 15 knots.

However, be warned, this is very addictive, and has been known to cause that 'unexpected journey to the bow' as you get swept off the boat during a pitchpole. Get a helmet !

Seriously, you'll likely want to upgrade to a symmetrical hull catamaran, the H18 or Tiger being ideal, then add a spin to the H18. We mounted our spin at the beginning of the 2013 season, and it took us that whole season to figure things out. Now we can fly at 20 knots (under ideal conditions), which is scary fast. Be warned, its a whole different galaxy out there..... email me off line at lunnjohn at magma dot ca, and I'll gladly send you pictures.

Next step would be foil sailing.....

H18's tack easier, beat closer to the wind, are more solid/stable in high wind, have huge volumes in the bow which make pitch-poling (almost) impossible, however they are not really a solo boat. My son and I at 315 lbs cannot right our SX18, so you will need crew.

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Hmmmm.......well.......maybe your not pushing the boat hard enough. I've done it three times.

One time I stuck it in so deep that the starboard hull compressed and blew the port cover off the deck (old style pop in port). That did not end well....

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H18 '85
H18 '89 "Knotty Passion"
H20 '96 "20/20 Vision"
Fleet 259 Central Coast California

Scott, Hull compression is never a good thing, even in an older/heavier H18.

I am thinking you were probably screaming along with a solid stick. Remember mine is a comp tip, so we have to be 'careful' of sudden puffs and unexpected pitches no matter how tight the mainsheet is. We have gone vertical at least three times, then releasing all sheets, gently settling back, only to zoom away with all possible speed, and our pulse rates well over 150.

The other reason we have to be careful is that we sail on a river, which is often less than 30' deep. I'd rather sail at a little less than warp speed and still have a mast. Or are you saying we should go for broke, (pun intended) then buy a WildCat? I think a new sofa comes first, or so I am told!

Only 184 days before we sail again!

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

I've started soloing my H18 and love it. I launch off a trailer from mast-up storage. I will be looking at adding reefing points into the main for high winds though. At 210 lbs, I do ok by myself as long as the winds remain light. I did add Murray's righting bag system to my H18 to give me up to an extra couple hundred pounds for righting. The righting poles look like a good idea as well. I actually started getting pieces to build a righting pole, but haven't spent the time to construct it, yet.

All in all, I'm very happy with my H18.

Bob

Bob - in high winds, we generally furl the jib.

How would you hoist the main when reefed?

BTW, my H18SX probably weighs in around 460 lbs all up, so righting is more of an issue than for most.

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

On my sixteen I notice that when i get out on the trap the boay gets very sensitive to weight distribution, is that much of a problem on the 18?

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1981 hobie 16 with carumba sails
http://youtu.be/IRqA38nn7aI

weight distribution is less of a problem on the H18....
EXCEPT when running.
Upwind, we focus our weight at the shroud, me sitting on the wing, my son trapping behind me.
Downwind, I will be as far to the stern as possible, while my son kneels mid-tramp, running the spin.
Next year, I'll try trapping out off the rear of the wing.... with a chicken line.

The H18 has huge volume in the forward part of the hulls, and will almost never pitch pole. (Will go vertical).

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Holy $#!+ I think I would get the shakes!

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H18 '85
H18 '89 "Knotty Passion"
H20 '96 "20/20 Vision"
Fleet 259 Central Coast California

I jumped from a Hobie 16 straight to a Hobie 20. I'm about 220 lbs and solo my 16 for a blast but I love taking out the 20 with crew, its extremely fast and turns on a dime. Since I don't compete much i did install hobie 18 magnum wings on it.... sooo much real-estate to stretch out and its actually quite easy to right, only weighs 420# and the tall mast ( sealed ) doesn't let the boat tilt over very much. I would've bought an H18 first but most 18's around here are older 80's boats with low tech rigs, questionable sails and hulls starting to delaminate, the great deals on late model modern Miracle 20's ($2000 -$4000) made it a no brainer for me.

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Tim Grover

Memphis, TN fleet 134
Hobie 20! G-Cat5.0 and 2 Hobie 14's
Photobucket now wants $100 to post pics on forums......... pass.

Thanks for all the feedback, one problem I see is that there aren't many nice 18's in my area. I do see one problem with my location. First of all I pull my boat up on the beach and I can see myself forgetting the boards are down; secondly I sail on Sodus bay and I'm worried about the seaweed getting caught on the daggerboards and slowing me down. On my 16 it's not an issue because every time I tack I can easily pop the rudders up and they come off but on the 18 I can imagine it's a bigger issue

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1981 hobie 16 with carumba sails
http://youtu.be/IRqA38nn7aI