Sails up prior to trailer launch?

Just bought a H16 last week and had it out last weekend for the first time. I had been on a cat a few times, but never in decent wind and always as crew being directed (I'm a total beginner). My first day out was a blast. It was pretty windy (made me a little nervous), but I got the hang of things quickly. I brought my father in law who had a hobie 20 years back as my instructor.

The wind was coming from behind/across the boat/across the launch ramp and I was worried that the boat would flip off the trailer with the heavy wind, even with the sails uncleated. I ended up hoisting the sails on the water which was pretty hard with the wind blowing balancing on the front of one hull.

Do you typically put the sails up before launch? The wind was blowing pretty good, but not over 25 MPH or so (I think). I could just envision the boat off the trailer tumbling across the concrete and I figured I should play it safe. Is this something to worry about?

It is. I've seen boats pushed into towing vehicles after the tie downs are removed. Getting the jib up on the water isn't a problem but the main on a 16 can be a struggle.

Can you launch and get the boat to a beach to rig the sails? Is there a beach that you could use beach wheels to move the boat to the water? The local launch ramp where I live is dead down wind so I use wheels and launch at a park close to the house. It adds some time but is much safer. All I have to do is watch out for snorkeling tourists.

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I am experiencing the same issues and questions as i begin sailing my Hobie 16 this season. I learned a few lessons the hard way, and got some good advice here.

For what its worth what I've learned:

- Finding a good launching area is key. I use quiet coves off the main lake, ideally where the wind is coming from my bows as I would trailer the boat into the water. Usually I can tack out under even the slightest breeze. I know its a sin, but I still carry 2 mini paddles to get out of these coves when there is no wind.
- I raise the mast on the trailer and get everything ready short of raising the sails before I trailer it down a ramp.
- I put the boat in the water with the sails down, boom off.
- I found a beach on one lake, and a quiet ramp on another, where I can point the boat in almost any direction I like before I raise the sails.
- It is really key to point the bows into the wind b/4 you raise the sails (particularly if the wind is stornger than 5mph). If you can't do this in the water, you might consider beach wheels to do it on shore and then shove off into the water pointed into the wind before you jump on.
- I find that I have to stand a couple of feet in front of the tramp in order to cleat the main halyard wire at the tip of the mast. If the bows are out in the water when I do this, I need a shore that is not too steep that when you're 10-15 feet into the water, you're still knee deep.
- I have everything ready to go - then push off, jump on, and sheet in... dropping rudders when deep enough.

This all worked well until yesterday. We were trying to make it back into the cove. A cold front and rain had moved in and we now had a 15-20 mph breeze at our backs even in our 'quiet cove'. The cove is pretty narrow, and we'd already had done two 'jibe's The dock, boatramp, and rocks on our port side. We decided to beach it on the muddy bank on the starbord side, We slowed as much as we could, beached it, jumped off, and quickly pushed the bows into the wind where we could then drop the sails.

Not very elegant. ... we then paddled across the cove with sails down.

Long story short, find a place where you can raise the sails without drama.

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'08 Hobie Wave, Hobie Adventure Islands

Wind coming from the bow, go for it.

Wind coming from abeam - it depends on if you can de-power everything.

Wind from the stern, any at all, pretty much forget it.

Still easiest to get the boat to the beach and point her into the wind as Bruce so nicely described it. Happy sails -

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.

Don't these launch areas have docks? I keep my boat on a cat dock, so I just put my jib up and uncleated... and lay the main on the tramp.. push the cat into the water, set it up facing one of 2 directions depending on the wind and then raise the main while I can stand on the dock in order to get it locked properly.

In heavy winds raising the main is a pain because I can rarely be totally head into the wind but I have managed without too much difficulty.

As for paddles, I keep a nice wooden paddle on my cat, is that really a sin? I've used it several times when the wind got blocked by an island or just died completely.

I'm very fortunate to have the cat dock here in my hometown, I would hate to have to step the mast all the time!

I never sail without a paddle. Well, not since the incident.

I was about 1 mile from shore when the wind completely died on me. It would have been a long paddle back through all of the power boat wakes. Fortunatly a nice and competant power boater gave me a two back to my launch beach after I had been paddling for about a half hour.

Since then I have never left shore without my collapsable paddle.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Actually- in many states, if your craft is over 14 feet you are required to have a whistle and a paddle at the very least. If you have a motor you are ALSO required to have a throw-able device.

I have carried a two piece plastic paddle for years. I recently replaced the paddle with a three piece Kayak type paddle. I strap them under the tramp with bungie cord.

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.

In the Hobie catalogue the collapsible paddle is described as "stows away under the front crossbar". (p33)

Both this post and the Hobie catalogue talk about storing things under the tramp/crossbars. How to do this?

I've got two paddles which I have just slotted under the footstraps on the tramp (on top) closest to the mast. I'd like to be able to store them under the front or side beams or under the tramp so that I can keep the tramp clearer.

Anthony

Rememeber, if the wind is coming from astern, you can allways put the boat in the water with the sails down and put it on the trailer backwards, put a couple of straps back on, and go for it..