Hobie 17S vs. Hobie 16

Hi,

Does the Hobie 17S hold any advantage over the Hobie 16? I have sailed a 1981 16 for the past 3 years with my girlfriend with a combined weight of 290lbs. We are interested in upgrading to a 1986 Hobie 17S but after reading the articles on this site don't know if its the best idea. We would like to sail faster in light winds and when a third crew member is added we are constantly submarining no matter where the weight is positioned. We also trailer our boat and have set up time down to 15 minutes, is the 17 harder to set up? Any advice?

Kyle

I am no where near an expert but from what I have read the 17 would not be the boat for you. It is much more sensitve to weight than the 16 I believe. Being that it is more complicated it also should take a little longer to set up but it will probably not be that big of difference after you learn what you are doing with the new boat.

As for wanting to go faster.... I have a very nice Nacra 5.2 that I was sure I would smoke my friens and their 16's on. It is rated right around the 17. To mu surprise it isn't that much faster and so far they are actually outrunning me because they know their boats.

What this sounds like is a case of onefootitis, I had it when I had my 14 so I jumped a couple of feet to fix the problem but in the end I am looking back and realizing that the 14 was a great little boat and I didn't really need the upgrade even though I love my new boat. Instead of buying the new boat why not look into new sails or something for you old 16.

_________________
Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Thanks for the fast reply! I will take your advice. The more I read about hobie 17's the more I see they are mainly for 1 person.

Glad I could help, but before you make any decsions I would wait for someone that has been around for a while. I am pretty new to this whole field.

I think the 17 was designed as a single hand racer, another thing I have read is that it is fragile compared to the 16. My experience with my friends 16's and my 14 has lead me to believe that they will survive anything next to a nuclear detonation. I am not so sure about the 17, I have heard alot of people talking about having to fix the wing sockets or whatever they are called.

_________________
Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

I'll second that. Stick with your 16, or go to an 18. The 17 is generally a one-man boat. It sounds to me like an 18 would be a good choice for you.

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Guys:

I sail my 17 all the time with 2-3 on it. You just need to make some changes to it.

http://www.thebeachcats.com/modules.php ... _album.php

Doug

Doug, you like to show off those pictures don't you. I love the boat, but I always forget to look at who is posting. I swear I have seen that boat 1000 times between here and catsailor!!!

Sorry to steal the thread but Doug loves his 17 and likes to show it off, talk to him about a 17, he can probably give you some really good advice.

_________________
Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Doug, be completely honest here...the 17 was designed as a one man boat, correct? It is not designed to sail very well (or dry) with 3 people on it (adults, not children). It would be very underpowered, and sit very low in the water, and be a (censored) and a half to tack if it didn't have a jib. Granted, you've added $$$$ to your boat which obviously helps the performance, but it still was designed as a one-man boat, and the flotation reflects such.

Hobie 42, I'd check into a hobie 18 if I were you.

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

If you've ever seen a H-17 and a H-18 side-by-side, you'll see that the 17's hull is a cut-down version of the 18.

But Trey's right - 17's suck with more than one person on them.

(OMG! I admitted Trey was right!)

Does everyone see what we are doing, we are suggesting him to buy a boat that isn't made anymore. Why did Hobie quit making it again?? They don't have another boat to fill the spot that the 18 filled. Lots of bouyancy, fast enough to scare you, can still be single handed!!

So where is the remodeled 18???

Sorry again for the thread theif, but you should look into the 18, I haven't sailed one but they look really nice and you could get a decent one for under 1500. And if you just have to get rid of the 16 for a bigger boat, you might look into a Nacra (yeah, I did just say that). I bought a 5.2 for next to nothing and even though I have only had her out four times I have been very impressed. She has lots of floatation, and is still fast. But I had better stop or I will get kicked out!

Good luck finding a boat!

_________________
Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

MBounds, do you really hate me that much>?

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Awww, Trey - I love you man.

Just tossing out some smack. Ditch than bean-pole of a crew you've got on the I-20, get a hot chick to crew for you and come play with the big boys on small boats (H-16s) in New Jersey / Delaware next summer.

The bean-pole moved to GA. I've got new crew(s) now, 2 of which are of the female type...
I can't spend my summer up there...I'm heading to EU for Dutch Open and Round Texel

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Hey guys thanks! Well its 4 to 1 and the Hobie 18 wins, sorry Doug. But your Hobie 17 looks nice!

It's a good boat and there should be a lot of used ones around. You will LOVE the roller furler. Easy to depower and nice option between races. Have fun and send use pics when you get it. Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year too all.

Doug