hobie tiger cruising

OK you f18 guys, a serious question for you.
I am planning to do some long distance sailing( safely of course), and have been tearing my hair out deciding which boat would be suitable.
I have been told that a tiger with a wing kit would be the preferred option, got some good things going for it, such as speed, modern design, furling headsail, room to move on board etc.
The only concern is I feel the bows do not have enough forward volume in them for driving hard in large chop. Any help would be appreciated.

Desmond,

What kind of distance are you thinking about? Are you going to do distance racing? If you are going to do a lot of distance racing I would get a 20' boat like the Nacra 20. If you are going to do some distance racing and some fleet racing I would find out what the biggest class was in your area. I have never seen a Tiger with wings but have seen a lot of Hobie 18 's with wings. The wings seem to be more for comfort and I think hurt performance because of there weight. As far as the bows going under there are all different opinions. The Tiger has the oldest hull design of the F18 but it still works good. The Infusion and Capricorn have new hull designs and may work a little better but it really comes down to the skipper. We sailed a Infusion in a distance race in FL last December and did really well against the 20's going upwind but when we turned to go downwind we kept stuffing the bows and turning over. The Nacra 20's sailed on without much problem (that extra 2' is nice).

captain dlennard.
Thanks for your reply, the trip I am planning is to circumnavigate Tasmania on a decent size beach cat. We will be doing this as a safe cruise with beach hopping legs, safety will be the main point and we will have an assistant boat with us all the way, which will be our camp basically, so it will be done in some comfort.
I am doing this for a number of reasons, raise money for the Strahan sailing club, promote catamaran sailing in the state, and of course a bit of a challenge and adventure for me and my crew.
Your'e right about the nacra inter 20, I have been considering it for sometime because of the high volume bows the boat has, I would also add a wing kit for extra comfort, the only problem is there are none in Australia and importing even a secondhand one will be expensive.
I really wanted a hobie but there is nothing they have that I find suitable, but no matter what make I have I will be promoting all cat makers.

From Tasmania's only getaway sailor

Matt Miller & Hobie USA quoted me US$1,900 plus freight for Tiger wings. At Tiger prices, you might want to shop around for a used H18 with wings in Australia. Try those wonderful sailors in Melbourne. Remember, a H18 has sailed Cape Horn, and a modified H18 sailed to Antarctica. Go for it.

_________________
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.'

Don't forget to mention crossing the Atlantic. If I remember corectly, I believe I read an article about two guys that made it on an H18, modified I'm sure. Didn't sound like a bit of fun though, well maybe the first couple of hours, but that is one heck of an accomplishment.

_________________
James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Desmond,


Sounds like a great challenge and a lot of fun. You might also think about a Tornado or Supercat product if you can find some in your area. The 10' beam would be nice.