I've had my new Bravo out six times in 5 days. For that reason alone, it is a terrific boat. We have a small lake, 15 minutes from the house. With the Bravo, I can be saling in 20 minutes, sail for an hour or so, and be back before anyone realizes I've been gone.
It is a great boat to learn on, sails in almost any wind, and can easily take two people out for a great time. The roto-molded hulls seem impervious to rocks, concrete boat ramps, etc, no worries or concerns.
The reefing main is unbelievably convenient. If you want to take a break, beach, whatever, two seconds, you have depowered, and everything is under control.
I find myself constantly looking at flagpoles, checking the direction of the wind, and thinking... I could be on the water in no time. I wonder if I could sail at lunch, and still get back to work?
I love my H16, but a larger lake is 1-1/2 hours away, and with 30+ minutes to rig / launch and the same to retreive, its a full day deal to go sailing. It is a GREAT day when I get to go, but there are plenty of times, I'd love sail, but just can't get away for the whole day, or, can't find someone to go with me. If I lived on the water, or could leave the H16 rigged and ready to go, it would be one thing. Since I don't, the Bravo seems a great solution.
One of the amazing things about the Bravo is how responsive it is to shifting the crew's weight, fore/ aft/ hiking out. The immeadiate connection between wind gust => crew leans back => boat balances is very cool. Not having been out on the trapeze on my H16 yet, I can only imagine how addicting that must be.
If you are thinking about your first sailboat, want your kids to be able to use it without worry, and / or the only convenient water is relatively small, the Bravo may be worth a look.
One of the great things I've found about sailing is that it is very personalized sport. The reasons for sailing, boat preferences, water, wind, etc, vary for everyone. I'm impressed that Hobie seems to have a solution for just about everyone.
All this is my humble newbie sailer's opinion. I offer this only as encouragement to anyone sitting on the fence, without a boat. Think about why, when, where, and with who you're planning on sailing~ and go do it!
_________________ '08 Hobie Wave, Hobie Adventure Islands
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