How fast is the 21SE?

I am currently sailing a H16. I am not into racing, but do like the speed. I spend most of my time sailing (duh) and then beaching somewhere. This was our second year sailing and a little to our dismay we really felt like the H16 was a bit "small" for us (tramp size etc). Our combined weight is 300 lbs.
I had considered upgrading to a H18 or maybe a Nacra (sorry I said it). I have found a 21 SE with a spin for sale. According to SCHRS ( Small Catamaran Handicap Rating System ) http://www.schrs.com/index.php the Hobie 21SE should be faster than the Hobie 16, Hobie 18, Formula 18 and even the Nacra 18^2....is that correct???

Also is righting this thing difficult?

Can you sail without the wings?

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H21SE spi 1988
H3.5 1975

I have limited experience as I have only owned my 21SE since spring of this year. I have sailed in conditions mostly 5-15 mph winds with 2 days in the 15-20 range. I know the newer and some older light weight boats most be faster than the 21SE, but I have not found them yet. The 21SE does go much faster than the 21SC. Also, I usually sail with 3-6 people on board and usually catch every Hobie on the water and literally sail circles around them.

You can sail without the wings, but I do not know why you would. You stay drier, get more leverage when hiking out and have comfortable seating for everyone. With a 10' wide boat you don't seem fly a hull as easily and therefore, no need to worry about the wings digging as much.

I have not flown my spinnaker yet, but I am looking forward to the right conditions to bring it out. Mostly waiting for a half experience crew.

If you are not into racing and will have crew available I would recommend the 21SE to everyone as this is the most fun I have had sailing in years..... I have a Tornado that is equivalent in size and sail area, but weighs approximately 300-350 pounds less. Therefore, I know the Tornado is much faster than the 21SE, but the security of the added weight make the response times much slower and with mostly inexperienced crew is a savior.

I have not flipped yet and therefore, only suspect that it is difficult to right. I have added the mama bob to make turtling difficult.

Good luck and you will bt satisfied with your purchase.

I have a 21SE up here in Vancouver Canada. The boat is definitely faster than a 16 or 18 as I see a few of them on the water occasionally and will zip by them quite nicely. With 400lbs out on the wire in 20 knots of wind, we'll see consistent low 20's on the GPS when we're in the sweet spot. We see high 20's on occasion but that's usually reserved for when I have someone I can trust out there with me. We've made a lot of people take a second look over the past few years wondering why the hell that little sailboat is going faster than most powerboats when it starts getting rough.

The wings are awesome. I'm 50 and though I'm happy to trap out, but frankly, for a nice little rip on a sunny afternoon, I'm just as happy back on the wing, beer in hand, smile on my face. Like the prevous reply, I find the boat dry, stable and very powerful. Still, its simple and easy to sail proving that one can have it all. I'm currently gearing it out for a race around Vancouver Island in 2011 and have complete confidence that the boat is capable of handling some pretty extreme conditions. I've done a few long distance excursions and covering 100+ miles in 6 - 7 hours solo is comfy and in control. Throw some nice 6 - 8 foot well spaced rollers and its a 3 ticket ride for certain. I've also added a righting pole so I can get it back up on my own. We've only dumped it once...first day out, just finished a 40 mile delivery to its home when I was reaching for the mainsheet and stepped right off the back of the boat....lol.

Now that the 21 has no active fleet, I'll be re-rigging for distance work with double ended cunningham, additional cleats out on the wings, additional storage access as well as a total standing rigging replacement. After decades of big one design keelboats, this is just what the doctor ordered.

David Gauci
H21SE #195

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David Gauci

It's no question significantly faster than a 16 or 18 but probably not an F18. Well designed daggerboards are a LOT more efficient upwind than the 21 centerboards. Also no question though, it's a LOT more comfortable. We've sailed ours with the kite in some pretty strong winds and it's respectably fast even as heavy as it is. My wife and I sail ours and we had to add a little lead to get it to minimum when we raced it. We haven't sailed ours since the early '90s but I hope to get around to getting it going again this fall.

You haven't sailed it since the early 90's?? Its gotta be in great shape. Wanna sell it?

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David Gauci

Yeah, it's in great shape but not for sale. We mostly just sailed it in the ProSail series and a bit of daysailing on Lake Gaston where we live. It got a bit of damage from Hurricane Fran and put in the back of one of our farm buildings putting off working on it....... Long story, but got busy raising two children after going broke in the boat business, sailing other stuff, horses, theater and music with the kids-now grown and gone..... anyway now working on fixing up all the old boats. It mostly just needs new line, shockcord, a bit of fiberglass repair-2" hole from Fran debris inside one bow near bottom, and a good washing.