Hobie cat righting

I have owned a number of mono huls over the years and now own an oday 25 . Two years ago I caught the multihull bug after being passed by a Hobie 16 . I purchased a Hobie 18 and loved it unti I got a little cockey in stronger winds and pulled out the jib to gain more speed . I figured , I've sailed mono hulls in strong wind with both sails , how much harder can a cat be . Well she decided that I needed to go for a swim and over I went . I tried dumping the wind from the main but the main sheet was stuck . I forgot how much fun it was going over . My problem was getting the boat righted by myself . I had a rope over the tramp that I used for leveredge , but at 5'10' and 147lbs she would not budge .It wasn't until 20 min later ,one boat at the tip of the mast and another person to help pull on the rope that the boat finaly came up . I mostly sail solo and because I could not right the boat my self , I regretably sold the boat . I have the itch again and would like to buy another one . My question is , is there any advice anyone can give me on how to right a cat solo for a lite weight like me or is outside assistence the only thing I can hope for . I am tired of going slow in a stable boat that will not capsize and believe I am missing out on a very exciting sport . Any information will help .

There are lots of threads on this subject. If you use the "search" tool you can find them, but certainly it can be done. There are poles and bags you can buy which make solo righting a snap! I sail my H16 solo all the time and the only time I've had a problem righting solo was when I forgot my bag at home.

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Warm regards,

Jim

I grabbed some text on righting from our catalog and made it into an FAQ...

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1570

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Since you are looking at buying another boat, you might go with the 16 vs the 18. At your weight (very similar to mine), I think righting an 18 solo, even with bags or poles would be challenging...unless the wind were up. The 16 might be easier as the mast is shorter. And don't rule out the Hobie Getaway. Solid as an 18, lots of hull volume, can come with wings, roller furling jib, boomless rig. Most importantly...it has drink coolers! Plus it has a "Hobie Bob" on the mast tip.

The Hobie Bob mast float might be a really good addition for you. This keeps the mast from going under and it makes it easier to right. It comes standard with the Getaway, but can be added to any other boat. I had one on a previous 16 I owned and its nice insurance not to go turtle (see Matt's thread).

Thanks for all the suggestions and information . How would a 17 compare to both the getaway and the 16 . Would that be easier to right solo than an 18 ? I may at times have 2 or 3 passsengers on board so I am also looking at room and good performer .

Righting a 16 at your size and weight will already be a challenge. I am in the same size/weight catagory as you. I can't even imagine trying to solo right an 18 I now have a 17 that I can get over pretty easily without a bag and without using the solo-upright system. (Although I still recommend the solo-upright - it can get you out of a pickle if you really need it)

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