bravo in britain

i'm considering buying 6 bravos for our hobie school in devon england i need advice in how they perform in the school enviroment from ease of use to maintenance we will be hiring these out to the public as well, any help and advice would be wicked... keep flying

The Bravo is "powered up", but the sail can be furled to reduce sail area. The Bravo sails more like something like a Laser and requires hiking. Other than that... the Bravo is a great choice due to the simple boomless rig, furling and easy loc rudder. It is very stable compared to similar sized monohulls and is extremely durable. Compact for good storage too.

I think that the Wave makes an even better trainer due in part to the wider platform and size of the sail compared to it. It is a bit easier to sail.

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

Please tell me Matt, in a 10 mph breeze would a Bravo be able to keep up with a Wave if both boats had only one person and one sail?

I have been told that the Bravo is faster in light air.

I doubt it. The Wave has a longer water line and more sail area.

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

OK Matt, I see that a Hobie 16 can expect to sail at about 14 mph on a beam reach with 10mph winds according to this very cool schematic :

http://static.hobiecat.com/2010_archive/support/pdfs/HobieU.pdf

Is there any information like this available for the Bravo and the Wave with one adult?

If not, can you estimate the speed on a beam reach and 10mph wind for the Bravo and the Wave? A ballpark number would really be appreciated.

Big guess here:

Bravo 10? maybe up to 1.25 x windspeed.

Wave 12?

Both are heavier (as a percentage of size) and shorter than a 16 and have a lot less sail. That estimate is in comparison to the 16 speed given and same conditions.

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

Thanks Matt.

Either way, this is about twice as fast as I am accustomed to in a 20-25 foot sloop. Wetter, but faster. I am pumped.

I will be sailing either a Wave or a Bravo in a month or so. :>)

Loren,

Go for the Wave. They have lots more room and are still very simple boats. The Bravos are definitly one person boats while the Wave can easily take two.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Hey Nick,

Thanks for the advice.
I will be by myself the vast majority of the time. My concern is rigging the boat. I have yet to find anyone who will tell me that the Wave can be easily rigged by one person. If I thought I could step the mast by myself, I would definitely get the Wave. The Bravo is so easy to rig that it should be illegal.

On another note, I have been unable to find any information about the zipper reefing on the Wave. The reefing on the Bravo is a no brainer.

Can anyone point me to information about reefing the Wave?

Loren

Rigging a Wave?

Simple for one person. The mast is a Hobie 14 section and is 4 feet shorter. The ball step system and the short bows make it really easy for one.

The zipper reef main is a zipper added just below the bottom batten, so you remove one panel and lower the sail a bit. Not something you want to do on the water, but it is possible.

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

Is this a great group, or what?

I REALLY appreciate the information.

Thanks !!!

I'd second matt's comment. Very easy to set up. I've only done it once but that was the first time and it was simple. Especially compared to winching up my 21SE mast.

Rigging the Wave single handed is very simple, definitiely not a problem. And I have yet to be in conditions where I would even think about reefing the sail - even in 25 plus gusts, its pretty easy to keep it level single - handing with some hiking. The Bravo looks like fun too (I have seen one at the same beach that I sail at) - though seems like it could be a bit harder to handle in a blow given the higher sail area to weight ratio and the narrower beam, so the reefing might come in handy there.

with the bow on a downward slope, i can rig my getaway solo