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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:35 pm 
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I have been debating buying a Hobie or a keelboat. They each have their pros and cons. One of the major advantages of a Hobie is cost. If I buy a keelboat, I will need to pay to keep it in a marina. Realistically, I am not going to trailer a keelboat to a ramp, set it up, sail it, break it down, and load it back up on a regular basis. So, with a keelboat, it is either rent a wet slip or nothing at all. But the advantages of a keelboat are that I can enjoy it in various weather conditions. As long as I get something around 25' I can single hand it or take friends. I can kick back and relax, get mellow, and enjoy a long day on the water, and can even spend the night on it.

On the other hand, with a Hobie I can save the cost of a wet slip because I could realistically trailer the boat, beach launch, enjoy time on the water, and then load up and go home. But, I don't know if I can enjoy as much variance in weather conditions, and as exciting as a cat can be, I don't know if I can just kick back and relax and enjoy a mellow day on the water. The Hobie would be a lot more exciting, but how comfortable would it be if I just want to be mellow and spend a long lazy day on the water? But as far as versatility, the Hobie could offer much more excitement for short periods of time. I like exciting, but I also like just relaxing and cruising along.

What I am asking for is advice. I would like to buy a Hobie for the huge cost savings of not renting a wet slip at a marina. But, can I kick back on one of the Hobie models, relax and get comfortable like on a keelboat? Sitting on a tramp just looks uncomfortable. Can you stand or sit in a comfortable position for a long day on the water with a Hobie?

If you wanted the ability to spend a relaxing, comfortable day on the water, with the ability to go alone or take ONE friend, and trailer the boat, which Hobie would you choose, or would you go with the keelboat and pay the slip fee?

mmiller advice is welcome. I would even like to talk to mmiller on the phone. But I would like to hear from anyone else with experience.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:42 pm 
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Location: High Point, NC
Do you want to cruise, or rip?


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:45 pm 
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Both!

But I think if I had to do one or the other I would rather cruise.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:53 pm 
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I don't know jack about a trapeze, but can you sit back on a trapeze and get comfortable for long runs?


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:20 pm 
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Location: Punta Gorda, FL
Where are you at?


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:24 pm 
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I live in Portland, Tx, near Corpus Christi. If I had a keelboat I would keep it in either Corpus Christi or Rockport, and either sail it on Corpus Christi Bay or Aransas Bay. If I had a Hobie I could sail it in either of those or the Gulf of Mexico.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:33 pm 
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Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 3:39 pm
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Location: Sioux Falls South Dakota
I've had both, a 25' Hunter and now a H16. You can buy a Hobie for the price of a season slip rental. My biggest reason I went to the Hobie is my wife has no interest in sailing, so I can enjoy the boat solo. A 25' boat is not the easiest to solo, including docking. A large mono hull is great in the spring and fall and night sailing, but when its HOT it Sucks! A cat can be enjoyed in cooler weather also, just buy a spray top and pants to stay dry. One big difference I love about my Hobie is that we have a large group that sail together, so we go out for a few runs and come back and have a beer on the beach. On a big boat you are generally out for hours at a time and its nice to just get off the boat sometimes. Look into if your area has a place to keep your cat on or near a beach with the mast up, its awesome. You can sail a cat in a relaxing manner or rip it up. The Getaway would probably be the best for just cruising as it has wing seats that you can sit on or use as a backrest. This boat also has a little less performance. Both types of boats have their advantages and disadvantages. You need to decide what is more important, cabin, slow :lol: , or inexpensive and exciting or relaxing. Some people really dislike how a mono hull leans while a cat sails flat, unless you want to fly a hull! Also consider the maintenance for a big boat, hour to wash bugs, cobwebs etc every weekend, bottom paint, engine, trailer storage, boat storage in off season, marina fees to launch and pull if required expensive trailer tires that have to be replaced due to the trailer just sitting. A cat has very little maintenance and I have yet to clean mine while it sits on the beach. Both have value and some day wouldn't mind having one of each.

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:48 pm 
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I don't care at all about a cabin. I might figure out how to use one if I had one. But I primarily want to spend time on the water. If I bought a Hobie, it would probably be either a T2 or a Getaway. If I singlehand it I need to be able to right it. I also need to be able to set up the mast by myself. The Getaway has the wings, which look like would add a lot for comfort. But, can you get comfortable on a T2?


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 4:13 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:53 pm
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Location: san diego
Tarzan - you need to let us know your weight, your age and your athletic ability. As you already know, there is no such thing as a perfect boat. You have to make compromises and get what's most important to you. I have no trouble righting my capsized Hobie 16 by myself when I use a righting bag. With a crew I use a righting line. My wife and I are both light weight. These catamarans come in sizes 14' to 21'. Some have daggerboards, some don't, Some have wings, some don't. Some are plastic, some are lighter weight fiberglass. You can also consider getting a larger cruising catamaran or trimaran. They're faster than a monohull, but it might cost more in slip fees.
There are so many things to consider. Take your time and get it right the first time!


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 4:34 pm 
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I am 52, 165-170 lbs, pretty strong and athletic.

I agree about wanting to do it right the first time. There is a place I can try out a Wave about a 3.5 hour drive away. That might be a road trip worth taking.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:41 pm 
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Location: san diego
Tarzan, Look up Surfside Sailing . Hobie Fleet 33. They're a large multihull fleet on the Gulf of Mexico in Texas. If you can go to one of their larger events, it would be like going to a multihull boat show. You'd come away from that knowing what you might be interested in owning one of these days. I'm not so sure that I'd be willing to drive 3 1/2 hours, on way, just to look at one boat that I may, or may not, be interested in. Contact Floyd Adcock: [email protected]


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:58 pm 
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That would be perfect! I sent an email to Floyd. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for the connection!


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:08 am 
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Location: Charlottesville, VA
This is a "Should I get a car or a dirt bike?" kind of question.

If you want to stay dry, don't go with a Hobie. It's just the wrong boat for it. Waves splash off the hull and wet you even when you are on the trap or wings. Being on the trap is an active and fun sailing position but not relaxing. They are small wet boats like a Sunfish or a Laser.

The larger Hobies are cruisers; like the 20 or 21, but they are not trailerable for practical purposes. The Getaway is very interesting for me now that there are two kids. It might really be your best bet but it is still a boat that you are on rather than in meaning that you are more exposed. Let us know what you learn when you visit Fleet 33.

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:41 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:08 am
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Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Another thought, outside of the sailing experience.

If you enjoy taking breaks and hanging out on the beach, there is a wonderful feeling to be able to sail right up to the shore and drag your boat up where you don't have to worry about it. Not that I haven't drug dinghies up onto the shore but these were heavy wooden jobbies, not a light laser or sunfish and they were so heavy and awkward that we could never get them up very far so you had to watch the tides. Actually, coming back and seeing a huge drag distance was almost as exasperating as watching them float away.

Also, I just leave the sail up onshore because my Wave has only a main and it's full of thick battens. Like most Hobies, it acts more like a weather vane vs. a floppy sail. We ripped more than 1 old, hand me down jib as kids by letting them flap violently in the wind while we went for a swim on the beach.

Others have covered the rest. You have to weigh the pros and cons of fun, ease/time of deployment, comfort, speed, dryness, and finally, although we pretend it matters to none of us, "the cool factor".....

As they say, there are so many variables, you kind of have to chose the most important things and run with that. I'd really like to go faster more often, but the Wave suits my wife better and it best fits our #1 need to get on the water fast and use it as an instant taxi to a nearby sandy beach not far from our home.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:16 am 
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Location: NH
Lot's of good advice has already been given, but I'll add in my 2 cents.

My wife and I currently sail a Hobie 16 and a 21 foot swing keel sailboat, a 'trailer sailor'. The 21' has a cabin, stove, head, etc. We tow the 21' boat and launch it every time we use it. It is very easy to setup; we can get it in the water in the same amount of time it takes to get the Hobie in the water. The drawback is that you need a minimum of a light duty truck or small suv to tow it. Here's the reasoning for each:

Hobie --- Go fast, get wet. More fun in heavy winds/bigger seas when a monohull just becomes a rough ride. Easy to beach the boat and take a break. Community aspect --- we sail with a Hobie fleet (448) 90% of the time we use it, and we are good friends with all of them.

Monohull --- Great for winds that are too light to have a lot of fun on the Hobie. Comfortable for long (6-8 hour) sails, especially in colder weather. We can take our dog and friends with us. 95% of the time that we sail it we are out for more than 1 day and are spending the night on the boat. We bought it specifically for the experience of using it overnight, etc. Comparatively it is sloooooowwww, especially if we had just been using the Hobie the weekend prior, this thing just feels terribly slow...and if the wind picks up to the point where we could be double trapped on the Hobie we both wish that we were on the Hobie instead.

We want a third boat, which I think may be just the right boat for you. Check out the O'Day 17 Daysailor. It's a fun little boat with a small space to keep some things dry, but it's not a big enough boat to have any of the drawbacks of a larger 'trailer sailor'. You can't sleep on it, but it is great for quick and easy day sails, and you can tow it behind many small cars; you don't need an SUV or truck for this. You can also take a lot of people on it. My father has one and we find ourselves borrowing it a few times a summer for lake and bay sailing. It is a lot of fun. It has a swing keel and can be run right up onto a beach or into very shallow water.

So...my advice...buy three boats! Ha... but seriously, as mentioned by others earlier, there are drawbacks and advantages to each. My advice is to not get a big monohull trailer sailor unless you plan on using the cabin for sleeping in, there are better boats for just sailing.


Andrew


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