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PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 4:16 am 
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Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 3:57 am
Posts: 47
Hi all, I've been looking into buying a Hobie Wave and found this forum a huge help, thanks everyone! Before I bite the bullet, I've got a few questions I was hoping you all could help with:

1. I'm looking for a cat to sail solo, so need to be able to rig and right it solo. I used to sail a Hobie 16 which was awesome, but a lot of work to rig and I doubt I could have righted it solo. Other than the Wave and Bravo (the Hobie 14 seems very rare in Australia), are there any other Hobie cats that meet these criteria? Having read the Bravo forum, the Wave really sounds like the best option for my needs.
2. I live on the edge of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne Australia. The cold I can deal with, but how will the Hobie Wave cope with the wind and waves: 20-25 knots is common, 35 knots can come up with little warning. It's a shallow, protected bay 50x60km so we also get a pretty nasty wind waves, often up to 2m (6 feet) and sometimes more, see http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/portphillip.shtml.
3. We also get some sudden calms (Melbourne joke: if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes), so has anyone tried paddling a Wave? I used to strap a canoe paddle on the underside of my Hobie 16 and more than once used it to paddle in a calm.
4. I love the idea of optioning up the Wave for more speed, without getting (too) silly. Traveller for the mainsheet sounds like a must, boom sounds unnecessary, jib with/without furler I've read mixed reports on and the spinnaker sounds fun but probably overkill for me. I'm thinking of adding one trapeze and a jib, because I've read that the Wave can be hard to tack when you're heading into a steep chop. Thoughts?

Thanks everyone, can't wait to join the ranks of Hobie Wave sailors!

stuart

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stuart
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2011 Hobie Wave with jib kit & mainsheet traveller


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:49 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:58 pm
Posts: 429
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Hello Stuart! I think the Wave sounds like the best boat for the conditions you describe, athough some of those are going to be tough no matter what!

1. The Wave is simple and quick to rig and right solo. Maybe not quite so much as the Bravo, but it should be more stable and versatile, so you shouldn't have to right it as often.

2. 20-25 knots will be a blast on the Wave. It gets really fun above 15. 35 will be survival mode, as it would on any small boat, but you stand a better chance of surviving on a Wave than you would on most. 6 foot waves on a 13 foot boat? That may be a real challenge! I have capsized backwards in steep chop when the wind got under the tramp.

3. Paddling a Wave is easy too. It slips through the water like a skinny canoe. Unfortunately the winds where I sail usually die as the sun sets, so my evening cruises often end with paddling back to the beach.

4. As long as you keep moving, you can tack just fine without a jib. And if you do stall it, it backs up easily to try again or to tack going backwards. Without a boom, it really is easier to jibe than tack usually.

I think you'll love a Wave! I say "Go for it!"

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2006 Hobie Wave 7358
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