H16 or 18 solo

Hi,

I'm thinking of picking up an H16 or a used 18.

Does a 16 or 18 need a crew of two? Is it possible to solo sail either? Could a 10 year old be the second crew member? How many people can I take for a ride on a 16? How many on an 18?

I currently own a Hobie Tandem Island which I love. Id like to get a higher performance boat too, but I'm confused. My kids are 10, 9 and 6. I love to take one or all of them with me sailing, or one or two sailing.

Thanks

H16 would be fine solo or with one, maybe two kids. You could take all three but it wouldn't be high-performance sailing. Crowded!

No experience with the 18 but it could be a better boat for you. Thought about a Getaway?

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'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
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My Hobie 16 pages

I normally take my 16 either solo or with two kids. Mine are 7 and 11, but normally the each bring a friend so I end up with 2 x 7 or 2 x 11. Every now and then I will take all four. Four plus me is not too bad give that two of them are small. As long as conditions allow it I'll let two sit on the hulls in front of the tramp and two on the forward corner of the tramp. Five plus me is really crowded. I've done it once or twice, but did not enjoy it much.

Either boat can be solo sailed but will become a handfull if it is windy. In any breeze over about 15mph, both boats really benefit from having around 300 lbs of crew weight. The H18 is a bit more difficult to handle on the beach solo because the mast is heavier so its more difficult to raise single handed and the boat is heavier so it takes more strength to move it around solo. Sailing the 18 solo may be a little easier than the 16 because it tacks more easily and the jib can be furled if the wind comes up meaning you only have to deal with one sail instead of two.

sm

The 18 will carry a lot more weight and still sail well do to having more buoyancy in the hulls. You can sail with 4 adults on an 18 and still have fun in 12 knots or more of wind. For a family boat, I would definitely go with the 18.

Jim

There is an 18 near where I am that I could pick up for a song, but I'm worried about the center board. I sail over shallow reefs and kick up my rudders often. It would be nice to have the extra capacity, though.

No dagger boards can be a strong incentive depending on location. I share my bay with 3 other mono-hulls and two of them busted thier centerboards this year. In thier defense, the bottom of our bay changes radically every year from shifting sands of the two mile long dunes that form the mouth of the bay into the ocean. This year produced the most shallow areas inside the bay that I have ever seen. Boats of all kinds, especially the motorized ones, had some nasty surprises.

If you can find an 18 with wings I would recommend that. I have been out with 5 big adults with no problems and plenty of room. I think its rated for 600 lbs but I've probably pushed that to 900+ a couple of times. It's not a beginners boat but if you have a few years of cat experience you should be able to solo it. Getting to the downwind dagger can be difficult solo in a big wind but you can pull them up and it still sails OK. You really need them the most upwind in light air. Righting an 18 solo is also a problem but with a bag or a solo-right and good technique it's doable.

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient