Pitch Poll

I own a Hobie 16 and while I don't sail a lot, I am always fearful of "pitch polling" it.
I am considering a move to one of the rotomolded boats (T2 or Getaway), do they pitch poll?

I would imagine that any multi-hull boat is capable of "pitch-poling." The tendency to do so will depend on the amount of sail, physical dimensions of the boat and the ability of the skipper. If the T2 is heavier and has less sail, then it might be more difficult to pitch pole than the H18, but almost surely it's not impossible for this to happen.

There is a guy on our local lake that sails an H18 on a regular basis. He's capsized once, but never pitch poled nor even come close. He's pretty good about de-powering on windier days and in the gusts.

I am a complete nut, and don't fear the Pitchpole.. I pitch on a 16 pretty regularly trying to find the limit... So my perspective might be a little off... But you can drive an 18 pretty darn hard without pitching. I 'tried' pretty hard to pitch my 18 on several occasions and just was never able to get it done..

Heck just get on a friends 16 and go stuff it a couple times.. It ain't no big deal!

Then hop on your 18 and 'try' to see if you can stuff it... and I would imagine unless your mast rake or some other tuning aspect is WAY out of whack, or you are going out in conditions FAR beyond your skill level you will find the H18 a VERY forgiving boat..

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Technically, any boat can pitchpole (cat or mono, sail or power), catamarans are just more prone to doing it because of their powerful rig and low volume bows. That being said, a Hobie 18 is about as forgiving as a beach cat can be when it comes to pitchpoling. You said you're fearful of pitchpoling your 18. Have you actually ever had it happen? I've been sailing 18s for over 20 years and I don't recall ever doing a full on pitchpole. If you stick the bows under hard on the 18, typically one of two things happens: either the boat comes to a complete stop, you dump sheets, the bows pop back up, and off she goes again or you come to a complete stop, the rudders pop out of the water, the boat spins 90 degrees on it's bows, and then rolls over on its side. A Getaway is likely to react in a similar way if pushed to the limit.

sm

I'm with ronholm in that I power and push my H16 as hard and as fast as I can. I only lost the fear of hull lifts, capsizing and pitch poling/cart wheeling when I became confident with my gear and competent in my righting skills. The T2 specs would make this boat a lot harder to pitch pole but as previously said it's always possible.
Here's my brother and I about to enjoy a nice cool swim. I didn't name my H16 'Slingshot' for nothing.... hahaha

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2007 Hobie 16 - 'Slingshot'
1996 Hobie 18 - 'Onrails'
Hobie Bravo - 'Hobie Bites'

Hey he changed the question! This is very different, but I still don't think there is anything really to be afraid of. They carry less power, drag around more weight, and have more buoyancy the T2 or getaway is going to be more forgiving for sure.. (although not sure what kind of machine the T2 is with spinnaker up, but I can't imagine it is all that overpowered)

I still wouldn't be afraid of the 16 pitch'n without warning though. If you are worried about it you are going to be sailing conservatively, aware of the situation, and I can't imagine you are going to have the fun us nutcases do. Heck, my dad has been sailing his H16 for years and only capsized when when got caught in a freak storm.. He regularly takes out the grandkids ect without fear of dying.

Although if you are looking though for people on the Hobie forum to enable you to buy a T2.. I can tell you how scary the H16 is if you want

Who are you sailing with? how much weight on the boat? What sort of conditions do you expect to sail in?




Oh and what pitching a 16 sounds like! Listen for the laughter!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV1aGyLLMw4

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Matt15, that is the coolest pic I have seen in a while. Nice!!

If you are after confidence vs. speed, then I can tell you that the Wave is almost un-pitch-pole-able (is that a word.)
At least, I have buried the bow a few times now and been amazed when it popped right back up. The trade off is that it is not a fast boat at all unless you wait for the Really windy days when it can become a lot of fun.

I suspect the T2 and Getaway are similar in that they are much less likely to pitch-pole than thier glass sisters but I can't tell you that from experience. I only offer experience on the Wave if you are looking for a comfy-cozy feeling on the water.

Check out this latest video of the T2. It features an almost......... pitchpole which answers this thread question well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdUUwJrhDUQ

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2007 Hobie 16 - 'Slingshot'
1996 Hobie 18 - 'Onrails'
Hobie Bravo - 'Hobie Bites'