Hobie Bob as a Sea Gull Perch

The seagull saga continues...
...The plastic owl does keep the birds off the bob, but only because it is hard to land on the owl next to the H-20 mast. Remember the Wave is parked on top of the 20. People think they are trying to mate, but I keep telling them they are siblings and it is nothing more than a piggy back ride.

Once the Wave is un-stacked, the bold birds actually land on it. So it only half works. Added to the goofy look of the bob, the Owl is just plain stupid.

Then a Jr at the club borrowed the boat and pitchpolled. The Zip tied owl snapped off. Owl retrived, the Jr. righted the boat and sailed in with a new story to share with the crew of other Jr. sailors.

Someone pitchpoled a WAVE? I'd like to hear some more about this . . .

There are plenty of posts about it down the forum. I don't know if this forum provides a search tool but check some of the other posts there are plenty of stories. Appearently the Wave is rather prone to pitch pole in heavy conditions. There are also some really nice photos of a pitch pole on a Wave from the nationals. Can't remember the site name now but worth a google search to find.

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There's no motor?

Calling the wave prone to pitchpole is a little bit of a push. You have to work on it, it has to be blowing hard, you have to sheet hard...

My boat has a tiller extention so the Jr. sailor was way forward, on the leeward side, "trying to push it a little bit" from what he told me. "Doing the wild thing." He said then to add to a plunging bow, he pushed the tiller, but he was to leeward and down it went.

The mast is forward on the hull, but it does take effort to make it happen.

Add this note also, this Jr. sailor has been borrowing my H-20 and sailing it single handed with the chute from the wire by himself. He is practicing for the youth multihull nationals. If he keeps his head into racing, he may do very well. Keep an eye out for Kyle Vanderspeck.

One last note, he has capsized the 20 almost every day he has used it. He says you can't find the edge unless you look for it...

Actually, I think the Wave pitch poles quite easily. When it begins to blow, you better make sure that you are hiked all the way back and out on the boat. Someone said sailing a Wave is more like sailing a skiff then a Cat and I believe this to be an accurate statement when the wind is blowing strong.

I owned a Prindle 16 for years and that Cat was not at all susceptible to pitch pole. You really had to work hard to get her to do that (i.e., not paying attention when a huge gust hits). It was a well balanced boat. Heck, I wish they were still in production.

The mast on a Wave is set very far forward. This increases the tramp size and seating capability but it also makes the Wave front heavy. The hulls really could stand to be a couple of inches longer. So when the wind begins to blow, the front of the hulls begin to drive themselves into the water unless you throw your weight all the back as far as you can sit on the hull and lean outwards.

Sailing the Wave is a blast but it does feel different to me then sailing a 16 foot Cat. I would imagine that the Hobie Cat 16 has a more balanced feeling, just like the Prindle 16.

But don't get me wrong. You can sail the Wave safely and have alot of fun on it. You just need to know how she is going to respond in heavier air and make adjustments accordingly.

My experience with the Wave is very limited, but not in sailing in general. I was basing my comments on the posts I have read here, and on the one day I have been able to sail in strong winds. The boat did not PP but the lee hull did try to bury itself and many times was fully under water going through waves. Having read the posts I had put myself as far back and outside as possible and that may have been the difference.

I love the boat, love that I can truck top it with my camper on the back and still take both my kids out to sail and have a fast fun cat to sail solo when the wind picks up.

Anyway here is the link to the photos from 2003 nathionals showing a PP in action. http://www.catsailor.com/waves/WaveNtls03.htm
Just scroll down a little and there are three photos in sequence of a boat going nose first.

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There's no motor?

I used a short piece of PVC that fits in the hole in Bob, put a cap on it with a screw coming out of the top with nylon washers and attached a wind sock to it. Looks nice, a good wind indicator and should keep the birds off

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Brooks