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PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 1:35 pm 
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Hi folks . . newbie here. I only have a few dozen questions to ask but I'll try to limit it down to 1 or 2 for now! :)

A bit of background . . . my wife and I have a 23' Motorhome and have had a ball this year travelling all over the Mid-Atlantic region. I am SERIOUSLY considering purchasing a small sailboat to trailer with us. Most of the places we go have either a lake or are otherwise near the water and I wouldn't mind an alternative activity to hiking, sightseeing etc.

I am not new to the water. I grew up boating (mostly powerboating) and until last year we had an 18' boat. (Before the motorhome and since sold.) I also did SOME sailing growing up though due to weird circumstances I had sort of a bad taste of it when I was growing up . . . but I am definitely interested in re-learning to sail.

That said, I'm not going to jump in without any research and maybe not even until spring (perhaps a rental or two this year). But the boats that have piqued my interest include the Hobie Bravo, which I really like the looks of so far, the Sunfish , and the Pico. I sorta prefer the Sunfish over the Pico though those low-maintenance Rotomolded hulls are pretty appealing. The heavy favorite though is the Bravo.

The only thing scaring me off is that 19' mast. I guess I don't want to deal with a monstrous trailer and obviously the mast would be unable to protrude over the tow vehicle. How hard is it to remove the sail and take the mast apart to trailer? Also, anyone trailer a Bravo or Wave with a motorhome? Any tips, tricks? Difficult? Easy? Medium?

So I know this is a Hobi forum but I'm betting folks here have sailed lots of different boats. What are everyone's thoughts on Sunfish vs. Bravo vs. Pico? Rotomolded vs. Fiberglass? I'm definitely leaning toward the Rotomolded due to ease of maintenance and durability.

Also, anyone know of any quick schools or classes taught in the Pennsylvania region on small boats for adults? Just about all I've seen are for kids and have an age limit.

Okay . . . that's enough for now . . . I'll be anxiously awaiting any and all advice!

Pete

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Reading, PA


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:17 pm 
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Hi, October. The Bravo mast breaks down into 2 sections that basically fit within the length of boat and trailer. If you're thinking of taking more than one person out at a time, the Bravo is going to do a better job than either the Sunfish or Pico. Good Luck.
Todd Craig
Inland Sailing Company
www.inland-sailing.com


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:23 pm 
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Todd Craig wrote:
Hi, October. The Bravo mast breaks down into 2 sections that basically fit within the length of boat and trailer. If you're thinking of taking more than one person out at a time, the Bravo is going to do a better job than either the Sunfish or Pico. Good Luck.
Todd Craig
Inland Sailing Company
www.inland-sailing.com


Thanks Todd . . . that was actually the other question . . . how does the Bravo do with 2 adults (~185 lbs. & 130 lbs.)?

Is it hard or time consuming to break the mast down or pretty easy?

Pete

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:16 pm 
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The upper mast section just slides into the lower. You need to slide the mast out of the sail sleeve and pull the two sections apart. This probably takes 5 minutes if you take your time. Hobie specs a 400# crew weight for the Bravo. I have sold a Bravo to a couple who were probably pushing that limit and they seem to be having a blast. No complaints after a year. If you think you'll need more capacity, you'll have to move up to the Hobie Wave (masts also break down) or into a monohull (check out the Lido 14 on our website. The mast transports within the length of the trailer.) Many people do tow catamarans with RVs, myself included.
Todd Craig
Inland Sailing Company
www.inland-sailing.com


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:59 pm 
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Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:06 pm
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Location: Olathe, KS
Mr. October,

My father purchased a Bravo new back in 04 with a small trailer and loves it. He just leaves the mast together with the sail furled and places the mast on a mast support that is bolted to the trailer when it is time to tow it home. This way it can be rigged in no time. Having the mast stick out is not a huge deal. I would think you could have the mast stick out some off the front and most off the rear of the trailer. Or just go ahead and take it apart like the previous posts described.

I am not familiar with the Pico but I know the Bravo would be better than a Sunfish. The Sunfish has a primitive lanteen style rig and would not be as fast as the Bravo. Plus with the Bravo you can always furl the sail some if you find yourself in heavy air. :lol:

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2020 Getaway
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:00 am 
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Thanks for the great information guys! I think I'm going to get going on this. I need to shuffle some other unused "toys" around but I think I'm going to see if I can find a Bravo to get a ride on somewhere.

Pete

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Reading, PA


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:22 am 
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Todd Craig wrote:
Many people do tow catamarans with RVs, myself included.
Todd Craig
Inland Sailing Company
www.inland-sailing.com


Thanks again Todd . . . Too bad inland-sailing isn't closer to Pennsylvania! I'd probably be in your shop this afternoon. :lol:

Have you found any difficulties towing the Cat with the RV? Our's is a little 23' Itasca Navion that is quite maneuverable and we have the optional backup camera as well. I figure it shouldn't be too bad to maneuver a trailer. 'Course one of the things I like about the idea of the Bravo is it looks like you only need to get CLOSE to the water. I did see one in person at the local dealer and it was light enough to lift the whole thing off the floor mast and all by myself.

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Reading, PA


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:39 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2003 7:35 pm
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Location: 315 N. Hwy 79 Panama City Beach, FL 32413 850-235-2281
I agree with everything everyone has posted, the bravo is the boat for you! Our Sunfish sales have almost stopped and Pico's have disappeared after we received the bravos in 2002, I think it was 2002. We can't keep them in stock, do a demo and sell 2 boats because of it! Find one close by or get one shipped to you ASAP, if you wait till spring your gona miss the entire fall sailing! we have received 2008 info, no changes other than a price increase!

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:22 am 
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Hi, Pete. I'm always glad to help fellow sailors. I'm sure you'll find your nearest Hobie Dealers to be good folks. As far as the RV situation goes, there are few easier boats to tow than catamarans. Most RVs have very limited towing capacity. Their capacity is taken up hauling there own big butts around! Many of them have a tendency to wander around the road, which can complicate towing. Even the heaviest of Beach cats comes in at a bit over 400#s. With trailer and gear you are generally going to be under 1000#s and you can tow that with anything. Try to plan ahead so that you don't have to back up much with the trailer on and don't plan to do any ramp launching. The Bravo is light enough that two people can easily carry it to the beach. It's also extremely easy to flip back over if it gets knocked down and the float on top will keep it from turtling. My last boat was a Hobie Miracle 20 and I towed that behind my 24' class C motorhome with no problem. The mast on that boat is around 35' long. I think you'll love the Bravo. Take the plunge. If you are ever in our neck of the woods, stop by and say hello.
Todd Craig
Inland Sailing Company
www.inland-sailing.com


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 Post subject: Bravo vs PIco
PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:08 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2006 2:47 pm
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Location: Portugal
I also stow with doubts between the Laser Pico and the Hobie Bravo.
The Hobie has a lenth of 3,66m, beam 1,35m, a sail area of 7,99m2 and a weight of 88,45Kg.
The Laser Pico has a length of 3,5m, beam of 1,43, a jib of 1,09m2 and a mainsail of 5,1m2 (6,44 in the sport version), and a weight of 60kg.
The Pico Sport has a mainsail of mylar and more toe straps.
The Pico can be sail by 2 persons (more a child and a adult), righting after a capsize is very easy, the sail can be reef around the mast (the same way the Bravo with the optional boom). It´s more easy to tack than the Bravo. A lot of sailing schools in Europe use the Pico as a first sailing boat.
The Bravo don’t have a centreboard and can be sail in places with little depth (for me a big advantage), take 2 adults easily, and the baten mainsail can be furl around the mast. And you can fly a hull (but because it has only a central rudder you loose direction capacity – I don´t know if this are the corrects words…).
When I find a place to put, I will buy a Bravo.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:14 pm 
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Location: Tri-Cities, WA
Mr. October, a quick add note. We trailer a Bravo around behind our motorhome with ease and the bravo is light enough that we usually carry it to the beach rather than launch it. An added bonus is that you can easly strap a couple of Kayaks to it so you can paddle around when there is no wind. :wink:


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:45 am 
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fastcat wrote:
Mr. October, a quick add note. We trailer a Bravo around behind our motorhome with ease and the bravo is light enough that we usually carry it to the beach rather than launch it. An added bonus is that you can easly strap a couple of Kayaks to it so you can paddle around when there is no wind. :wink:


Thanks FC . . . appreciate the information. Actually my plan is to add a couple folding bikes to the repetoire as well and I'm going to try to setup a system to put them on the Bravo (with appropriate padding of course) for transportation purposes. I want the folding ones so we can throw them under the dinette in the even we are trailering.

Thanks again! At this point, I'm definitely planning to acquire a Bravo but it still may not be before spring. Gotta get rid of a few other toys first and cash is a bit short after buying our rolling second home. :roll:

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