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PostPosted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:07 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:44 am
Posts: 1
Location: Toronto, Canada
I already have experience with small monohulls so capsizing in general does not bother me at all.

I have read a bit about this situation where the boat drifts off because the trampoline acts like a small sail when the boat is on its side.

Is this as much of a problem with the Wave with the mesh tramp and bulky hulls ? and can it happen in medium air say 15 knots.

This is a real worry before I part with 5k+ for a new boat. I would like to sail with my kid and am concerned about the inevitable capsize being too problematic. I dont want to lose the boat and get stuck just because i was busy checking my kid was ok after the capsize.


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 Post subject: Losing your boat
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:01 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:56 pm
Posts: 40
Location: Daytona Beach Florida
Previous posts of mine give forewarning of the consequences of high wind sailing with the wave. Please search out previous posts and you will soon see that there is a real danger that you must be prepared to deal with. Through My experience with sailing the wave I would strongly advise using a tether or simply a rope attached to the ankle and the stern with plenty of length to allow for free movement when capsized. I use the main line tied to my wrist.
Never take chances with your life or your son's, be prepared for anything anytime...


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 Post subject: Cat blowing away
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:31 am 
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Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:08 am
Posts: 190
Location: St. Charles, IL
I've had it happen before. It can happen, so be prepared for it. I wonder if on windy days a surfing style leash would work or just serve to drag the both of you. The same can happen in kayaking and the mantra in both is STAY WITH THE BOAT! When sailing wiht a child, it is best to keep to more sheltered waters and not push the envelope too much. Once they are good swimmers, you might branch out to more adventurous trips. It takes a hatful of wind to capsize the wave, and perhaps getting the zipper reefing main would be a good option for you in this regard. Plus when the kid is ready to sail on their own, you can give them a less powerful boat. I do believe that the wave is one of the safest family boats out there--I took my wife and infant out on ours up the beach in Sanibel. The winds were light, the seas were flat, and we were 30 feet from the sand. When my daughter got cranky, I beached and my wife took her for a walk. I'm sure the adventures will build from there.

Dan

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'82 H 18
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:08 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2003 9:57 am
Posts: 1626
Location: Clear Lake Iowa
You know, one option is take off that Mast Bob. The boat is teeny tiny and easy (almost too easy) to right, so I bet with out the Bob on there the boat might go turtle pretty easy, thus, not get away from you. It couldn't possibly be very hard to un-turtle. I had to swim pretty hard to catch a Wave when I dumped it last fall (it was pretty heavy out though, 15+)
Just an idea.
cw


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 Post subject: Turtle
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:25 pm 
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Location: St. Charles, IL
Mast bob does "usually" keep it from going turtle. However, it was a beast to get up from a turtle, and I can't recommend it to others.

Dan

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Dan St. Gean
'82 H 18
'96 H Wave


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:35 pm 
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Location: Clear Lake Iowa
I am not really recommending it, but I do know that the little boat moves pretty friggin' fast on it's side when its windy. How the heck hard could it be to un turtle? We get 16s up all the time, the Wave is Baby Shi# compared to that.......


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:42 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:33 am
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Location: Florida
Depends where you're sailing. The mast can get stuck in the mud on the bottom of a lake.

I had a heck of a time solo righting a dingy once for that reason.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:01 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:58 pm
Posts: 429
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Maybe the thing to do, when it's really windy, is to tie a "tail" of that yellow floaty rope on the rear crossbar, and let it trail behind you. Then if you flip, you can grab the tail before it gets too far away. Harbor Freight often has 50' for $.99 or $1.99. I guess you just want to make sure no power boats get too close, and you swing wide around marks. It seems like my mainsheet often ends up following me like that anyway.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:17 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15021
Location: Oceanside, California
I can not recommend a "leash". That can have its own issues of danger.

The float is there because the Wave is very difficult to right from turtle. The high volume of the hulls is VERY stable upside down.

Any boat will drift faster than you can swim if in the right position. Having a float or not makes no difference is most situations. If the mast is up wind, at any angle, it is not driven down into the water. The trampoline or for that matter the hull of any monohull will be the sail that causes the boat to drift away.

What to do?... hold onto the boat or the mainsheet at all times. Have your crew understand that they must stay with the boat. At the minimum, they should know how to round the boat into the wind if you fall off.

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 Post subject: capsiziing
PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:32 pm 
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I capsized last week in a very strong wind. The Wave does tend to begin to move through the water when capsized. however, all it takes is for you to unhook the sail, throw the sheet over the pontoon in the air and grab it again on the other side. A quick pull and your righted again. Re-hook the Sail and away you go. The Wave will never move faster than you can swim, so it really is not much of a problem. And.....a great experience for us newbies.


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:23 pm 
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Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2011 9:32 pm
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Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Yes, this is a very late addition to this thread! But I happened to be out in 26-28 knots with gusts to 35 knots and of course had a capsize and many partial pitchpoles. It was the first capsize of the year and the first since owning this 2012 boat. Definitely a good idea to stay attached by grabbing anything boat-related when flipped. I was amazed how fast the drift speed was, but as I fell over on the sail side, there was plenty of sheet to pick up! I was amazed how easy the boat was to right once I automatically pointed the mast 45 degrees upwind before righting. I figure that if I could right that straightforwardly that day in high winds, then I'm probably set.
And the wave is quite hard to capsize, it's just very stable on the water, and it's easy to arrest pitchpoles if you're quick! When the H16s are capsizing around you, the wave will keep you (semi) out of the water!


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 Post subject: Re: capsiziing
PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 2:01 pm 
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Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 2:48 pm
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Mark Daniels wrote:
I capsized last week in a very strong wind. The Wave does tend to begin to move through the water when capsized. however, all it takes is for you to unhook the sail, throw the sheet over the pontoon in the air and grab it again on the other side. A quick pull and your righted again. Re-hook the Sail and away you go. The Wave will never move faster than you can swim, so it really is not much of a problem. And.....a great experience for us newbies.


Not true. The Wave can move faster than "some" people can swim when capsized in BIG wind.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:52 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:08 am
Posts: 215
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Not a Wave but I was very challenged to catch up to my boat, a smaller Bravo, when testing the boats limits (well more like testing my limits) a couple of weeks ago. I am a very strong swimmer but I always wear a life jacket and the jacket itself can slow down your swim speed pretty badly. Luckily I noticed the main sheet floating by and grabbed it.

I suspect that the larger size and the flexible tramp vs the all poly hull of the bravo means that the Wave might travel a bit faster in a strong breeze when tipped. No reason not to sail though, just a reason to take precautions.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:28 pm 
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I capsized in 30 knots gusting to 38; boat lay with one hull in the water and mast to windward, tramp acting like a sail. I managed to grab hold before the wind took it but in that wind, would have had a hard time swimming after the boat with a lifejacket on. I would never tie myself to the boat -- people have drowned after being held under by a trapeze harness. My 2 cents' worth: sail within your limits, get used to capsizing and if you do go for a swim, grab hold of something as soon as you can!

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2011 Hobie Wave with jib kit & mainsheet traveller


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