flying a hull...how?

Do I weigh too much? 225lbs
Have I not been out in fast enough winds? I go pretty fast
I watched another guy fly one at less speed than I travel at?
What do I need to do with my sails?
What direction relative to the wind is a beam reach?

Thanks

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Hobie 16 1980
TequilaSunrise Blue Hulls CCMP1393M80F

You do not weigh too much (however if you have wife and children on the cat you may, in total weight a bit much, ...depends)

You need to be in about 10 -12 mph winds at the very least if you are single-handing. speed is relative to what you have experienced

Perhaps he is lighter and had his boat rigged (tuned) better for the conditions

You need tell tails on your sails if you don't have them. You want laminar flow at all times for max speed. This is what will dictate what you do with your sails.

A beam reach is perpendicular to true wind (be aware here that if you have a wind vane on the boat it shows apparent wind which is different)

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1990 "Formula 1" H16 (# 009)

You don't need much wind... try getting your weight inboard and sheet in hard... Look..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3eljCl7BEk

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•Present boat -1998 Hobie 16 Solana Sails furling jib[/size]

I had a friend with me who weighs about 290 and I weigh 180. We were flying a hull in moderate wind. It isn't boat speed that is important. It is wind speed. Pull the sheets tight, and sail pointing up. Fall off a little to increase the force on the sails. As the hull rises, the sails spill air and the boat will slow down. I always immediately uncleat the main sheet as the hull rises so I can slack off if the hull goes too high. I also pull in and let out to control how high the hull goes.

As mentioned above, a beam reach is at right angle to the wind, a broad reach is more down wind and close hauled is pointing up about as much into the wind as you can.

Tie a length of yarn, about a foot or more, to each side of the bridle. The one on the upwind side will indicate the apparent wind. I use yarn because it will not tear off when trailering the boat. Some people use cassette tape which works well but won't stand highway speeds.

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Howard

thanks for all the help......i answered the question this weekend. I needed a little more wind and a crew-man that wanted to go for it. We sheeted in hard and went for it. We had a fast great day. The wife is cool, but she needs to work her way up to having that kind of fun. Thanks again.
P.S. I also had a fast day by myself putting the hull in the air

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Hobie 16 1980
TequilaSunrise Blue Hulls CCMP1393M80F

And when you do it from the trapeze you'll wonder how you've been living without it.

Absolutely!!!