Whad'ya Think?

Hi,
I bought a '93 Hobie 14T this past Spring in great shape, and we had a blast with it. We just had it out again last Sunday on an unusually warm (& windy!) day here in Michigan. We sailed it on Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Bay, and on inland lakes. It was our first catamaran, and I wanted to start small. But I realize that with two adults on board we really sit pretty low when the speed picks up, and when we jibe, the aft end of the tramp goes under the water. My crew/passengers must be constantly shifting around. I am sure it's a terrific solo boat, but sailing all alone does not really appeal to me.

There is a Hobie 16 for sale pretty cheap on Craigslist. Here is the link: http://annarbor.craigslist.org/boa/451576071.html

The owner says he thinks everything is solid, but it's been stored outside (under apple trees) for the past 3 or 4 years. A trip out to look at this boat would be over an hour's drive. There's no way to know, of course, but am I probably going to waste my time going out to look at this? Is it likely to need a new tramp and have soft hulls? It looks like an '81 or '82 based on the sail pattern.

Whad'ya Think??

Good guess on the year. I would lean towards 1980.

For $700, it's hard to go wrong. The big thing to check is if the decks / hulls are soft. The only way to do that is to put your hands on it.

Grass Lake's not that bad to get to - just take 696 / 275 / M-14 / to I-94 west. What else are you going to do on a rainy, cold Saturday?

Thanks, Matt. Did you have a good summer? -Pat

Not bad.

Sailed in 11 regattas from Kansas (14) to Florida (16) to northern Michigan (Tiger) to Delaware (17)

Ran race committee in another 8 events (Tornado NA's, H-17/H-18 NA's, F-17 NA's, Melges 24 Nationals, 4 CRAM regattas)

Next weekend I'm running an event for Bayview YC - I sure hope the weather's not like today! (50 degrees and rain).

Three weeks from now, I'm headed to the US Sailing One-Design Sailing Seminar.

December is usually (but not always) the only month I don't do anything sailing-related.