Should I be able to right?

I'm 6'2'' and weigh 175 lbs. Is there a configuration that would allow me to solo right after capsizing without using a big goofy bucket? Or is it the only option?

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Hobie 16 sail # 9281

I don't think so. You and I are about the same height and weight and I was told to get the righting bag (after floating in East Bay for twenty minutes until a boat came by). I think the manual even says one person can't right the Hobie 16.

Technique is the key word. 70% of righting the boat is knowing how to position it to the wind.

What is your reluctance to using a righting bag? IF neatly stowed under the tramp for easy access when you need it, you’ll be damn glad you got one.

I would suggest you practice righting the boat by yourself. Take a friend out with you, have them there on standby and try it yourself. A few attempts and you’ll know whether or not you’re capable and confident. Tying a drag line to the aft cross bar for your friend to hang onto while you practice is a good idea also.

A bag's just one more thing that can fail/be lost, not to mention, purchase. I'd rather have the skill than the dependence any day. What it basically comes down to is this: do the pros use a righting bag? I'm totally willing to dedicate the time to get the skill/feel to right it without one provided it is possible. If it's not then oh well, I'll just have to get one

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Hobie 16 sail # 9281

Your right, skill, knowledge and EXPERIENCE are vital. For me, it never ceases to amaze me how much money people are willing to spend to go faster and how reluctant they are to invest on their own personal safety. But hey, it’s your life, your boat and your money.. Good luck!

Fair enough. Sounds like the prudent thing to do is take a bag with me and try every time without it first. Money really isn't the issue, it's that I don't really like having to rely on a device like that to get the boat up and rescue myself when it may be possible to do it without having a crutch. But I still don't know, is that how the pros do it?

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Hobie 16 sail # 9281

Nothing say’s you’ll need it forever and as you gain experience righting the boat you may decide otherwise. I would suggest also that you consider stowing a lightweight oar also. Depending on the source of the wind, thermal heating or low pressure, wind can die quickly. Nothing more frustrating that being in the irons with no way to get back. Trust me when I say swimming it in SUCKS!

This is a topic that has been hashed and re-hashed many times. You will get many opinions, mine being just another one. Let me say that the first time I went over, I was solo and a little shocked. I am 5'8" and 200 lbs and am now 51 years old. At the time I was probably 40 or so and the winds were at about 12-14 mph, so just right. I was flying a hull trapped out and lost the main sheet. A gust came and I couldn't depower so went over. I thought I remembered that you were supposed to swim the mast around into the wind, so that is what I did. I pulled and pulled on my Hawaiian righting line with all my weight and might. As the wind would blow me around and push the mast out of alignment with the wind I would swim it back around. I was nearly exhausted when I was sitting on the lower hull thinking about my situation and realized that I must have remembered wrongly about the mast into the wind, cause that way the wind would push it down with quite a bit of force. So I tried pointing the bows into the wind and leaned back on the righting line and it came up so fast that it went over the other way. The next try it came up readily again, but this time I dove for the opposite hull as the upper hull came down over my head. I hung onto the dolphin striker and it stayed upright and immediately took off sailing. By the time I had climbed onto the hull and was back on the tramp and retrieved the tiller, I was flying again.
This was a long explanation, but the bottom line is, learn the technique and if the wind is blowing, you'll never have trouble getting the boat on it's feet again. I've now been over dozens of times, solo and with crew and never had trouble.
I do always bungy 2 extendable paddles under the tramp (another story for another day). Walmart has them for $15 bucks. West Marine has them for $36 bucks. I can't tell the difference between them. Anyway, go play in the water and tip the boat over a few times. It will do wonders for your confidence level and your ability to push the boat to it's limits. You will be a better sailor for it. guaranteed.