Hobie 16 (1992) versus refurbished 17 (1986)?

I am presently looking at both a 16 and a 17. Knowing virtually nothing about Hobie cats (other than that they are a lot of fun) which of the two options do the experts consider to be a better choice for a husband and wife weekend sailing platform?

I'm not a very experienced sailor, but I do a lot of research before I buy things. So please take any advice I give with a grain of salt.

I was in the same situation, my wife and I are just getting in to sailing and were trying to decide on our first boat. We chose a Hobie 16 due to their wide-spread availability, afford-ability and PARTS. We spent about $100 on the boat and trailer, and yes the boat needs work. With parts readily available up and down the coast via Craigslist or part hauses, it was a bit of a no brainer. I have yet to see a single Hobie 17 for sale in my area, but that may just be my timing etc.

These boats are not complex, if you have a basic understanding of how everything works you should be fine. Check for soft-spots in the hulls, these can be repaired and can be used to push the price down. The same can be said of crimped, kinked or frayed rigging. Don't be afraid to barter on these and lowball, there are a lot of them out there and another will pop up within a month or two at the longest. I am an AVID Craigslist user and strongly recommend checking your area's site (if you have one). Things like boat trade and the online listings tend to have more expensive boats. Not necessarily better or worse, just on avrg more expensive than paper ads or CL.

Another reason for the smaller boat is that we can pick it up. We de-masted it, picked it up and took off the trailer. Obviously we don't do this often, but in a pinch it's an awesome ability.

I am biased though, I enjoy working on boats/cars/motorcycles/planes. If you're not confident in your ability to do repairs, I suggest picking up a cheap disposable cat or small boat to practice on. It's an invaluable skill that can help you get a lot more bang for your buck in MANY situations. I would recommend a visit to http://www.boatbuilding.net/ it's a great site and it never hurts to learn.

Have fun, sail safe
Nick

_________________
Nick,

Life is an adventure or nothing at all -Helen Keller

My grandpa on safety - "Bah it's fine! Just use it until it breaks, panic, jury-rig it and keep going. Nothing to it right?"

I've owned 16s for 37 years and a 17s for almost 20 years. I currently own a 2007 model of each.

For a husband / wife weekend sailor combination, the 16 is the only way to go. It was made for two people. The boat is drier and has more room to sit on the trampoline. Most racing crews are husband/wife or parent/kid. The availability of parts (new and used) is excellent. It's a bulletproof boat, built for the surf.

A '92 should be in OK shape and you'll have a lot of the little improvements made on the boats since the 70s and 80s.


The 17 was designed originally as a single handed boat. In that role, it is an awesome machine, except in light air. With two people, though - it's a pig. Trapezing from the wings is probably the coolest thing about the whole boat. They are not as durable as the 16. The bottoms need more frequent attention and you must have cradles on your trailer. If the weather ever gets below freezing where you are, you need to protect the wing sockets from ice damage. Parts availability is almost as good as the 16, since the 17 shares many parts with other Hobie models (including the 16).

86 and 87 were the high production years for the 17. Boats of that vintage have an appetite for traveller cars. An upgrade is ($$) available, but you just need to remember that you can't move the traveller under significant load. Other than that, there really haven't been that many tweaks to the 17.

There's not that much weight difference between the boats. In most cases, less than 20 lbs. Min weight on the 16 is 320#; 330# on the 17.

I would also recommend the 16 by all means. Your 17 might be a sport cat with jib and no boom, but in any case we had a few inexperienced couples who bought four sport cats back in 1992. the boat would not move in light air, in large part because of the bad trimming. All ended up selling their boats after a few months. The 16 will be more forgiving in this regard.

Thanks all, the 16 it is then. I sincerely appreciate the effort you went to in posting these thoughtful and informative replies.