Maximum comfortable winds

My girlfriend (60kg) and I (75kg) went sailing yesterday in very choppy seas with gusty winds to about 22 knots (we are both relatively new to sailing). In the lulls we were constantly drenched with waves breaking over us. In the gusts we dived the leeward nose several times but managed to avoid a pitch pole by sheeting out more. The leeward hull was almost submerged. I wasn't game to send my gf out on our new trapeze. We were reaching the whole time (I felt a broad reach would guarantee a pitch pole and the last time we did so, my gf was trapped under the tramp). We were both as far back on the boat as we could get. The mast was about as raked as adjustments would allow. Tacks were much more difficult than usual but sheeting in extra hard and pulling the boom across helped. While reaching, I was never fully sheeted in .... perhaps this is why the nose kept diving ... or did we have too much weight ... or was it just too choppy and windy ?

Is this a turbo 14 or just the regular? If it is the turbo sheet out on the jib, that is what drives the bows down. I hate to say it but the 14 just has a tendency to dive, it sounds like you were doing everything you could to prevent the pp. Maybe try raking a little more if you are not all the way back.

You say you are all the way back, but no one was out on the trap, you say you don't want her out there but you could trap out. Then you could stand behind the rear crossbar and really get back there and hopefully help with the problem.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

It's a regular Hobie with a small jib (it seems smaller than the standard one) added ... and we did have it sheeted on.

What is too much wind?

The Hobie 14 is very sensitive to weight. Best with about 150 lbs of crew, so when higher than that you are loading the hulls more. You can sail it with more weight, it is just more prone to pitch pole etc.

Wind? That also depends on sea conditions. Flat water and windy is easier to sail in than choppy and windy. Gusty wind as you experienced is tough on all boats.

Gusty, windy, choppy and two aboard... that is really pushing it. You have to be good. Moving the weight. Hopping out on the trapeze and back in again when a lull comes. Moving aft. Sheeting in and out quickly. Those were challenging conditions for the best of us.

Are you using the traveler? When you get in conditions that drive the bow down, moving the traveler out and sheeting harder helps. A centered traveler with sails sheeted out are worse. The sail is fuller and driving. By traveling out and sheeting harder, you flatten the sail.

Tacking? Always tough on a 14 and harder when it is windy. Use the jib. Keep the jib sheeted. Backwind it through the tack while releasing the main significantly. Keeping the main trimmed in at all through the tack "weather vanes" the boat... it wants to point straight into the wind. Keep the jib backwinded until the main is ready to re-sheet on the new tack. Let the bow come clear around and lower than the intended sailing angle before releasing. As soon as you release it the boat will round up a little. Re-sheet the jib quickly for the new tack before sheeting the main harder.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Sounds like too much weight to have much fun on a 14 in high winds! After eating too much over the holidays, I push mine down too much (175 lbs) ! I've kept my 14 just to sail in winds where I can't find a crew and the 16's too powerful.

Thanks Matt and turbofan. Our combined weight is 300lb ... which sounds a bit much. The manual says 500lb max but I assume that means in light winds with both hulls in the water. 300lb with one hull out should sink the leeward hull I assume ?

I wasn't using the traveller which sounds like it may have contributed.

I have been using the jib to tack as you suggest. However, I have not been fully de-sheeting the main ... I'd actually been pulling it on harder to the centre line of the boat, and occasionally even pulling the boom towards to windward by hand. I'll try de-sheeting next time.

im 185, and my best friend is about 175 and weve gone on my 14 in all wind conditions (always inland on the 14, so relatively flat water), and never had a problem with the hulls going down. we also have loaded up a 16 with both of us, and both of our gfs (about 110 each), plus a bunch of random gear, to around 500 lbs, and still were skimming the hull on the water, and the sterns werent submerged or anything.

so what im saying is that buoyancy should not really be an issue in terms of weight limits. others might tell you different, but i have never had problems.

in terms of performance, sure, 360 lbs is not as nice as 185, but still fine.

and to your gf, im impressed. if i got my gf trapped underneath the tramp after a pitchpole, she would never sail again... ever... even on a 22 foot macgregor monohull.

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Peter Scranton
'14 Tandem Island "Awesome"
'03 Windrider Rave "Menage a Trois"

Thanks worldinchaos.

I also forgot to mention that my gf can't swim ... it freaked me out much more than it did her when she was trapped under the tramp ... she made her way out quite calmly before I had a chance to work out how to rescue her ... and she still sails with me without any fear ! She's some woman.

Hey worldinchaos

I am glad to hear that you guys still had a great time with 360 lbs of weight on there. I just came across a Hobie 14 and I weight 280 (I am a big guy, 6'7") and I was getting a little worried while reading other posts here after I got it. I just want to go out and have a great time! I just saw that it had a max cap of 500lbs before I got it, so I thought it would all be fine.

That being said, I have started working on getting a lot lighter, I would like to weigh under 250 at least to try to get my Hobie 14 flying.

Been busy at school but can't wait to get her in the water.!

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Gratchen

Hobie 14

Today, I went out with a friend in winds that the club comitttee boat measured at Force 6 (25-30 MPH). It was the second time I have sailed my regular H14. We never got to the point of really consitently flying a hull, but we did get seriously wet. Screaming along with water spraying from comming up through the tramp was just downright fun; in fact, I'm still keyed up about 3 hours later. We did almost pitchpole once. When the sterns started coming up, I grabbed the mainsheet from my friend (hes pretty new to sailing) and dumped all the wind, while simultaneously heading way up. We survived. The most impresive thing was the constant spray. I can say that having my friend along was absolutley necessary; I am only 16, so I weigh 155 lbs, and he probably weighs 12 or 130. I probably would have hd extreme difficulty going upwind without his weight.
I am so glad that I put the effort into earning my own hobie

i only weigh 135 and in heavy winds as soon as i start to fly the leeward hull dives, ive been thrown off before but no pitchpole. i sit as far back as i can on the tramp and have it raked on the 2nd to last hole. Anything else i can do so it will fly w/o diving?

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1975 hobie 14 - Sold

1985 Hobie 16