Structural modification to make a Getaway point better.

Paul, I installed the 6:1 downhaul on mine.
That's really nice. I was tired on pulling the stock downhaul without being able to remove any wrinkle in the sail.
Now I have this nice downhaul that I can adjust without any effort, although I have yet to notice any difference in actual performance!
But it sure does looks good. Don't pull to much though... you don't want to break the sail.
I used the hobie 6:1 and I just added a hook like the one on the main block.

Now I'd like to install a jib traveller. I wonder if it would help pointing better.

Crobiecat
I'd love to see it. Seems like we are in the same boat. I LOVE the Getaway. I just want it to point better. It seems like Hobie has hooked me back into sailing, with out a natural progression in their line. I will be sailing in the Port of Redwood City Sunday. Come on down if you have any time. Beer will be on me.
No worries
Paul

Most likely, I will be in Santa Cruz Saturday and Sunday. Do you sail during the week ?
I did some changes to the boat already, spinnaker, upgrade tiller, downhaul, I am unlikely to add any more money to it.
I will finish learning on it, and probably just change boat, that will be simpler that trying to change the boat into something it is not designed for.

Crobiecat,
No sailing for at least the next month during the week for me. I will see about running down to Santa Cruz one of these weekends to take a look at your set-up. I think your right about letting the Getaway be a Getaway. Good boat with it's limitations. Bur ALL boats have their limitations just seem to me that Hobie has a hole in it's line up. I sure understand why they went the direction they did. I hope they are doing some of their own R&D and not just sitting on the past.

I have been thinking of this problem for a while not sure if it would work but i was considering using some large surfboard fins mounted to the bottom of the haul , there are a large selection of fin boxes on the market that could be glued to the haul to test if it helps then later mount permanently, this would allow you to remove the fin before beaching or trailering.

An additional centerboard or skeg is not likely to be able to withstand the forces the boat generates in a moderate to strong wind without some serious modification to the boat. A leeboard might be a potential solution, but will still be pretty messy.

So your best bet may be to just switch to better rudders. A stiff set of EPO or fiberglass racing rudders will probably make a noticable improvement over the plastic stock rudders and would not require any modification to the platform.

sm

Paul, I removed my boat from Santa Cruz for the winter, and I plan to come to RedwoodCity. Are you going to be there this week end? May be you can show me around?
Send me an email if you want to go.

SRM: Dumb question, probably, but you can swap an EPO out for the stock plastic rudder w/ EZ lock system?

_________________
ben

2020 Getaway

Truly the Getaway is not that bad at pointing if you get the set up right, nor are they poor lightwind performers. My experience is in the newer version of the boat:
I've learnt from sailing/racing Dart 18 catamarans also without asymmetric hulls or dagger boards, at quite a high level in the UK, having competed in Worlds and Nationals within the class and other cat open meetings on handicap.
For what it's worth...
1. Trim... get the lee bow down by moving your weight forward as far as you dare. In the Dart we aimed to keep the top of the bow just a couple of inches above the surface of the water.
2. Make sure there's plenty of mainsheet tension as this tightens the forestay
3. Always make course adjustments going upwind, bear away a little to keep speed through the water up, then pinch up using the momentum to increase progress to windward, only small adjustments though, as the rudder movement alone can decrease your speed by increasing friction in the water
4. Make sure the jib luff material is adequately tensioned using the white line at the top of the luff.
5. Mast rake on my boat is quite high, just two pin holes from max rake on the forestay
6. Tighten the trampoline, and once tightened...... tighten it again!
7. Because there is no track for the jib sheet you can put a little tension on the windward sheet to close the slot a little. But caution it is very easy to over cook this and thus spoil the airflow around the main
8. If overpowered release tension in the jib sheet before the main, this will allow you to continue to track high without stalling out the main and it's pretty instantaneous to power up again by increasing jib sheet tension in the lulls. When racing the Darts the jib sheet was never cleated going upwind.
9. In waves make sure helm and crew are sat next to each other (sorry if that breaks your local social distancing rules, please ignore this advice!). Reducing weight in the ends of the boat decreases pitching which is a big cause of leeway.
10. Mentally try and find that groove or slot where velocity made good (VMG) is maximised. It something that you'll recognise with practice but when it happens you'll know. The boat feels balanced, the helm has just a little weather helm and even in the gusts the balance remains the same without you having to make big adjustments.

Just the other day I passed two Hobie 16s (and 2 Getaways) in light winds during a friendly triangular race. This debunks the current train of thought that Getaways are poor lightwind performers.

Positive thinking counts for a lot so to those of you who have the new version of the Getaway think of this....
The Getaway new design is 17ft long. It also has reverse bows so this also translates into 17ft at the waterline. The Hobie 16 is only 16ft long. Not only that, it is banana shaped so it's lightwind waterline length is reduced further.

And put simply....
think of hull speed being the speed where the bow and stern waves are at the ends of the waterline length. On longer boats the waves are farther apart. Waves that are farther apart travel faster than waves that are closer together, so a longer boat with it's longer wave separation has a higher hull speed.

So while I bought my Getaway for family cruising fun, from time to time I can't help myself chasing the odd 16 across the park.

Have fun and let the Getaway show it's true colours!

_________________
Ashus
Mirror, Bosun, Laser, Fireball, Hobie 16, Dart 18, IOR 1 Tonner, 1720, Ozgoose, Hobie Getaway