I was yelled at today

OK, now that I have your attention... New owner here, and I went out with an buddy to look at boat related stuff. Luckily, I dragged him along, and he shot down every purchase I was interested in. Sure he is an experienced sailor, and lives on the yacht he sailed from New Zealand to Japan on, but there is a lot of cool stuff.

Since he is like Jimmeny Kricket, but hasn't ever sailed a Hobie Cat, can someone else hop in and give me some advice on what I need to do to get the boat ready to sail?

Should I do something to the hulls? Shine them? Wax them? I know painting a racing stripe will make my boat faster (It increased the horse power of my car by at least 10), but other than that I am pretty clueless.

Replace standing rigging. Priority! This is a must do. Replace all pins too.

Next, replace mainsheet (and jib sheets if you have the jib kit). If needed.

Third, replace trampoline. If needed.

Fourth, new halyard and downhaul.

Leave the hulls alone. If the stickers look bad, peel them all off and replace and not - its up to you. Edit: wash hulls with soap and water.

Scuzzlebutt has covered the maintenance issues to make sure the boat is sea-worthy.

If you're asking what accessories you need to add to your Wave, there's not much. That's among the great things about it. I get coupons for West Marine all the time, and never need to go there!

Life jackets are the only REQUIREMENT (by law). Most states don't require them to actually be worn; but if the wind is up, it's always a good idea.

You should get a paddle, in case the wind dies or other problem. A small cheap one is all you need, tied under the rear lacing or wherever it's out of the way but handy. I also keep a long rope coiled from the mast base, just in case I need a tow in.

A waterproof ditty bag or soft-sided cooler is nice. You can bungee or clip it to the laces or mast base.

Some of us have added tiller extensions or travellers, for extra control, but they're entirely optional. You can search this forum for more info on these.

Your friend has probably learned that the less you add to the boat, the less there is to go wrong, and the less there is to lose if you capsize!

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

Accessories... Fun stuff.

I've gotten great use out of a couple of rubber yoga mats spread out on the tramp on lazy sailing days. Keeps me relatively dry and allows me to refrain from wearing the wetsuit.

Oh, yes... getting a "farmer john" style wetsuit (plus wetsuit jacket) changed the way I sail for the extreme better. Now I am always pushing the limit and flying high without fear of landing in the drink and dying of hypothermia.

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yoga mats.. Cheap and effective, they go on the list. Wet suits are a bit lower down, like when I buy a winning lottery ticket, as I can borrow one for a bit, and it will be warm here in Japan soon.

Life jacket...requirements or not, I will be wearing one of those. The boat came with a paddle. Rope - Lots of decayed junk.

Rigging? Nope that isn't going to happen for a bit, but it is near the top of the list. The tramp is detached from the back, and we put some plastic ties on it last week to hold it. The old Velcro is toast. Halyard, sails... I am not made of money. I am not taking the boat anywhere far for a long time, and I would rather break the current stuff doing something wrong than break new stuff in that same learning process.

I got the rigging up last weekend, and (famous last words) it looks fine. I am taking it out next week for the first time. Wish me luck.

Good luck. Take pictures and share with us!