Hobie Wave vs Hobie 16

I had a Hobie Wave that I found easy to upright if you flipped it. (I am a small female). I recently moved to florida and purchased a Hobie 16. I have not sailed it yet but it seems so much heavier I am concerned I will not be able to upright it if I flip in in the ocean. Any thoughts?

A righting bag. Get the CAT RIGHTING BIG BAG SYSTEM #01-3280 from Murray's Marine (800)786-7245. Learn to use it before going out solo in the ocean. You should probably get a Hobie Bob installed as well just to be safer.
Richard

Already put a bob on it!

You need approximately 285 pounds to reliably right a capsized Hobie 16. If you're an average size female, that means that even with a righting bag, you're probably not going to be able to get your 16 back up alone.

The 16 is also going to be a pain to move around by yourself. You should find a crew. Otherwise, a Hobie Wave or 14 would be more appropriate.

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Sailing with a crew is always preferable to sailing and righting your H-16 by yourself; but you've had no trouble righting your H-wave by yourself, so you are familiar with the proper technique. You should be able to right your H-16 with a lot less weight than 285 lbs.
The Murray's bag that I suggested is rated at 250 lbs., so it can probably realistically carry 200 lbs. or more. It attaches under the tramp with velcro straps and comes with a 4:1 block and tackle kit, 1/4" line and cam cleat.
I'm 159 lbs. and use a smaller bag on our H-16 sailing solo and have had no problems righting my capsized boat.
I think you'll be fine sailing solo with your H-16 if you have the proper equipment and are confident in your abilities. Please don't ever go outside of your comfort zone.
Enjoy your boat!
Richard

We had that same problem with my wife (5' even, 110 lbs). She owned a Bravo, but wanted something more challanging. She did not want to go the H14 route (old technology) though 3 of our friends own turboH14s, wasn't interested in a Wave (too Plane Jane). We went instead with a 14" Weta Trimaran. Lots of bells and whistles, but it is a new boat on the market (hers was #275) so we had to plunk down a wad of cash (we bought it through a Hobie dealer). It has good performance and can be easily righted by even small sailors (you just flood one of the pontoons and sit on it).
But I digress, SRM makes a good point, the H14 (I would go Turbo) may be a better choice for a small soloer. I soloed a H16 for many years (I'm 6'1" and 200+ lbs and needed a righting bucket most of the time (if it was really blowing I could get the wind to help enough not to need the bucket). If you want to keep with the H16 you might be able to combine a righting pole with a righting bucket and get the needed leverage. Regardless of your choice and if you solo BE SURE you can self-rescue.

Trying to manhandle a water bag that weighs more than you do doesn't sound like any fun. Maybe doable for a man, but for a small woman, trying to swing around 150 or so pounds of water while trying to also get a boat into position for righting would probably be nearly impossible. Not to mention trying to drag around 320+ pounds of boat on the beach. Sorry, but a 16 is just not a good choice for the average small woman to sail single handed.

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On google search type in murrays marine righting bag. They're easy to use. I've had to use mine twice. The 4:1 block and tackle with cam cleat and 1/4" line does all the work. You just position the bag and add your own weight and sheet in on the 1/4" line through the cleat. When the boat is ready to drop, go for the dolphin stryker to keep the boat from going over on the other side. The righting bag system comes with complete instructions.
She already bought the H-16. Her only concern, that she mentioned, is righting it after capsizing in the ocean, so let's help her out.
Dragging around 320+ pounds on the beach.... She's a "small female". She'll get plenty of help.

Exactly.

A Hobie 16 will be SIGNIFICANTLY more difficult to right than a Wave. IMO, not an appropriate boat for small people to sail solo in open ocean.

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This small female (mocowgirl) should be able to right her H-16 if she has a righting bag system. They're not hard to use and they work.
She's an experienced Hobie Wave sailor. Check out the video on the Hobie Wave forum - about the 5th one down - "Videos - Sailing On The Wild Side - wind at 20 to 25 knots" by Creative; posted fri., Mar. 18, 2011 at 1:33PM. I don't think a Wave sailor would move up to a H-16 if they didn't think they were ready. Some of these people know how to sail catamarans very well.
The H-16 isn't a flipping, pitchpolling machine. I've pitchpolled twice in 31 years (My Fault) and capsize about once every 5 years or so (Also My Fault). I take risks when sailing except when I sail solo in the ocean and when I take the grandkids out sailing.
The only concern mocowgirl expressed was righting a heavier H-16 if she should capsize in the ocean. She already has a Bob on her mast. She'll be fine as long as she wears a life jacket; has a righting system; posesses knowledge and skills; and stays within her comfort zone. It's what we all should do regardless of wether we're male or female; large or small; young or old.

mocowgirl - if you go the righting bag route, be sure you can get the bag over the overhead hull (when the boat has flipped and on its side) or atleast around the front pylon. Also be sure to get atleast a 4:1 block system with cam cleat. If you can not reach the overhead hull (it is 7' up there) then you could pre-rig some short lines on the pylons to attach to. Or if you combine the righting bag with a power pole setup, you could attach the bag to the end of the power pole. Whatever system you come up with, practice righting in a safe location to make sure you can do it on your own. Also before going out test the mast and make sure it is water tight. No system will work if you have a mast full of water.

I realize that it probably seems like I have a very negative opinion, but in all honesty, a Hobie 16 is simply not the right boat for a small person (presumably 140lb or less) to singlehand on a regular basis, especially in open ocean conditions. I've been sailing cats for close to 30 years also, and if you have to ask the question "can I right my boat?", then you should not be sailing it out in the ocean. Water bags and righting poles are great back-up and assisting devices, but sailing in the ocean means you gotta have your s##t together. Messing around with poles and bags (simultaneously??), especially if there is any significant breeze or swell, is just not going to be easy by any means. These boats go over all the time (all Hobies, not just 16s) - you have to assume that it will happen.

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