First Hobie

Hello All,

I am new to sailing and have only been out on a laser a handful of time last summer. Just last week I was offered a very low price through a few friends for a 2002 Hobie Tiger. I know this is a very large and performance type boat but for the price it’s hard to pass up. The question I have is am I crazy to consider this. Am I getting way out of my league or is it possible to sail it slowly at first in lighter winds to start out. I would not be sailing it alone but my partner has about the same experience as me. I was looking for a 16 but they are hard to come by here and they cost a lot more than this Tiger. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Take it you will love it.

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Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

where are you located - i have a 16 I may trade for a Tiger

email: [email protected]

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1985 Prindle 16

I am in northern Ontario

The Tiger is a real sweet boat, I sailed with one the last few years up on Priest lake. It is one fast boat.

Just use the "Buddy" system ..... never sail w/o another boat on the water to help you in case you flip .... and you will flip!!!!

... ask a lot of questions .... and have fun ....

There are alot of very knowledgable sailors here who will gladly help you ....

Oh .... never release the mainsail w/ the spin up ..... the mainsail is your "running backstay" in effect .... if you do you may break the mast .... big trouble ..... don't panic ... instead let the boat flip ..... snuff the spinnacker .... then right the boat .... (it's made to do that, flip that is ... and be righted ....) ... get re-organized ... and have more fun ....

(If you've sailed one of those "d-mn teacup Lasers you'll enjoy the stability of a catamaran ..... no "Death Rolls", we just do "Pitchpoles" instead ....)

WELCOME TO THE "DARK SIDE" .... to the world of "Multihulls" and SPEED!!!!

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

Keep in mind that the folks that have responded in favor of you getting this boat all have years, or possibly even decades of sailing experience, so they may have forgotten what it's like to be a total newbie. My 2 cents - a Hobie Tiger (or any high-end performance cat) is probably about the worst boat a beginner could choose... maybe an International 14 or an 18 foot aussie skiff would be worse.

These boats are designed to be over powered in anything over a light breeze. They're complex to set up, and if you rig them wrong, you could have major handling issues. They're fragile and expensive and are simply not designed to be dragged across beaches, have the sails crumpled or flogged, or handle the abuse that a beginner simply can not help but put them through. In a nut shell, they're advanced high-performance boats that simply are not designed for total novices. The first time you drive this boat into the rocks, get tossed through your mainsail, or spend half the day on your side drifting away from shore, you will probably regret this purchase.

This is kind of along the lines of handing over the keys to a corvette to someone who just got his learner's permit. Yea, the steering wheel, gas, and brake are more or less all in the same spot as mom's station wagon, but when you hit the road, it's a totally different story.

Sorry to say that even though this may be a great deal, there are much better boats (and this definitely includes catamarans) for you to learn your fundamentals on and still have a great time.

sm

+100

Newbie+Tiger=very expensive repairs/replacements

A tiger as a first Hobie Cat for a non experienced sailor seems to me quite dangerous..quite the same risk as starting bobsleigh while beeing drunk or crossing the alps on icey road with a Ferrary F430 just after getting a driver licence...

I sail since I'm 14, did a long break, sailed some regatta on classic wooden boats, rented a few times a HC16 and bought last year a H14C. And with that Hobie Cat 14 Turbo during last summer, it was plenty of fun but some scary moments too. During these moments I was luckily not on a Tiger. Maybe in a few years if I have a good partner or if my wife is really into it.

The only + side I see on a Tiger is that you would be the "coolest kid on the block" just like my neighbour with his (very cool and beautiful) Aston Martin.

Be humble on the sea with a such boat, my brother died on a small sailboat from a very small error that became fatal, usually this kind of accident happens to other or in newspaper, not fun when you are hit personnaly.

Nicolas

Thank all for the advice.

I think at this time I may buy the boat because of the price but sit on it for this summer and get some more lessons something a little tamer. I would hate to break the boat or myself due to lack of experience. My only major problem us that I live in small town were no one really sails Hobie's and it will be hard to get some lessons. Maby a road trip will be in order.

What srm said, you are getting in over your head. So how about a compromise?
1. Do you have the room to store the Tiger while you improve your sailing skills on another boat? It sounds like a great deal, one that doesn't come often, but just because it's a good deal doesn't mean it's good for you.
2. Do you have the time to learn to rig and sail a fairly complicated and powerful boat?
3. Do you have a much more experienced sailing partner to teach you?

You can learn to sail a Tiger as a beginner, but you need to know your expectations, limits, have a lot of patience, a skilled teacher, and be prepared for disappointment.

Nice to see the points that srm and Matt brought up. Assuming you are not looking to spend a lot from your post. At that kind of price, the bet is that there are upkeep costs that in a year or so would make the 16 you mention look like a comparable deal.

BUT if you are a technical person (he never said but he might be a professional engineer or something...) and like hours of boat prep in the backyard/garage, it may be the deal for you. Some do. The learning to sail part is another issue...

the advice of restraint for this first boat is very wise and in your best interest. a Tiger can be a lot to handle to the novice, and possibly downright dangerous in the wrong conditions. that being said, if you afford it and have several experienced sailing friends (multihull experience is better) that are reliable and dependable, then it may be worth giving it a try. if your long term goal is to race, then you'd already have a hot rod to sail on.

if not, but you still want a catamaran, then look for a good deal on a H18 or H16, substantially less fragile boats.

otherwise as a novice, look into a Flying Scot, Lightning, Melges 22, or a Viper. all of these monhulls are fast for their type and a lot more forgiving of mistakes.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

What a trip!
Wow! A Tiger as a first boat....
SRM and Matt B and others always give good advice, that's how I learnt.

In Ottawa ON, it took me one season to convert from dingies/learn to sail H16's, another to nearly break my neck, (pitchpoling in 20 kts while on the wire), and in the third season, I returned to sanity, and remembered those lessons where they talk about 'sailing with grace and decorum.' Yes, sailing fast, but smoooooothly.

Learn on another boat, even if it means trailering down to Pembroke or even to our Club. Where are you? If you want, email me off line at lunnjohn at magma dot ca.

If you can hang on to the Tiger, do so....if you ever want to sell....we're not that far away. Better not let my crew see this post, she'll ask me what I plan to do with my H18SE and the H18SX.....this Hobie stuff is a disease....welcome to the Hobie World. And the Tiger is a rocket ship.

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'