Renting a hobie in San Fran at the end of July

Hey Gang,
I'm interested in renting a hobie 16 at the end of July near the San Fran bay.

Is anyone up for renting their boat or know of good places to rent one?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be great. Loads of googling and contacting of the local sailing clubs has not yielded much .

Thanks!
Diego

July / August tends to be the windiest time of year on the bay. Wind well above 20 kts by mid-afternoon, and a nasty chop if the tide is ebbing.

Good luck finding someone to rent you a boat for that kind of punishment.

I just pulled up the historic wind data from a couple of meters in that area (Berkeley Marina, Treasure Island, and Alameda) and for last July and August of the last two years it looks pretty chill. Around 10-20 mph. The meter at Devil's Light does should some gusty days in the 20-30 mph range but not consistent. 10-20 mph is perfect for some relaxed kiteboarding and if on the lower end great for the hobie.

I don't want to sail or kite near the golden gate but much further in the bay where it's sheltered.

MBounds where have you seen those winds and tides that you mentioned? I bet it's in the straight which makes sense.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, positivity, and help! Cheers.

What MBounds wrote. Depending on where you are in relation to the Golden Gate, the winds can get ferociously strong around 2:00 PM. You will also need cold water gear because the water can be quite cold the closer you are to the Golden Gate. A VHF radio is strongly recommended. Last weekend the Sunday distance racing for the annual Round Treasure Island regatta was abandoned just as the fleet was about halfway finished due to 27 knot winds at the north end of Treasure Island.

There aren't many beach launches and the beaches don't have mast-up storage, so finding a boat usually means someone needs to bring theirs out of storage and rig it. I don't know of any Hobie rentals in the SF Bay with the exception of Lake Merritt in Oakland which rents a Wave. I don't know of any Hobie fleets which sail on the SF Bay; Fleet 240 sails out of Santa Cruz, Fleet 281 sails in Tomales Bay, and Fleet 20 sails at Woodward Reservoir near Oakdale, CA.

Thanks for the warning guys! I definitely want nothing to do with sailing close to the golden gate based on what you both wrote.

Also thanks for the fleet info Skipshot! I'll try to get in contact with them. I don't mind driving a ways if it means renting a hobie .

Also, I do plan on wearing a wetsuit. I'll check the water temps to make sure mine will be thick enough too. What do y'all usually wear in the summer out there? I wear a 5.5 mm surfing wetsuit for kiteboarding almost year round.

A good place for sheltered kiting is Crown Memorial Beach in Alameda which has a rental concession. The water is shallow and warm, the winds pick up around 2:00 and blow on shore. Check the tides for the days you want to kite there since a low tide will expose the sand and mud bottom. There is also kiting from the Berkeley Marina, with winds a bit stronger and colder water.

If you kite on the San Francisco side of the bay (aka the Peninsula), the winds are a bit stronger and off shore, and the water is shallow and warmer south of San Francisco; Coyote Point in San Mateo near the San Francisco Airport is one such place. Lots of kites off Crissy Field in San Francisco, but the water is deeper and colder, the tide is much stronger, and the winds stronger and often accompanied by fog.

A 2mm or 3mm wetsuit is recommended for Alameda and the Peninsula. A 5mm would be better for San Francisco.

Along with the others, I would not recommend sailing a hobie in SF Bay-anywhere between GG Bridge, Alcatraz and West of Angel Island is pretty brutal in the summer. As you get closer to Berkeley circle, the waves and chop pile up. Yah, the water is cold and the air temperature isn't all that much warmer out on the water. What others have not mentioned are the currents...they average 2 kts which makes righting the boat a bit more difficult if you dump it. No beaches to speak of anywhere in the Bay that I know of other than near Crissy Field.

There is a nice lee of Angel Island most of the time. San Rafael is usually do'able and Richardson Bay can be tolerable but it is a crowded moorage. Oakland Estuary is probably the best place to sail, but it is narrow and can be shifty.

San Pablo bay would be nice place to play but it is shallow so you could stick mast in mud.

I sail in Carquinez all the time, it is challenging with lots of currents, windy and shifting. I'd be happy to have you take my boat out with me there. No trapeze, tho.

_________________
R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II