Buying a Hobie for Family use on ATL Ocean- any thoughts??

I agree with this. I sail in the gulf at a spot called surfside we have 3'-4' seas on average and the H16 handles it really well. I have been out on a getaway and it punches thru the surf very well but the H16 & Getaway are very different the getaway is relaxing and great to learn on my wife & nephew loved it I got bored but I sailed it for 3 hours . The H16 is more fun IMHO its a surfing machine you can fly off waves with it too but its really a 2 person boat even more fun to solo!! There was a H17 Sport for sale by me so I just asked Jane (H17 Sailor) about sailing it in the surf here is her response: Hey Floyd

The 17 Sport is a great boat - if you can find one. Sailed singlehanded - it's a pig on the beach - (boat weight about 340) but is much lighter than the Hobie 18 (boat weight about 400) - but once on the water - is great. The 17 Sport (with jib) should punch thru the surf pretty well, but sailing singlehanded - with all that boat out in front , and no crew to get the bows down - can be tricky getting out. Once you get out - the boat is great - the wings keep you above the water, and you hardly ever get washed off. You can point well, and the centerboards pivot if you hit something. The boat isn't prone to capsize - except when going down-wind in scary conditions.

The Hobie 16 is the best boat EVER for playing in the surf -that's what it was built for. with 2 people, it gets thru the surfline best too. Boat weight is about 320. The hull shape drags around on the beach easiest. The 16 is the most underpowered, so least likely to capsize, but more prone to pitchpoling - there's not a lot of bow out there.

The Hobie 18 (boat weight about 400) is heavy on the beach, but with 2 people, gets past the surf pretty well. Once out, the boat is rock stable - no hobby-horsing, has lots of power, doesn't pitchpole very easy either. You have to watch the daggerboards for shallows, oyster reefs, etc. If you have more than 2 people on the boat - or a family - the 18 wins.

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Floyd
00 Tiger
http://www.HobieFleet33.com
10 Mile Surfside, Texas
Join us on our Facebook group: Surfside Sailing

what kind of beach wheels do you have? Tiger tracks are tough sometimes but the cat tracks make rolling any boat easy.
Have you tried going up at an angle instead of straight up the incline? I have flat beach prior to the dune incline so we start running before we hit the soft sand and plow up to the dunes.

yes we have the rubber cat trax. there is a good incline.

The only thing I would worry about is putting to much pressure on the boat when you're pulling hard. You would not know how much pressure you are putting on the boat at any time versus the max pressure that part of the boat is designed to handle. Just go easy and don't jerk the boat around.

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06 getaway -- always remember, man with both feet in mouth have no leg to stand on.

Why not try it and let us know how it goes? What could go wrong?

Or you could get a winch.