Start them out on what almost everyone starts out on. A sunfish or similar monohull. My brother was racing ours by the time he was 11. I never got to race it.
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| Author: | bjkIII [ Wed May 02, 2007 7:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | Kids and Hobies |
I am considering buying a Getaway. My question is: I've got five boys all under the age of 8. The older three (7,6, and 3) have been out on sailboats (trimarans) before with much success. I am looking for a boat that will be fun but also not too terrifying for the little ones (I think three or 4 is the youngest age i would tak on a hobie). Does anybody have any thoughts or advice on how young they could be for a Getaway? Thanks. |
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| Author: | abbman [ Wed May 02, 2007 8:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Its looks like these little dudes were having a pretty good time out on the getaway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ4gKCYF4QE |
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| Author: | CBFryman [ Wed May 02, 2007 8:38 am ] |
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Start them out on what almost everyone starts out on. A sunfish or similar monohull. My brother was racing ours by the time he was 11. I never got to race it.
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| Author: | xanderwess [ Wed May 02, 2007 9:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
My little guy starting ripping it up on a Wave at the ripe old age of 6. My older kid starting racing a Hobie 14 turbo at 9. Sunfish is cheaper for sure, but the wave tack like a dream and is soft and it was an easy transition for my little guy out of the friggin' Opti his mother made me buy. |
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| Author: | sunjammers [ Wed May 02, 2007 9:34 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
get the getway or 2 waves and have a blast! |
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| Author: | sunjammers [ Wed May 02, 2007 9:37 am ] |
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xanderwess wrote: out of the friggin' Opti his mother made me buy.
don't buy opti's, just remodel the house and give them the old bathtub, you can use the shower rod and shower curtain as spars and sail, J/K the opti is a great into boat for young kids at yacht clubs that want to race in huge fleet for a few years. |
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| Author: | xanderwess [ Wed May 02, 2007 9:51 am ] |
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That is exactly what it is too. There are a bunch of scow sailors on our lake at the Yacht Club I belong to that think the Opti is the boat to have for kids. The kids like the Waves Hobie Fleet 10 bought the sailing school for them to tear around on. They do a No Tears format for the Opti at our lake every year. Its funny, becuse of the 20 boats entered, there were only maybe 4 kids that didn't have any tears! |
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| Author: | bjkIII [ Wed May 02, 2007 10:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | Wave or Getaway |
Getting the whole bunch on a wave might be tough so I am leaning to the Getaway. Is it fairly easy for a little tike to handle, with dad in the background? |
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| Author: | Dan P. [ Fri May 04, 2007 11:15 pm ] |
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I have four boys 10 and under, and have used the H17 for years with good success. (My five year old is the most enthusiastic!) Selling points for the H17: "One sail, one kid": In parenting, as in sailing, managing one is easy and fun, two or more leaves less mental bandwidth for not only safety, but also just keeping things fun, and being a good teacher. Wings: they provide a nice kid-overboard barrier, and more leverage on the sail when the wind picks up. In addition the kids feel more protected or enclosed with the wings. The comfort and variety of seating options they provide is also a benefit. Trapping is a little more fun and adventurous from a wing than from a hull (personal opinion) My seven year old can rig it (needs a cleated pull-handle for the halyard) Buoyancy sufficient for a Dad and three (young) kids (never tried it, but have had another 180lb adult out on mine) H17 Negatives: Difficult tacking; learn all the tacking tricks before taking your kid out; you need to be able to quickly return to the spot where they fell off! Easy to do, but you do need to get the procedure nailed down in advance of a kid over-board. This is just wise sailing; H17 or otherwise. Low boom; it gets a little crowded under the boom during a tack, but once you have gotten the routine down, it's a snap. Difficult to right if you weight under about 190; However A calm 180lb dad and kid can do it pretty easily depending on conditions. Advice: I strongly urge you to get the key-hole harness system for your kids; much safer than the hook. Here are some images I Shanghai'd from a web-site: 
http://www.ps2000.ca/estore/trapeze.htm I ordered mine from Surf City Catamarans in Santa Cruz, CA. Peace Dan 2003 H17 Campbell, CA |
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| Author: | Banzilla [ Wed May 09, 2007 8:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I'll have my 7 (8 in July) year old daughter on my h16 again this year (last year was our first year sailing) She can run the jib fairly well and loves to be on the trap. My Then 16 year old daughter was flying a hull after only a few times at the helm (a bit of help from me on the main sheet). The h16 can be a lot of boat not a solo boat for most children that young. My guess is that children that young would prefer to have one or 2 friends or adults on board even on a much smaller cat. Sam |
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