Kite, sea anchor, anchor for Hobie ?

Do you have any knowledge of Hobie sailors using Kites for jury rig(emergency rig)
What size of sea anchor and normal anchor should be used for a Hobie 16 ?

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Poul
FxOne 165

I'd Rather Regret The Things I Did, Than The Things I Didn't

Ummmmm, Hobie designed the H16 as a Beach Catamaran in sunny Southern California. Let's hear what others say about extreme conditions.

My opinion is that if you are talking North Sea conditions, where you might need a sea anchor, you should NOT be sailing a Hobie 16. Just ask the folks who endured the H16 World Championships in Port Elizabeth a couple of years ago. In one example, during a blast of 30 +knots of wind, they lost both a H16 and a safety boat to surf and rocks - nobody hurt beyond some beach rash, thank goodness.

Even in my SX18, we got hit with a local storm cell this past July, with sustained winds of over 30 knots. The only reason we did not capsize was that I saw the patch of weather racing towards us, and I ran straight to the closest shore. We raised boards and rudders, dropped the mainsail, and we all jumped overboard in 1 metre of water and physically hung on to the Hobie to stabilize it.

If you are likely to be exposed to extreme weather, be safe - either don't go, OR use an ocean going vessel, not a beach catamaran. Be brave and confident, on the one hand, and on the other, be safe.

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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.'

Hmmm, thanks for your opinion, any experince with the subject ?

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Poul
FxOne 165

I'd Rather Regret The Things I Did, Than The Things I Didn't

No Hobie should ever sail with a sea anchor IMHO.....in those conditions, you should be ashore.

Some of my friends have a small (fold-Up) anchor, for when they go fishing or for a picnic. Those are strictly for fair weather, and to be used as a convenience. Hobies are not meant to lie at anchor.....for a few hours, yes, no problem. My understanding is that overnight, they should be taken out of the water. Two reasons: A, the motion in the water is very hard on the rigging, and B, the hulls are not built the same way as a keelboat - a keelboat can stay in the water for a long time, but not Hobie's.

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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.'

I suppose you could take down the main sail and use a partially furled jib in extreme conditions.

If it were extreme conditions at sea, the only anchor I want for a 16 would be the one on the 60' trawler I'd make sail alongside me.

And I would get on the trawler first and use the anchor for it back at harbor...

But having said that, there has always been a long-running debate about tethering to the boat in case you went overboard. Tethering is a really bad idea, in my opinion. Down South here, we'd say, I don't wanna be drug along 'hind no sailboat, y'all.

Some sort of sea anchor as an emergency brake is a better thought.

After failing to get my Tiger to clock around correctly while capsized in some very strong winds, I did contemplate the use of a small sea anchor. Attaching it to the bow in the water, I thought perhaps it might slow the bow down enough that the stern would rotate back enough for me to safely right the boat.

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2003 Tiger - Don Atchley

My experience from using a righting bag, and having it in the water once righted it did some weird things before pulling it back on board. I'm not sure it'd be the best thing to use. It might create more problems than it solves. You're best bet is to either run. Ride it out keeping the boat upright ( know parking out is tough in high winds). Or flipping the boat intentionally, then turtling it and sitting on the inverted hull or tramp.




Don have you ever tried to rotate the boat on the vertical axis? Like a clock? My FXone was impossible sometimes to get the mast through the wind when I had the wings on it. I'd stand on the stern to pull the bows vertically then flip it around.
Took for frickin' ever, and a serious pain in the rear, but it worked.
Also saves you from breaking the battens when the sail gets folded under itself.

I'll admit I'm no stranger to capsizes. And I've rolled the mast under a few times in order to get things where I needed them.

In this case the boat was moving at a speed of around 5-7 miles per hour on its side. (Calculated by having traveled 5-7 miles downwind, in about an hour ) Lots of wave action too. The damn thing was just driving DDW like an old square rig.
When I would move to the front of the boat and drive the bows deeper into the water it would just about knock me off my feet. The bow would be fully submerged and then it was like standing in a river.
I'm 6'4" and weighing in at about 220#. I can usually right the Tiger by myself in "normal" conditions.

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2003 Tiger - Don Atchley

A sea anchor? a kite?
Thought I had seen and heard most things about a Hobie
A captain always checks the weather before a sail
A great captain carrys a marine VHF radioand keeps a eye on weather during a sail
Sometimes a cold 12 pack is the best equipment in really heavy winds. Stay on the beach and drink enjoy the wind and watch the waves a beached Hobie makes a great beach chair.
A Hobie is a Beach Cat and does really well in high wind and wave to a point.
I do carry a anchor at the beach to hold the boat when i visit offshore islands
However I never get very far from the boat
My anchor is fluke 2 1/2 lbs I tie it to the bridles in the front roll up the jib and cut the main very loose

Hehe, its quite funny to get these reactions, as I only contemplate sea anchors and jury rig, BECAUSE I am very safety conscientious

I PLAN to sail along the coast and/or cruise from island to island. I will carry VHF, FM radio, GPS Epirb, but want to be prepared for anything.

I WILL be staying on the beach, eating mangos, in bad weather. I WILL plan the trip in an area and a season with steady weather etc. BUT when sailing, you should ALWAYS be prepared for the worst, even after meticoulous planning.

A sea anchor could just be used while having a c... or a meal in open waters or while trying to right the Hobie on a lee coast

The normal anchor would be used while camping in protected waters on a rocky coast, where it would be difficult to get the Hobie out of the water.

That said, there have been people crossing the Atlantic on a Hobie. I plan max. 140km crossings.

I don't think the big keelboat always is the best boat. A capsize with a Hobie isn't a catastrophy, it will sail in very shallow waters, it can be dragged to safety or just ran onto a beach in an emergency, you don't have to get to a harbour for protection, just beach it. Its fast, so will get you faster out of trouble or into protected waters.
It won't be filled with water and sink in high waves. It can be paddled along and I think it could be sailed with a kite if the mast is gone and would be very stable.
It even has redundant rudders, have you ever seen that on any other boat ?

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Poul
FxOne 165

I'd Rather Regret The Things I Did, Than The Things I Didn't

I might get yelled at for this but if you find yourself in conditions of needing a sea anchor on hobie you might should just turtle it and ride it out. I knew a guy who had to do that on large lake and it work out for him.

A righting bucket could be a good makeshift sea anchor. Turtling could be an option, but you better make darn sure your mast is sealed tight, very tight, if you plan to stay turtled for any significant amount of time, or you could remain turtled indefinitely.