sailor size???

My brother and were looking in to buying a more high performance sailboat like a Hobie 16. we started with a $25 sunfish then quickly moved into a Capri 14.2 now that we are looking for a little more speed and a catamaran to take it to the beach with us.

the Problem:
I am 6ft 5in and 250lb and my brother is 6 3 and 250lb i am concerned about the performance of a Hobie 16 with such a large crew weight. if we were able to sail it up onto one hull would the boat stay afloat and stay together. Also how much weight are the trapeze wires capable of handling?

thanks
Stewart

The quick answer is that you EACH need your own H16.

The longer answer is based on Class rules....minimum weights....you'll find that H16 sails best at around 280 - 300 lbs. Once the crew weight is more than about 320 lbs, she will not perform well. Sure, we've all been out there with three or even four adults on board, and H16 sailed like a pig, right?

The boat can take a huge amount of abuse, however performance will suffer.

So try solo sailing, or move up to a larger cat.

_________________
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 would say an 18

I agree a larger, more bouyant boat is in order. The H16 has precious little bouyancy up front. God help you guys if you pitchpole her. A H18 should handle your weight OK. She'll still be a little overloaded but fun to sail.
Even an H20 would be good if you have a place to leave her rigged.

_________________
Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

They'll have no trouble righting it.

A 16 will 'handle' ya'll just fine.. But it wouldn't perform well at all...

Two 16's would be the best... Soloing a 16 at that weight would work quite well..

An 18 would be even better... Even solo..

_________________
www.thehobiewayoflife.com

For that crew weight a Hobie 18 is a much better boat. It will handle that weight with no problem and will be faster with that crew weight. The big difference between the H18 and H16 is the hull volume in the bows, the 18 has much more volume and is not nearly as sensitive to pitchpoling. A heavily loaded 16 will bury the bow and pitch over easy with a heavy crew weight.

thanks for all the input. I guess i shall continue my quest in search for a H18 or H20.

my question still stands, does anyone know how much weight a regular set of trap wires for the H18 or H20 can handle. while i'm looking for a boat to purchase i want the trap wires if we would be able to use them.
thanks
stewart

500 lbs is not going to be fast on any beach cat.

You guys need a couple of Finn dinghies.


Or learn how to crew on a Star boat.


The Hobie 16 was just not made for big guys.

18 or 20 would be better.

500 lbs is not going to be fast on any beach cat.

You guys need a couple of Finn dinghies.


Or learn how to crew on a Star boat.


The Hobie 16 was just not made for big guys.

18 or 20 would be better.

I agree, 18, 20, or even a 21 would be the best choice.

The trap wires will be fine if they're in good shape. 1/8" stainless steel cable can support over 1000 lbs.

sm

I just want to know what it looked like when you were both on the Sunfish?

sadly we didn't sail the sunfish together.

Why not get one of these ......

_________________
Adam
e-mail: ab at medjet.net
H17S, Hobie Bravo, A cat
Fleet 444

Why not consider a Getaway, with a spinnaker or a screecher you would still have good performance. This would also allow you to have a friend or two on board.