foldable dagger boards

Hello,
I bought my secondhand Hobie18 twelve years ago in Belgium.
My Hobie has fixed dagger boards which have to be pulled up with a cord.
Anyone knows the version or production date of my Hobie?
Thx.
Werner.

It's most likely a Hobie Pearl:


Year of manufacture will be listed on the manufacturer's plate on the rear crossbeam.

If it is a Pearl, lucky you!!! Us US based Hobie sailors would love to get our hands on one of those, it's pretty similar to the Hobie 18, but updated with a more hydrodynamic hull and a gennaker. I'd be real interested to hear how it sails, by comparison. Unfortunately, it's only produced & sold in Europe, as Hobie is too nervous about splintering the catamaran fleet in the US to introduce a boat that would compete with the H16 for market share.

Of course, if they did introduce the Pearl in the US, they'd probably make us all chop off the top of our masts and replace them with fiberglass to make sure no idiots electrocute themselves and sue Hobie

_________________
Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

Check the transoms. On US boats there is a serial number etched into them that includes the year of production.

It's a Tiger with 17-style centerboards, wings and a furling gennaker. It was a way to get some additional mileage out of the Tiger molds since it's now an outdated F18 design.

Very interesting! So it's a Tiger aimed at a more casual or broad audience. I imagine the boats & parts still are on the more expensive side then, as a modified "high-performance" cat. Still, I wouldn't turn down a ride on one!

What a great looking boat. Any chance it will make it to the US?

Reef points!! Woo-hoo! I wonder if they made the hulls a bit thicker for recreational use. Sounds like a great boat: F18 hydrodynamics, wings, dual self-furlers, and reef points. Does any manufacturer offer a boat like this in the US?

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

If the idea was to get more use out of the molds for the outdated Tiger design, I'm sure the hulls are identical. From what Matt said, it sounds like they probably used as many of the same parts as they could - mast, boom, crossbars, trampoline, probably similar sail plan and self tacking jib, so parts are bound to be pricey. The wings are a great addition, and the furling gennaker and re-designed daggerboards definitely reduce the workload on the crew a little and make it more of a "day sailor," but otherwise it sounds like it isn't much different from a Tiger. I love the better hull design & wings, and the gennaker, self tacking jib and high aspect ratio sails would be great improvements over the H18, but I wonder how the furling gennaker and low AR daggers affect the performance.

Overall, it'd be a fantastic boat to upgrade to from an H18... more modern, but it has a lot of the features 18 sailors love, including the wings, better displacement and hull form, and without compromising too much performance features, for those who really like to tune their rig. I was going to look at the Portsmouth yardstick numbers for Pearl vs. Tiger vs. Hobie 18, but apparently US Sailing requires a paid subscription to get access to the PN tables now . I expect it probably can out-point an H18 with high AR sails, even with less efficient daggers, and surely can outrun one downwind. For the right price, I'd pick one up in a heartbeat, if only they were sold in the US!

(I don't know of any manufacturer producing a boat quite like the Pearl in the US)

Well, the Pearl web page has an image showing them beached, so maybe they are considered durable enough for that.

http://www.hobiecat.com/xe/en/sail/pearl/

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

Grrrrrrrr,

The Pearl would sell well in the states......but I've been on this topic before and shut down by those who make these important decisions.....

_________________
H18 '85
H18 '89 "Knotty Passion"
H20 '96 "20/20 Vision"
Fleet 259 Central Coast California

I agree, we've been down this road before and the discussion never seems to get any farther than that - just a discussion.

IMO, the catamaran (racing) world would benefit from a two person, ONE-DESIGN, entry level, three-sail boat. The Pearl would likely be an excellent choice. A Hobie 18 spinnaker class (if well implemented) would also likely be an excellent choice. I'm sure I'm not alone in being very interested in spinnaker racing but very dis-interested in Formula racing which tends to be an arms ($$$) race.

sm

The Tiger is a one-design in addition to having been F18, right? I seem to remember the class having difficulty as the boat developed. If it is still an active one-design, I suppose that is what you are asking for, right? I'm by no means knowledgeable about Tigers.

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

Anton, you're partially correct. The Tiger was Hobie's attempt at making a one design boat that also fit into the F18 category. The problem was that it seemed that sailors wanted one or the other, and so the Tiger ended up being too expensive & complicated for many of the "purist" one design sailors (who preferred the H16, for example) and not competitive enough for the F18 sailors, because it was "entry level" in price, and couldn't keep up with the more expensive boats. Beyond that, I believe the Tiger was never officially sold/supported in the US, and most were imported from Europe, meaning that they weren't really available to the US market en force, and the cost of shipping them overseas added to the overall pricetag.

+1 on this topic, couldn't agree more. I'd love an entry level spinnaker boat, like the Pearl, and I think a lot of catamaran sailors are looking for something new, especially with all the excitement and interest that the new America's Cup boats are generating. Hobie should be working to capitalize on that interest with an entry level spinnaker boat!

I think there is a gap in the current catamaran market between H16 and F18. The H18 was a great all around boat, but it is quickly dying off. It offered improved handling and improved performance over the H16, but wasn't overly complex or expensive, and offered a lot of attractive options as a versatile "family" boat or day sailor as well. It's also significantly outdated at this point, as is the H16. I love the idea of a more modern boat to fill the void, and I think the Pearl is a perfect fit! But we asked for the Pearl a few years ago, and instead got another plastic boat, the T2.

Never have I been more disheartened on this forum than after reading mmiller's explanation of Hobie's outlook on the catamaran market and their hesitation to introduce another cat to their product line - or more specifically, a new cat that would take sailors away from the H16 class. I understand their position, and I suppose some of it makes sense (though I disagree on a number of points), but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Here's the thread that's being referred to: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=53496&hilit=Pearl