requesting the opinion of the wise

im a 17 yeah old kid. ive been sailing my prindle 18 for 4 years. i recently bought a hobie 16 wiht the idea that i could sail it singled handed.

rigging the boad was easy single handed. sailing it was easy. i found out the hard way righting it single handed and weighing 135 pounds not easy.

my question for you wise people is? is it smart for to sail singlehanded. is it possible for me to right the boat single handed. and what do you recomend i use. right know i have the line with the shockcord in it.

any help would be apreciated

Dear stupidcakes,

A wise man once said "Hobies are chick magnets", find a girl to share the experience with you!

It takes 220 pounds minimum to right a Hobie 16.

Suppose you could add a righting pole (do a search), but try friends first.

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HCANA Class Member

Some friends are cheaper.

eat doughnuts

Get a righting bag. I use one of those big IKEA bags for help. I attach it to the righting line with a carabiner.

You might need a 10 gallon bag.

When you flip while soloing a 16, it can be quite a challenge to right it unless theres alot of wind. With the wind, you can let the capsized boat turn until the mast head is pointed into the wind, then, when you pull on the righting line with all of your weight, you also have the force of the wind to help you right it. But, if you capsize when there isnt much wind to help you out, I'd say, either get a righting bag, have someone lift up your mast head, or you can just double check to make sure you have ALL sheets blown, and move yourself more forward toward the bows when righting. Submerging the bow of the hull in the water also helps a bit.

I'd say though, if you dont want to worry about righting, just focus more on boat handling and being able to control the boat, and not let the boat control you. Once you get really really good at controlling the boat, and you know when to spill wind from the sails and when you dont have to, then try to focus more on speed.

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~vinny

Indeed. It's the truth. just mention to people you are going sailing. I think it works better on the west coast though because theres not so many sailors. More surfer types. But then again, thats what you gotta do. Add that you sail off of beaches over waves.

You'll have a line of people wanting to be crew within a week. And if you really want to solo easy, buy a 14T and join the cool kids.

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Peter Scranton
'14 Tandem Island "Awesome"
'03 Windrider Rave "Menage a Trois"

I way approximately 180 lbs. I have the upright solo righting kit that Hobie sells. It works great for me. You minght try combining the bag and the kit.

Practice it solo with someone else near by.

Did you say, "the wise?" Oh, I'm sorry. I must be on the wrong post!

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Happy Sailing,

David

thanx for the help. i think i gonna start which the girl thing. then i try to save my lunch money for a bucket. just another question how does the solo righting thing work with the shrouds. i think i may try that but it seem kinda pricy

The solo kit with shrouds is a very simple concept. Its a short piece of wire that connects to your shroud and shroud adjuster. When you capsize you release the shroud from the adjuster and the small lenght of wire now gives you extra length on the shroud which in turn gives you more leverage for righting.

I have had difficutlties with it in the past. Especially if your main or jib sheet get tangled and won't release. It makes it next to impossible to right the boat (mind you probably don't want to right it with the main sheet tangled). I just get nervous about swimming to the rear of the boat to untangle it which gives the boat a chance to turtle. Hasn't happened yet but make sme nervous.

so what happens when you do get the boat righted? is it easy to retighten the shroud? thx for the help

I use the shroud extenders on my 16 and I have found them to be helpful. Once you have the boat righted you maneuver the boat so the loosened shroud is leeward. This will allow you to re-adjust. A combination of devices may also be helpful but more complicated.
Practice flipping on a calm hot day, that’s when you want to take a dip anyway.

If you are worried about the boat turtling then carry an extra life jacket and place under the mast while you prepare the boat for righting. This method works better with 2 people b/c all the swimming around the boat takes time.

The best decision I ever made was purchasing a sailboat in high school. Years later I still find that the ladies prefer sailing over motoring around in stinkpots. As long as there is a good breeze of course.

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"Breach hull all die"
'83 H16
'90 Hobie One 12