Could use some help. 18, 20 or 21.

Hello, I've been sailing the 16 avidly for the last 5 years and I'm looking to go a bigger. I'm still looking to have the performance, but would also be able to have 4 people on it on a leisurely day. I also do multi-day coastal trips and need more room for gear. Also, on the bigger boats, is leeward bow as critical of pitch polling as the 16. Anymore info the differences would be appreciated. I will using which ever cat I get in Miami area. Thanks for all your help, Brian

None of the boats mentioned have as much issues with pitchpoling as the 16, but all will pitch if pushed hard enough.

20 is pretty much a racing boat and is very overpowered. It's been described as "angry". However, there's a good possibility you could get one cheap in the Miami area, since there's a relatively large fleet of them there.

21 SE is fairly rare, over-width for towing (it requires a special trailer and has extendable crossbeams). It's very heavy (600+ lbs). But it's got huge carrying capacity, the wings, and a devoted following.

21 SC (Sport Cruiser) is a toned-down version of the 21 with a smaller sailplan, road-legal width and a storage cuddy on the front of the trampoline. Still heavy, but it's the definition of a cruiser / party barge boat.

18 is relatively plentiful, but may not have the storage space you want. The Magnum / SX wings greatly enhance it as a cruiser.

Start with a budget and see what comes up for sale. Don't kid yourself that cheap boats will be "ready to sail". They'll swallow a few hundred bucks in parts and lines before you blink.

Matt,I think your a little heavy with the 21 SE.I thought the rigged weight was 560lbs. but once I load my 80 qt. cooler it may well be 600lbs. plus ...Chech out the new Wild Cat for an up to date new design...WOW.............

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Bill 404 21SE

The 18's and I believe the 21's have solid fiberglass cloth / resin bottoms...much more beach friendly than the 20 if you are doing coastal touring. I believe the 20 has the newer style foam core all the way around the bottom that needs more gentle care (cat trax). Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, though.

The 18 will likely have the lightest mast of the boats mentioned to raise, the 20 & 21se are taller. The 21SC mast is actually about a foot shorter, but is reported to be much heavier duty.

People have made wings work on the 20, but you will have an easier time if you find one of the other ones already with a set of wings.

I have owned several 18's and find them ideal for the wide range of roles that they can handle. They are lively sailed solo, perfect with two, fine with three and "slow" with four.

Good luck!

I have a similar story.

I went from a "new" 87 Hobie 16 Nationals boat to a used 89 Hobie 18 Worlds boat. I have added wings to it for recreational sailing but take the wings off for racing. I love my 18, and others must also as Hobie is building 10 new sets of Hobie 18 hulls. Wings change the perspective of catamaran sailing. Most people like them, a few don't. I am bias but I think the Hobie 18 is a exellent catamaran for recreational sailing and racing. Tough as nails, great in calm or rough water, light to high winds. Good coastal cruiser, I use mine on the Great Lakes.

Kitsi has a nice 18 with wings for sail in IL. Check out the Hobie 18 website.

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1989 Hobie 18 Worlds Boat, Magnum Wings & Spinnaker
1987 Hobie Holder 20 #273

dale.vanlopik"at"att"dot"net

Minimum weight in the class rules (less sails) is 565#. Add sails and battens (don't forget the spin and snuffer/tramp bag) & you're easily 600#. The mast is a telephone pole - you need mechanical assistance to raise it.

Don't get me wrong - the 21 is awesome to sail - it's just a lot of boat.

I've owned 16's, an 18 and 20, and for your purposes the 18 wins...hands down.
You'll definitely notice the step up in performance.
Especially cool for entertaining if you can find one with wings.
It's a versatile boat, and compared to the 20, easier to handle in more wind.

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Sheet In...Max Out
www.fleet297.org
sailflatlands at gmail dot com

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses. I think I will be leaning more towards the 18. The 20 seems like a handful, especially with an inexperienced crew and the 21 sounds like you need ten people to get it to the water. Which is a faster boat, 18 or 21? Thanks for all your help, Brian.

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1980 H16

The 21 is a faster boat, but it's like saying a Corvette is faster than a Mustang GT. They're both fast, one just costs a bit more (in the 21's case, cost=time and effort to set up and move around).

Neither the 21 SE/SC need ten people to get them into the water. Even at 600# two people and the right tools, cat tracks or pvc rope ladder can do it. What you get with the 21SC is storage, storage and more storage making for a clean, clutter free tramp. The SC with it's forward tramp will have the most room of any Hobie cat, but the SE will also afford you plenty of space where guests aren't sitting in one anothers laps, or more importantly on top of your control lines.

The 21SC won't win any speed races, but with it's weight, undersized and roller reefing sail, you can go out when others shouldn't...and still have fun, especially if you have several crew on board who likes getting wet. The 21SE is faster than an older 18, but a LOT depends upon the skipper. http://www.ussailing.org/portsmouth/tab ... es08mh.asp

Check out the video that Matt Miller just uploaded over on the 21SE/SC forum. Or go here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIqAhV_ZEHA

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TC

The 18 is a great boat, but keep in mind that four average sized adults are likely to overload it. I've sailed with three full-size adults and it's done OK. But with four it'll sit quite low in the water and won't be very responsive unless they're small people. Otherwise, the 18 is a do-anything work horse.

That said, the 20 is also a great boat. Noticably faster and more powerful than the 18. It has a couple more gadgets and gizmos than the 18, but it's really not that bad. They can be sailed off the beach, but you probably want to be more careful with it than the 18. Beach wheels are pretty much required.

sm

I usually get in trouble when I give my humble opinion especially with others here that have much more experience than I do with Hobies. I have a Tornado cat that is very lightweight and very lively and exciting to sail. It reacts instantly to input from the crew. I also just purchased the 21SE last spring and have been having a great time sailing this boat. Here are the good things:

You can take 6 adults no problem and still outrun 90% of the sailboats on the water.
You can sail with two and generally outrun 98% of the sailboats on the water.
The wings add everything to a boat, especially in cold water sailing....
With the weight and additional momentum you can easily tack and jibe.
With the weight and wide beam it also allows you to drive the boat hard and have delayed reaction times in gusty conditions with less experience crew.

Not so good things, but easily handled if prepared:
Takes a little more effort to rig. Mast is heavy, but can be rigged fairly easily with two and is very easy with three. It should take no longer to rig than an 18. My son and I have it down to 40-50 minutes depending on conditions.
Width at 9'-8 1/2" is harder to trailer. I have been trailering full width and have not been pulled over yet, knock on wood. I also choose my route to be more interstate than highway or urban roads.
When the winds are above 25 mph, the boat is quite a handfull.
Harder to upright if capsized, but with a righting pole should be no problem.
Being heavy it is harder to to beach. Need catwheels or PVC ladder to move far on sand.

Bigger is better.

I love my 21 SE but the draw backs are there too.Everyone who has sailed with me over the last 20 years always come up to me and say,"Let's go out again on your 21".My nieghbor son evens offer to pay for the fuel to take us to the ocean and I we went.Once your out on the water you forget the drawbacks and just enjoy your time.
We can choose to (censored) or be happy...I rather have a good time...
Bill 404 21 SE

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Bill 404 21SE