What is the minimum speed at which a Hobie 18 will sail?

Hello all, I'm thinking of buying a Hobie 18 and I have a question for which I would appreciate your help. The most common wind condition in the country and area where I live is about 4 knots, so I need a multihull if I'm to sail at all. I will not be racing, in fact there is absolutely no racing scene of any kind here. This will be purely for the pleasure of sailing. Anyway, does anyone in this group have an opinion about sailing in these conditions? Although an H-18 is not a lightweight boat, it's the only cat I've seen for sale in a year, but I have no idea if it would move in this type of wind. Your input would be welcome, as my buy/no buy decision depends on this issue. Thanks.

A Hobie 18 will absolutely sail in 4 knots of wind - have sailed many a race in those conditions. In fact, it will move in just about any perceptible amount of wind, if the crew remain very still and the boat is trimmed properly. Now, if you actually consider that to be fun sailing conditions would be a totally different story, but yes, if handled properly and without an excessive amount of crew weight on board, the boat will move in almost nothing.

sm

Thanks for the reassurances, much appreciated. I agree that 4kt isn't exciting, but most of the time it's either that or no sailing at all. Also, I'm 400m from the beach and this is a beautiful part of the world and I'd die of frustration if I couldn't sail here.

The H18 will sail in that wind. However, most "cats" have a "High aspect" sail configuration. In other terms, The sails are tail and slender. A shorter, broader sail setup, such as with a scow, is usually considered better for light wind conditions. A "C" scow, at 18 foot might work better for you on an all-around basis. If the wind ever did pick up, the scows will "plane out" and can add its own set of thrills. IMHO. In such a light wind, you can kinda forget about "Trapping out", this is a lot of the fun of cats.

With consistent light winds an 18 will move, but bring a paddle on board in case the wind dies.d