H-14 feedback...Easy to find parts??

Hello all,
I just sold my wave that i loved! I am thinking of getting a H-14 but i wanted to know if its easy to find parts if needed? ex. Shroud wires, main sails, trapeze sets.... specially things that you might want to change oftenly.
I am 215 lbs, I would love to get a H-16 but i know it wont fit in my garage .
The wave fitted perfectly on the trailer with a few feet to spare.

I guess i just wanted to hear feedback from people that own or have owned a 14 for some time..
Do you guys like it..?? Is it much slower than the 16 if you've tried both? If i get a trapeze set will I be too heavy? (215 lbs)??

It just scares me a bit if my previous adventure happens again on the 14!
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2603[/url]

I think you are going to have a problem at that weight. I had a Turbo before and it was a problem. i am 210. I would get a 17 if you sail solo.

Doug Snell
Hobie17
www.tcdyc.com

14's are very easy to get parts for. Hobie still makes sails and trampolines for them and the wires you can get almost anywhere (West Marine will make them up for you.) The 14 and 16 share many common parts, including the entire rudder system. Parts show up on eBay all the time.

You are a bit heavy for the 14, but you will still have fun with it. It's a lot livlier than a Wave - you'll be surprised at how nimble it is.

A 16 is more versatile than a 14, but if you don't have the space for it - then I guess it's out. Probably true for a 17 as well (you're a bit heavy for the 17, too).

If you're going to trapeze on the 14, you must install a dolphin striker (if it doesn't have one already). It's easy to do, and absolutely necessary to keep the front crossbar from collapsing. Hobie still makes the aftermarket kit.

Your weight will only matter if you race. If you pleasure sail it shouldn't be much of an issue. If you do race, hope for very light wind or very heavy. As possibly the heaviest guy to ever race a 14 I can tell you that in the moderate stuff you will be toast. Trapping on the 14 when it's blowing 25 is very cool. Much more exciting than anything else I've sailed.
Matt: to heavy for the 17? Thats depressing.

_________________
Pat Bisesi
Fleet 204 Syracuse, NY

I love my 17.

At 210 I sail fine. I have taken 3 adults and 12 yr old out at the same time many times. Above 15 on the wire is a HOOT!!
I don't think you will be happy with 14. If you take someone with you it will be SLOW
Get a boat (whatever kind) that can handle some weight. You will be much happier in the long run

Doug Snell
Hobie17
www.tcdyc.com

Well, I'm perpetually thinking in race mode - and I'm always trying to get down to 170-175 for the 17.

Certainly the 17 can handle 210# - it's just not as lively. In heavy air, 210# is an advantage. In the medium choppy stuff, though, you'll wish you'd given up fast food when you were a teenager.

Don't let your garage keep you from getting a 14, 16, or 17. I had a H17 and had the same problem with it not fitting in the garage. I put a third cross piece on my trailer with a set of rollers on the ends. I placed it about 4 feet in front of the existing forward cross piece. When I get home from the beach, I roll the boat forward on the trailer until the back of the boat is even with the back of the trailer. Then I roll the trailer into the garage. The garage door closes with about 3" to spare. I have a Getaway now and I do the same thing with it. You just need to move the boat forward on the trailer. If your trailer will fit in your garage without the boat on it - you can easily make it fit with the boat on it. Just remember to roll the boat back where it belongs to trailer it or you will have weight issues on the trailer tongue.

I tried that but the problem is that i had a winch on my trailer that i used for steping the mast and the front bow spreader for the jib stopped me from moving the boat forward past that point.
Also the winch that was installed on the trailer would just about fit below the garage door (when its open).
I guess if i didnt have the bow spreader or the vertical winch then I could've used less space by pushing the boat forward like you were saying.

Also do any of you guys have a picture of a dolphin striker installed?
Do all Turbos come with it?
Thanks...
-AM

Here's how to make it fit - Loosen the 4 bolts that hold the mast support to the trailer tongue - slide the mast support forward as far as you need to - (I have a Getaway that has a crossbar at the front of the boat, I slide it far, but it was the same with my H17) Use one of those little trailer wheels that fold down from the trailer tongue - crank it down as low as it will go - that will lower your mast support to get it under your garage door. Roll the boat in tongue first - the tongue is much easier to get up against the garage wall than the back of the boat. My mast hangs from the ceiling from a set of hooks. It takes me about 15 mins to put everything away, and since I have four kids, I am always doing it by myself.

How did you fit your mast in the garage? In the wave the mast came apart to two pieces. I dont think its like that in the 14 and 16?
I remember the wave mast was scratching both ends of the wall when i tried to fit it without taking it apart.

We have a three car garage. The mast goes crossways above the top of the cars and boat. I just have some large hooks(Home Depot) screwed into the ceiling that the mast rests on. When we had a two car garage, I kept the mast under the roof overhang behind the house. I just put some shelf brackets on the outside wall about a foot below the roof overhang. That kept it out of the sun and rain - though the spiders seemed to like it.