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is the 14 a family boat
http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=35457
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Author:  SafetyBob [ Mon May 09, 2011 7:31 pm ]
Post subject:  is the 14 a family boat

dreamed of a Hobie 14 since I was a teen
now I'm 42 and have the opportunity to buy AND SAIL a 14, but now have a family
what is the passenger weight that a Hobie 14 can handle????


(Me, my wife and 5 y/o daughter)

Author:  mmiller [ Tue May 10, 2011 12:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: is the 14 a family boat

14s are really best with around 150 lbs. Perfect when you were a kid!

With family? Occasionally or fully time? You could putt around with them in lighter wind and flat water, but in more wind and chop the hulls would be under water and the ride very wet.

Author:  sunvista [ Tue May 10, 2011 1:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: is the 14 a family boat

If you are going to sail regularly with three people you really ought to look for a 16. Your five year old will weigh 100 lbs before you know it.

Author:  Hobiesailer8 [ Tue May 24, 2011 7:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: is the 14 a family boat

would definitely try to find a h 16. The 14 would work with your family for a while and in light winds but they don't do well in high winds with lots of weight.

Author:  NAHCA555 [ Wed May 25, 2011 1:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: is the 14 a family boat

Or even an 18...

As a family boat I'd think a H-18 with wings would be perfect... it would never get too crowded. For cruising around and having a good time wings are awesome.
17's have wings too... but 3 people on a 17 is a little awkward... and I think the wings have far less weight limits than the 18 wings.

My 2 cents!

Author:  ronholm [ Wed May 25, 2011 4:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: is the 14 a family boat

If you need another vote...

Get a 16... On gentle days a 14 do just fine with two adults... But you will be hating your crew because the boat will be so much more fun without them....


Been there done that...

Sailed a 14 for a short time... I am 6'5" 225lbs and with just me on the boat I could practically bury the leeward hull in the lake with the right wind... I sailed it plenty with more people... Had fun for sure...

Or at least i thought so so until I bought a 16 :lol:

It was absolutely better at everything I wanted the boat for... Three adults is really about the max for 'fun' IMO best with two... But on a slow day.. four CAN go... But lets be honest... These boats suck for those days anyway.. and more people than two adults or me and a couple kids and the performance and fun start slipping away... The exception is in in REALLY heavy air... When three guys are on the boat just trying to get struck by lightening... wind howling waves crashing.. raining.. ect... Then the extra weight can... most of the time.. :lol: help keep the boat shiny side down... On slow days... just trying to relax... There isn't really a comfy spot.. and I have found myself and the crew on the trapeze on opposite sides of the boat just to get comfortable when the winds stop... More people just makes that worse... and a hobie with the sails up isn't that great of a swim platform...

Another thing... Trapezeing... It was tough for me on the 14... Partly because I was new... But the boat was very 'responsive' to my weight to say the least... So should I sheet out to much in a puff... Or trap out to early... yada yada yada... There just wasn't much buoyancy in the windward hull to forgive my bonehead mistakes... So I dunked myself more than a couple times... Now even on the 16... mostly due to me being a clumsy idiot... I still mess up even once and a while... I am better certainly due to experience.. but mostly because I have more boat under me... Even with the 16 being that much more powerful... and more of a handful... It is still easier in many way IMO to singlehand as a bigger guy than the 14 was....




I just bought an 18... I can't wait to get it on the water... :D So excited about that one... :D

Author:  tomgrasmeyer [ Thu May 26, 2011 3:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: is the 14 a family boat

I have a Hobie 14 and we had it as a family boat when I grew up. It's definitely not a boat for more than 1, maaaaybe 2 grown people. I have a great time taking our kids out on it on light days (aged 6, 4, and 2) but when the wind comes, the kids are on shore. I've tried taking other guys out with me in wind, and it's tricky to handle with two full grown people on board.

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