Keep a Getaway in the water?

I am considering buying a Getaway, but I don't want to trailer it, and I don't have access to a beach type situation. I would have to rent a summer dock and keep the boat in the water for the summer. I know this is a no-no for fiberglass Hobies, but what about the Getaway?

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Dave

In the water? Not advised.

The biggest issue is the constant motion that causes damage to the rig components. Cats do not sit still in the water. If you can pull it up on a dock or float... that is the best.

Guys that do leave cats in the water for shorter periods need to be sure the rig is tight and the mast is prevented from rotating. Cats also do not sit well at anchor. In a cross wind they "sail" forward and can pull the anchor or flip.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I agree with Matt and always try to get my Getaway out of the water, but the beach at my summer place is covered at high tide so pulling the boat out means going to the ramp or getting a large floating dock (it's going to cost me about $3k-$4k for the dock, anchor, chain, etc, so I'm still counting my pennies).

I've been thinking about installing a mast rotation arm to hold the mast from rotating while at anchor.

Matt, which would be my best options out of the various ones (H17, H18, etc.) in the catalog? I think I would simply mount it sticking out aft of the mast, and when at anchor I would rig a line to each of the wing support to hold it steady.

I just got my Getaway last summer and kept it in the water. I have shallow water near the shore of my small lake. I put an auger post solidly in the bottom with a 2" PVC pipe over it. The Getaway has a short bow line to the pipe and can freely swing to always point into the wind.

The rig is well tensioned. The mast is pulled to one side. The rudders are up and parked to one side. The bottom collected some algae but it scrubbed off okay.

This summer, I will keep it on a hoist. I actually have 3 of these posts out in the water for whatever floating toy needs a parking spot, like other sailboats, PWC, paddle boat, etc. If the rig is tensioned to avoid wear and you don't mind the algae, it really is a very safe way to store the boat. There is no way that a storm can come and tip the boat over as it always points into the wind.

The bow line is a 6ft or 8ft line with 4inch loops spliced into each end. With one loop over the post, just bring the other loop around the forward crossbar or through some other boat's bow eye and drop the loop back over the post. No knots required. Totally foolproof. (almost).

I went for a boat lift which apparently is a modified pontoon lift. It was expensive, but after trying to pull it up on shore by myself, I bought it and never looked back.

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+++amamama

Just in case your reason for wanting to keep it in the water is because you dread the rigging and using a public ramp. I can tell you it's not a big deal. I can rig and put the boat in the water myself in 15min. I usually get help from my girl friend, but she's mostly there helping me remove trailer straps and such. Towing the getaway is also no biggie, I don't thing the whole rig is more than 700lbs (Hobie + Trailer) and even a small car can tow that with no problems. To help me with the mast raising I park the car and boat in a down hill with the car first. That helps me with the mast since it's a few deg. raked. And on an even surface it would lean back, making it harder for me to attach the jib.

Because of all the moving parts and the "loose" design of the rigging with the rotating mast and all, I would not keep it on a moving surface such as water.

ooo simple smart idea for raising the mast...i wonder if i were to just unhook the trailer if this would provide enough of an angle for me to raise the mast myself.......i could try it in the driveway i suppose...

although...how to keep the tongue from rising when i walk to the back of the boat could be a problem...i guess i could slide the tongue under the car and wedge it with something under there....

Not a good idea. Something will break !

Marc, If you are going to disconnect the trailer to put the rig up, put a trailer jack under the rear of the trailer to keep it from popping up and chock your wheels. The boats are easier to rig when the trailer is angled down.
Todd Craig
Inland Sailing Company
www.inland-sailing.com

I thought about the wonders of the fulcrum and the need to jack the back. I had not considered about chocking the wheels. I just had visions of someone surfing a cat on the back of a runaway trailer.

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2007 Getaway

Matt,

I see this thread has changed topics quite vastly but I am curious about the on water storage of my Getaway.
I have an H18 that I keep on a floating dock. I am fairly new to sailing cats (within the past 3 years) and never thought about that fact that keeping it on the water might damage the rigging/mast. I am considering putting my new Getaway on the same floating dock, with some modifications of course. As long as I am keeping it in a fairly protected creek do you foresee a problem with this? Are there any modifications that I should make to the mast/rigging when putting it away for the day? Any thoughts are welcome.