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What exactly do I need to start sailing?
http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33139		 Page 2 of 2
Author:  whosyerbob [ Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
augaug wrote:
Looking at your picture, it doesn't matter what boat you have, a new sailor should not be out in those conditions. (and I don't see any boats around, so maybe the experienced sailors understand that fact too). When you say that "in the winter the waves are even bigger" you're right, but there aren't many new sailors who are going to go out on the Great Lakes in the winter. Let's be real. The Great Lakes are perfectly suitable for most Hobie products. I live on one, and was able to sail my AI the entire summer with very few exceptions.

Sometimes there's a bit of elitism on these boards when it comes to the Adventure Island and Tandem Island. We all understand they're different then a Cat, but let's not act like they're not Hobie's. They're great boats for certain users, and in my case, a perfect boat for a new sailor.

My thoughts exactly.

I've greatly enjoyed every Hobie product I've ever used over the past 24 years. If I were to upgrade from a TI to another Hobie product, a high performance cat would be the obvious choice, but they don't offer a head, galley and sleeping berth - which are requirements for our next bigger boat.

And no, a Hobie 33 monohull doesn't cut it. If Hobie made a 34 foot cat with a full cabin and 18 inch draft, we'd be all over it.
Author:  soccerguy83 [ Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
MBounds wrote:
whosyerbob wrote:
MBounds wrote:
The AI and TI would not handle the waves on Lake Michigan very well.

I think you need to experience Chesapeake chop before making such a blanket statement. And yes - the TI handles it fine, thank-you-very-much.

Before you make such a blanket statement, you should know that I grew up on the lower Chesapeake Bay - Fishing Bay/Piankatank River to be precise.




Matt I didnt' know you grew up in that area, we have a house on Gwynn's Island just south of Cherry Point, that's where I grew up durring the summers!
Author:  MBounds [ Tue Nov 16, 2010 1:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
soccerguy83 wrote:
Matt I didnt' know you grew up in that area, we have a house on Gwynn's Island just south of Cherry Point, that's where I grew up durring the summers!

My father built a cottage at the end of Stove Point, facing the Chesapeake side. My sisters and I sold it about 20 years ago - the seawall was a money pit. If you look at the Google Earth image of the end of the point, you can see the piles of rip-rap they had to bring in after hurricane Isabel. I was OK as long as my family owned the granite quarry in Burkeville, but after . . .

My grandfather built one of the first houses on Stove Point in 1948. I think my aunt still owns it, but I haven't been to the area in about 10 years. I'm thinking about going back permanently in a few years. Too freaking cold in Michigan.
Author:  gary eudy [ Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
get a used Hobie 16 go out on a calm day learn to sail in light winds and how to rig and trailer
Author:  csrorke [ Mon Jun 04, 2012 7:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
In terms of stability, does anybody know what the positive boyancy displacement is on each of the Tandem Island Amas?
Author:  pyroboy08 [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
I bought my H16 knowing very little about sail boats. Small sailboats are an uncommon sight to see in my area, and I had never seen a catamaran like this before. It was fascinating to me because it was alien. At first, I had little interest in sailing, I just bought the boat because it was really cheap. I had planned to screw around with it, then either convert it to a powerboat, or flip it for profit. I read tons of articles on the internet about sailing and the H16. I watched every video on YouTube I could find relating to the H16. I was under the impression that sailboats were all slow, but I was amazed to see these catamarans screaming along with one hull out of the water. By the time my boat was fixed up, I was hooked having never seen a boat under sail in person.

Having done so much research, I cut my learning curve to a minimum. It was a matter of turning theory into practice. It turned out to be a bit more complicated than I thought. On my first few trips, I had to launch in a narrow canal next to the Franklin Locks in the Caloosahatchee River. The wind was light on the first trip so I simply paddled out into the river. Despite some difficulty tacking, and a main sheet that would not release without deliberately pushing the sheet through the block system, I managed to get around in my new catamaran. This made me overconfident. The wind was much stronger on my next trip and I was unable to paddle out of the canal. I attempted to tack my way out, but I went into irons several times and eventually failed to maintain directional control. I couldn't get my sheet out, so I jumped into the shallow water, in front of the boat, and I was terrified when I realized that I couldn't stop the boat. Standing at the front, I didn't have the leverage to turn the boat either. I climbed back on and before I could pick up my paddle, I had crashed into a dock. There were only some scratches, and after a few more attempts, I was able to sail out of the canal.

So after reading this it sounds like learning to sail on your own is a bad idea right? Yes and no: I was extremely foolish to attempt to sail upwind in such a tight area with strong winds. I would have fared much better, had I waited for better learning conditions. Also, I had rebuilt my boat and rigged it myself, going by only what I had read on the internet. I though I had everything working properly, but I didn't. I should have at the very least, had someone with some knowledge look over my boat so ensure everything was in working order, most importantly, my main sheet system. That alone almost caused my trip to end in disaster. That wasn't my only mishap. I have more horror stories from learning to sail. But after some time, I figured everything out.

After what I went through, I would recommend recommend a few things to someone who wants to self-teach. First I would buy a small used dingy. You can probably find a beater for as little as $200. My styrofoam snark fits this bill. Unfortunately I bought it a little late for my learning phase. It's a boat that you can't get yourself into too much trouble with. It will help prepare you for a catamaran and you'll have a simple, portable boat too. Also, only sail in light winds until you can handle it well. Another thing that would be nice is some kind of trolling motor, if your having trouble sailing for any reason, drop your sails and motor back.
Author:  Johnnymoto [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
First,

You already got it !!!!!

1. ASKING QUESTIONS.

Second,

2. A friend or a good instructor willing to help you along the way ( can be yourself if you can learn from watching others like I did ).

Third, that little thing that Mr. Winston Churchill ( RIP ) always mentioned;

3. A GOOD POSITIVE ATTITUDE !!!

After you conquer all those three, get any sailboat, and I`m sure you will do fine.
Author:  TScott27 [ Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
I built up on my knowledge on sailing using guidebooks and a lot of youtube videos. When I got to somehow familiarize myself with the basics (although still in theory), I then asked a friend to show me how it is done in the real world. And the rest as they say is history.
Author:  cezo823 [ Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
Wow, a little warm in here.

Logan,
Take Dale up on his offer, I met him a few weeks ago and he is a great guy. You'll learn a lot from crewing on other guys boats first and you'll have a lot of fun, it will also save you money and headaches because you won't buy stuff that you don't need or the wrong stuff and you'll learn from other guys' experiences, one of the best ways to learn in my book.

Also, I live in Hudsonville, near Holland and I sail with the fleet down in Portage on Tuesday nights, I could always use someone to sail with on the occasional weekend and Tuesday night. If you want to meet me in GR on a Tuesday you can ride down with me and crew, or maybe we can meet Dale(DVL) in Muskegon on a weekend and sail.
Heads up though, I'm still pretty green but I do ok, just keep in mind that you might get wet.
My advice, considering where you live is to sail with some of us then get a hobie 16 or 18 depending on what fits you better, at least from a local racing and social scene aspect.

Send me a PM if you are interested in going out and we will exchange info.
Author:  kevinbatchelor [ Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
janek.w wrote:
Sailing isn't like powerboating. You can't just hop in and go. I would take some lessons as a local sailing center.


Its not that hard. I learned to sail one year when I was a swim instructor at scout camp. The camp bought two sail boat kits and nobody knew anything about it.

I followed the instructions, put the boats together and started sailing.

Buy a cheap small boat, life jacket spend an hour reading and off you go.
Author:  augaug [ Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What exactly do I need to start sailing?
kevinbatchelor wrote:


Buy a cheap small boat, life jacket spend an hour reading and off you go.


Yup!
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