Finding varying opinions outside the 'Cat' community

I am new to Hobie cat sailing but it has my interest; I have been looking either for a planing dinghy type boat (read Laser) or the Catamarans; I keep leaning towards the catamaran

The other day I was speaking with a dockmaster near my home (at a local marina) about a Holder 14 he had; he wanted me to 'make an offer'. It really is not a bad little boat; could definately plane; sails with a Main and Jib with a little rolling furler ...

But I want a Cat I think. This guy said

"What is your sailing experience?"

I said "Limited"

He said "No, no, no. Don't get a Cat. You'll just get frustrated. Those things are a pain i nthe a** to sail."

I said "Really?"

He said "I've been sailing all my life, and those things are a pain in the a**."

What was his motivation ? I highly doubt it is to get me to buy the Holder; that little beater has been sitting on his docks for a couple of years. But why would an 'experienced 'sailor make these comments about a Cat ?

Just curious

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Dry land is a myth

Perhaps he's not really an experienced sailor... I don't consider a big boat sailor experienced unless he's got dinghy time.

But that's just my opinion.

Brian C

Ignorance about cats... motivation to sell his Holder... who knows.

Reality is that a Catamaran is easy to sail and in many ways easier than a monohull. Mostly due to the stability a cat has. A small monohull is VERY tippy. On the other hand, many cats are over powered, so people flip them in windy conditions. People who do not sail cats say that they flip over a lot. I'd say no more than small monohulls, but once over, they take longer to right, so there is more to see I guess. Monohulls are generally easier to right and are up so quick you don't really notice.

I started sailing on a small dingy, then Sunfish and right to a Hobie 16 after High School. I found the 16 so exciting due to the power and there were some techniques to learn that are different from monohulls, but actually easy to sail.

For super easy sailing try the Bravo, Wave or Getaway. These are all the very simple to sail. The Wave is probably the easiest and most foregiving of all the cats out there.

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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 find with a lot of people that, "sailed cats in the past" just sort of hacked at it and didn't take the time to learn how to sail and rig them properly. I dont know if that's necessarily the case with your friend, I'd like to know his reasoning. Some people don't like to get wet, some people don't like to go fast, some people like to drink wine up on deck, there are tons of reasons.
Whenever I set up a booth up at a boat show, or anywhere else that I engage the general public about cats, I hear stories all day long about how people "used to sail cats" and how they don't tack, or they pitchpole all the tme. Depending on how you rig the boat, these problems can be minimized. Tacking a Hobie 16 takes a little finesse that anyone armed with knowledge and a little patience can master pretty quickly. Conversely, if you go out there with a loose jib and the shrouds up on the 5th hole, yeah, it's going to be hard to tack and it will pitchpole.
My advice would be to find our local fleet and hook up with them. See if you can get a ride on a few boats and see what you think. Oh, Yea, the Holder is a good learner.

Where are you located, we'll get you a ride!!

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Cat vs. Mono is alot like ski's vs snowboard arugment. Snowboarding is really hard to do right at first, but it gets easier every time you do it. Skiing is really easy to make it down the hill but tough to get really good at. Cats are kinda the same way. Learning those first few steps are kinda tough but every following step is easier. Tacking is alot tougher at first. Once you get it down it comes as easy as breathing. The stability of cats can get you a little over confident at first and you'll screw up. All of the things that people say who put down multi hull sailing are correct to a certain degree. You just have to take it with a grain of salt. You just have to give it a good chance, doing anything half assed won't give you the proper perspective needed to make a educated decision.

Jermey's right. Find a club or fleet to go sailing with. I learned so much more sailing with others than I ever would have learned on my own.

Most of my experience has been on monohulls. We just bought a cat this spring, Hobie 18, and it has really put the fun into sailing again. I would go for the cat over a small dingy. If you are comparing it to a laser you are going to get wet on both boats so that shouldn't be a deciding factor. The speed on the cat is AMAZING and I think it is more stable than the small dingys since it is so much wider. It does have a lot of sail area which can be a little intimidating in heavy wind since there is no way to reef the main. As far as ease of sailing, the boats without a jib will be easier to single hand, but you can always furl the jib on the 18 if you need to de-power. I was suprised at how easy the Hobie 18 is to single hand though and the jib actually helps it to tack much easier. I have to be careful not to take it out by myself in heavy wind though, since I am not heavy enough to flip it back over by myself (I have tried). I have thought about getting one of those righting buckets.

I don't agree that the cats are a "pain in the a**" though & have no idea why that guy would have said that. In my opinion our cat has been a versatile fun boat & has been easy to sail. I would recommend having someone experienced help you with rigging and setting up a good system for derigging if you trailer the boat. I had an experienced cat sailor friend help set up a sytem and we went from 1.5hrs to rig and derig to .5 hours after getting a system down.

Good Luck! And happy sailing whatever you decide.

--Tad

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Tad Jones
1985 Hobie 18 - Redline
Magnum Wings

The dockmaster gets 50% on his Selling 101 final test. He's trying to sell what he's got but he bad mouthed the competition.

Try both types of boats to see what fits you best. My bet is you'll get a cat but I'm very prejudiced.

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I taught myself to sail on an H16. I find that when I do go out on a mono I am much more ahead of the boat that sailors who have no multi hull experience. The speed hones a skill set that is not as common on dinghies.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

I started sailing my h16 with very little experience... never been on a sailing rigged dinghy in my life... went from a big sloop to my cat.. and I love it! Zero regrets!

If you ask on this forum, what is the best type of boat to sail, you will get one answer. If you ask on the Laser Forum, the same question, you will get the other answer.

I think both Hobies and Lasers are great boats. I sail both of them.

Both of them have strengths and weaknesses, so each can be a PITA at times.

Things to keep in mind: Where are you sailing? How much wind? Waves? How is the boat to be stored (beach or trailer)? Single-handed or with crew?

Some boats are easier to rig than others. I like having a Hobie 16 with a beach spot to store the boat during sailing season, and to launch from.

Compared with a Laser, raising an H16 mast is a pain.

I suspect that the fellow who recommended against a cat was thinking of tacking. It is a little tricky in a cat compared to a monohull. There are numerous threads on the topic here.

Lasers are flat out racing boats. They capsize very easily (but are easier to right after a capsize). The mainsheet loves to get caught on the transom during a jibe. Oh and there's this thing called the Death Roll.

Still when you learn how to sail it, it's a great boat. And the same applies to the Hobie 16, too.

If you want a good comparison and to know the issues, look at the topics that are frequently discussed on this forum, and on say the Laser Forum. Each boat has issues and strengths.

Cats are way hard to tack fast in heavy wind. The Hobie 14, and 16 (the two I've sailed) can become over powerd or overwhealming to new sailors in heavy wind. Solution: Dont sail in heavy wind.

Stability goes to the cats in low to moderate wind...in heavy wind you wouldnt want to be out in something like a sunfish unless you really know what you are doing.

Being able to drop anyone on beach with the boat unrigged and telling them to rig it by far goes to something like a sunfish. Same goes for sailing. On ther otherhand, cats are easy enough to get you hooked and have enough performance to keep you advancing.

You're crazy! Sunfish are a blast in 30 mph winds.

I was just watching a video on YouTube with those foiling Moths. Wow, if I ever went to dingy racing I think that would be the ticket.

It can, it is fun as hell. Sunfish's can move fast. However, unless you rig a trapeez system you arent staying upright for very long.

You also have to lower where the sail rides with the halyard so tacking means laying down. I've found on my sunfish that keeping the sail at a comfertable height for the head in heavy wind makes it heel before you even really get moving.

I used to take my sunfish out in some redicoulously heavy wind. I never tried anything different in the setup. I almost broke the tiller once because there was so much pressure on it. It would heel until the boom was dragging in the water. Didn't help there was no block, or cleat for the main. Just the stupid little hook on the front of the foot well. So maybe I wasn't able to sheet as hard as I should've.