reliability?

I'm joining the sailing world again. I'm looking at different choices for a catamaran. I'm well aquanted with fiberglass and have done lots of repair work on cars, boats, etc. I've used "West System" to repair plasic ATV fenders with great success. I am looking at the possibility of a Getaway but see some issues being raised on the plastic hulls and rigging breaking down. On the other hand I read testimonials that these boats are bomb proof. The end result is I want a cat that will carry me, my wife, some beer and the occasional company of another couple. Mostly though it will be me and my wife flying a hull (At least trying too). All boats break, as a matter of fact a boat is one of the only things I know of that can just sit there and break. The possibility of a hull made of a material that from what I read is unrepaiable is a little disconcerning. The Getaway does seem to fit the bill for what I'm looking for, but again I'm reading about rigging failures, unrepaiable hulls, etc. Whats the deal?

I have an H16 so I can't speak from direct experience but all of the rental places near me have gone with Waves and Getaways. They describe them as bomb proof. I'd have to agree. Short of running it into a rock jetty at full speed, I can't imagine what could hurt it. Rigging wise, it's just like any boat. If I were to replace my H16, I'd go rotomolded without question.Better flotation by far. My H16 is a 2 person boat. Three turns it into a cramped dog. When I have a bunch of people wanting to go out, I suggest we rent Waves or a Getaway.

I have had a H16 and 2 H17s. They are faster than my Getaway. If speed is your only issue, the Getaway may not be the boat you want. But on the Getaway you can still fly a hull, pitch pole, and have a great time. The biggest difference is that you can do it with a lot more people on board. The load capacity for the Getaway is about twice what it is for the 16 or the 17. It's also a very easy boat to set up. I have a little 2hp Honda outboard I can put on mine which just adds more options on how and where I can use my boat.

The Getaway does a lot things very well. It's easy to set up, easy to sail, and easy to maintain. My only knock on the boat is that it is heavy. But it's that weight that gives the Getaway it's load capacity and safety. I quit sailing my 17 after I got my Getaway. It' just more fun for more people.

And as stated above, it's not a coincidence that most resorts have gone to Waves and Getaways for rentals. Rental boats get abused by people who either don't know how to sail or don't care because it's not their boat. And rental boats get used everyday. These boats are simple to use and very durable. It's also not a coincidence that you don't see a lot of them on the used boat market. People get them and keep them. It's a great boat!

Thanks for the replies! I'm going tomorrow to look at a 2002 Getaway. It's supposed to be in excellent condition, with trailer and sand wheels. He said something about a small crack(s) where some sort of seat is (I think he's talking about the wings). The thing was supposedly only sailed around 3 times. He's talking $5,500 down from the $6,300 he was originally asking. I think in my limited knowledge on cat prices that this is a good price. What do you all think?

Also, is there anything I should be watching for while I'm inspecting it?

Standard Disclaimer: I'm a Hobie dealer employee.

I've seen/sold/worked on quite a few of the poly boats in the last three years. I've seen some horrendously bent masts on boats that were tossed during one of our famous North Texas thunderstorms. Yet, I've seen no damage to any of the rotomolded hulls from these tumbles down the beach. I can not say the same about the glass hulls.

Nothing is bullet proof.... But it seems to take an unusually big "bullet" to hurt a rotomolded boat. And the customers seem to be very satisfied with the perfomance. I'm not aware of any of our customers buying a roto boat then trading in for a glass boat.

Dog

I keep my Getaway in the Puget Sound (WA) at a place aptly called Rocky Point. I used to own a 16, but sailing it around here would require extreme precautions as the oysters, barnicles, and rocks on the beach can quickly destroy any fiberglass toy. My old Livingstone pram is testament to that.

The Getaway handles the beach without problem. Yes there are scratches, and I add a strip of aluminum on the aft end of the keels to ward off the worst of it, but the plastic really lives up to a lot of abuse.

As for rigging issues, you'll have the same as on a FG boat; hardware, rudders, lines, shackles behave the same whether they are on a 16 or Getaway.

Checked the boat out yesterday (Sunday) starboard hull had a split where the wing was attached at the aft end, when you put pressure on the wing water ran out of the crack. (The seller did mention this crack over the phone). I imagine in the winter it would freeze and get worse. Also there was a split (same hull) right under the drain (The seller failed to mention that). Furthermore the boat is presented as a 2002 but the serial # tells that it was made in 2001. Too much money IMO for that. So it's on with the hunt.

2001 Hulls may be eligible for warranty consideration due to a cracking issue. Check with your dealer or distributor.

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

mine is cracking (STBD hull-2001) if its a manufacture defect, Hobie should pick up the tab.....

wow, no response from Hobie......come on guys, stand behind your product, seems like your cookers screwed up, now pony up and fix these hulls....my stbd hull is cracked at the front crossbar......

My 2004 has a cracked hull on the starboard side where the aft crossbar is bolted to the wing support! Major leakage. If I took the hull off (do not even know where to start) I think I would find a very large crack indeed. In high seas I am taking on approx 30 gallons in one hour. Almost sunk the hull.

Is it pure coincedence that all of you guys with defective Getaway hulls have the split on the starboard hull? No port side splits?

_________________
Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

My '01 is cracking on the port side if it makes anyone feel anybetter. It's cracking right where the rear crossbar enters the hull.

Matt is that the exact price on the warranty hull and shipping? I just don't want to pay a dealer markup to warranty a manufacture defective hull. Thanks for your help on this I keep having nightmares of what will happen when the crack finally makes its way across the hull.

Any older Getaway with a cracked hull is eligible for a prorated warranty replacement hull. The standard warranty is 100% for one year. We have extended that to cover this issue.

The replacement cost posted above is a highly discounted replacement based on the years of use. Same as a tire warranty. You get some charge for the tread used. Normally on a tire they measure the remaining tread when a tire is warrantied.

The list price of the hull is $1,350.00

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