Anchorsaway1 wrote:
Hi I am kind of still new to this whole sailing thing and need some help. I currently own a force 5 but am looking to upgrade to something bigger that I can take another person on easier. Definitely a Hobie 16 is easier to fit two or more on. I am looking at getting a hobie but not sure if it's right for me. I typically sail by myself and am looking for something that is less work to set up and is not as tippy as the force five. Any sailboat requires more set up than a motorboat. Because of its width, the Hobie 16 is not tippy. It is always a pain to get it set up but once it is I have a lot of fun. It takes some time to set up any sailboat, but it's always been worth it to me. I might have found a someone willing to sell a 1979 hobie 16 but need more information from actual hobie 16 sailers. I have only been sailing for about 1.5 summers so still pretty new about what will work for me if I get a new sailboat. With that level of experience, it can be hard to sayI typically sail in 5-10mph winds depending on how rough the water is. This isn't much wind for either boat. I typically sail solo in winds up to 20 mph.The questions I have are below if people could provide feedback that would be great.
1. Is the hobie 16 easily to sail by one person? Compared to a Force 5? No. You've got two sails to work and a much bigger boat. But many people sail it solo.
2. Is the rigging easy to set up? I plan on leaving it on the beach all summer so I wouldn't have to take the mast and rudders off each time. I don't want the set up to bs as much of a hassle as the force five is. It's harder in a lot of ways than a Force 5. But if you like sailing, you accept the work involved.
3. Can a float be installed on mask so it is easier to right if tipped? Yes, a float can be installed and will help prevent the boat from turtling. It really doesn't help that much in righting the boat. Can you right the hobie 16 with just one person? I weigh about 200 pounds, and am in my sixties. I use shroud extenders and have always been able to get the boat back upright. But there's a limit to how much I gamble on being alone. A lot of my sailing is on a lake so the worst that happens is I drift ashore.
4. Do they tip easily or are they pretty sturdy? they have a lot of stability but they can tip and are harder to right than a Force 5.
5. Does the sailboat need to be stored inside during the winter or just the trampoline taken off?We can get a lot of snow where I live. I live in New Hampshire and get lots of snow. Tarp goes on and sheds a lot of the snow.
6. If the trampoline is ruined on the one I'm thinking about getting is it better to just get a new trampoline or walk away from it completely since it's a 1979. New non-Hobie tramp is about $250. Hobie tramp is between $500 - 600. Rigging probably also needs to be replaced. I'd be worrying more about the condition of the hulls.
I'd really hunt around for a Hobie fleet near you. For example, this coming weekend my fleet will be doing an event where we'll be taking people out to see what a Hobie 16 is like. I just helped a guy buy a used Hobie 16 that was on the market because the guy who bought it couldn't figure out how to sail it.
A Hobie 16 is fun to sail, and can be a beginner's boat, but it's fussy and can seem complex.
Jim Clark-Dawe