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PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 10:42 pm 
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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. 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. It is always a pain to get it set up but once it is I have a lot of fun. 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. I typically sail in 5-10mph winds depending on how rough the water is. 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?
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.
3. Can a float be installed on mask so it is easier to right if tipped? Can you right the hobie 16 with just one person?
4. Do they tip easily or are they pretty sturdy?
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.
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.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 10:13 am 
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Hey there and welcome to the forum. It would help to know a few things such as your weight, age, physical condition, waters that you sail in, etc, but here is my best attempt to answer some of your questions for you.

1. Yes, it can be sailed solo in the right conditions. The 16 has a pretty powerful rig, so countering the force of the wind by hiking or trapeezing helps keep her flat. Knowing your weight would help answer this. Naturally, as the wind picks up you need more of that countering effect. I sail solo most of the time, but it took a while to get comfortable in a wide range of conditions. I made sure people were watching me on the water and there was a way to get to me when I first began solo sailing.

2. The boat is pretty easy to rig. Stepping the mast is the most physical task, but even it can be done solo with a few modifications and strategies. I keep my boat on the trailer with the mast up and rudders on. It takes me about 10-15 minutes to get her off the trailer, get the sails up, attach the tiller, run the sheets, and attach blocks if I'm good and focused. It's probably closer to 30-40 if she is coming off the trailer from a road trip with the mast down. I'm not sure it is less work than a Force 5.

3. A float can be installed to keep the boat from turtling during a capsize. The boat can be righted solo, but you've got to have the weight to do it. I can right mine solo, but I'm nearly 6'5" and 235 lbs. (I have witnesses) I've never had to right it from a turtled position though. I can't right it nearly as fast as a two person crew that is closer to 280-300. I would say that most people would struggle to right the boat solo without some additional assistance from a righting bag or some help to get the mast out of the water.

4. The 16 is known for its tendency to pitchpole downwind. This is when the front of the hull buries, dives, and the boat rather unexpectedly cartwheels forward due to its momentum. When the wind builds, flipping is a real possibility. You should expect to be swimming from time to time, especially when you are learning. Reaction time is very important. Once your familiar with the boat and have learned how to successfully right it, flipping is actually a pretty fun part of the experience.

5. I live in the South, so snow isn't an issue. But I would think letting the snow pile up is a bad thing. Storing indoors is always best, but many people cover their boats with tarps in the winter.

6. Trampolines are pretty expensive, so it really depends on the condition of the boat. Be sure to thoroughly inspect the boat for soft spots. If it is soft, walk away and look for a better boat. I wouldn't pay more than a couple hundred bucks for a 79. A new tramp may be more than the value of the boat.

I hope this helps some. I love my 16 and plan to always have one in my fleet. They're fast, fun, and really tough. Few boats are as versatile as the 16.

_________________
James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 4:11 pm 
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Thanks this is extremely helpful. Based on your response I'm thinking I would need at least another person with me at all times to be able to right it since I'm only 27 years old, 5'5", alright physical condition, and weigh somewhere between 150 and 200 lbs. I typically sail in 5-10mph winds as long as there are no white caps on the lake. So I am wondering for I should go to something smaller like the Wave? That way I could still take another person the few times that would happen.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 7:04 pm 
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Location: Eastern PA
I bought a Wave for many of the reasons you mentioned, especially since I trailer it, so setup becomes a bigger issue. From my limited experience there are a couple of things to consider:

1. In my area, used Waves are hard to find and usually a few thousand dollars, but they don't need much (if any) maintenance compared to an old 16 that you pick up cheap.

2. After a few trips, I found I was looking for at least 10mph with some heavier gusts, otherwise it was kinda boring. Depends what you are looking for, but 5-10mph might be disappointing on a Wave.

Andy


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:18 pm 
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Location: New Hampshire
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


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 7:45 am 
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Location: Rockford, IL
Less work to set up than a Force 5? Nope. I don't know any larger boat that's less work. At 5' 5", you almost certainly can't step the mast of a Hobie 16 without help. Using a mast stepper, it's going to take you an hour or an hour and a half to set the boat up from the trailer. (Yeah, you experienced Hobie sailors do it in 15 minutes; he won't be able to.) But the plug-in, unstayed mast with a slide-on sail on the Force 5 is about the simplest setup possible. Especially if you have the zippered mainsail.

Less tippy? Depends what you mean by "tippy". A Hobie doesn't heel (if the heeling motion is what you object to), but a Hobie will capsize more easily than a Force 5 and be orders of magnitude more difficult to right than a Force 5.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Hobie, but they are a lot more work compared to what you have. I've never sailed a Force 5, but I have a lot of hours in Lasers which are pretty similar.

_________________
Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks


Last edited by dorienc on Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 10:52 am 
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I actually like the heeling aspect. By using the word tippy I mean when I get caught between big waves and not hitting them head on the boat rocks to the point of tipping over. It does not completely tip over usually but gets close depending on how quick I can a adjust my weight around.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 12:10 pm 
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Based on that I'd say the 16 is quite stable. You can walk around on it when parked in the water and easily stand up to relieve yourself when needed. It would take some effort to tip her over without some help from the wind. Launching through the surf on the beach is a different story, but I see that you will be sailing mostly on a lake.

Yeah, heeling the 16 is what it is all about. It's a much different sensation than a monohull. You'll never forget the first time you get one of those hulls in the air. The first time I started to get the hang of it and spent the day flying hulls I felt like I was sleeping three feet above my bed that night. Once you learn to trapeeze you'll be begging for 10knts of breeze or more.

My first boat was a Hobie 16. I bought it with virtually no sailing experience when I was around 18. I'm 34 now. The learning curve was steep and I fumbled with the boat for about two years. I spent a lot of time on this forum and eventually hooked up with some local 16 sailors and my learning grew exponentially. I was doing a lot wrong and realized I had a dog of a boat. She was soft in some areas, lacking upgrades, and it didn't help that I wasn't running the mainsheet correctly. Jim gave some great advice. Look for sailors in your area and try to contact them. I can almost assure you they will be eager to help get you on the water and find what you are looking for. It very well may save you some frustration and $$$.

The wave is a cool boat and there are certainly positive attributes to it. It is boomless, easier to rig, has less strings to pull, and less prone to pitch-poling. I just don't think it offers the same excitement. I have enjoyed them when I've sailed them. I sort of think of them as the Sunfish of the catamaran world, no offence intended. I actually have a Sunfish that is my too windy for the 16 boat or my I just want to get on and off the water quickly boat. As mentioned, they probably won't be as cheap as a used 16 though.

Have you given the 17 any thought? They were designed to be single handed. I don't have much experience with them though.

May I ask, where are you located?

_________________
James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 6:42 pm 
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Location: Georgia
I've owned a Hobie 14 and a Hobie 16. Still have a Wave I'm getting ready to sell. The Wave is much safer single handed. It's very very difficult to pitchpole a Wave - their bows are much more buoyant. I've submerged the lee bow in a Wave, you hit the brakes, but the bow pops right back up. Not so, with a Hobie 16. Once the lee bow starts to submarine it's all over.

The Wave's hulls are rotomolded plastic and virtually bullet proof and requires almost no maintenance. The Hobie 16 is fiberglas and requires inspection and attention over time.

That said, I love the Wave BUT the Hobie 16 by comparison is like comparing a Mazda Miata to a LT1 Corvette.

There's definitely more smiles per mile in a Hobie 16 - all things considered. The only time the Hobie 16 became a handful is single handing in high winds out in the Gulf. At some point, it gets too dangerous to jibe and tacking in heavy seas and strong wind can be problematic.

If you sail primarily on an inland lake the Hobie 16 should be great in all but 20knot plus winds - singlehanded.

You have a tough choice - good luck


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:50 pm 
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I had never sailed anything before my H16, I did ride on one when I was like 8 yrs old, so when I saw one for sale on my lake I told the guy I'll give you what you are asking for the boat on one condition, you have to teach me to sail it. He said deal he'd love to. We started out with about a half hour knot tying class. then went over the boat on land. He brought it around the lake on a trailer that didn't come with it, and showed me one time how to set it up. then we launched and he started explaining things. It was a blast and in an hour I was on the tiller, another hour later I dropped him off, and have been sailing mostly solo ever since. I'm 5'9" and 185ish and I have to have either a righting pole(lots of different designs here and youtube) or mostly my girl will be watching and come with the jetski for the little tug I need to right. I get on the Righting line and I can almost flip it, she come past hands me a line and bam I'm up. Also everytime I've been tipped over people will come by and offer to help. I think it's a magical thing they get taken by watching a 16 sail and fly a hull, and they want to be part of it.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:24 am 
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Location: Rockford, IL
Anchorsaway1 wrote:
By using the word tippy I mean when I get caught between big waves and not hitting them head on the boat rocks to the point of tipping over. It does not completely tip over usually but gets close depending on how quick I can a adjust my weight around.


A cat will capsize (tip over) if you don't transfer your weight fast enough, or if you pitchpole (bury the bow), or over power it. The 16s seem to capsize pretty easily; I've been out in pretty heavy winds with my Hobie 17 I used to sail, or now my Getaway, and have seen the 16s go over when I'm not even flying a hull.

Again, I'm not saying don't get one; I love them. But you will capsize on occasion, for sure. I've dumped in light air when I was careless with weight distribution and a somewhat stronger gust caught me by surprise.

_________________
Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:47 pm 
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Thank you all for the response. I definitely need to think more about it and see if I can get lessons on one before I go buy one.


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 5:03 am 
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Location: Opelika/Lake Martin, Alabama
There is a nice video on YouTube entitled, "Should I Buy a Hobie 16?" It may help you on your decision. The video is by Wildwind UK, Joyrider.com, search the title and you will find it. Hope this is helpful.

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Marty
1984 H16 Yellow Nationals Redline, "Yellow Fever"
Lake Martin, 'Bama.


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