I sort of went this route, but a Hobie 21SE was found not too far from me and the guy came WAY down on the price...so I went and looked at it and bought it.
Waaayyyy too much boat. Perfect. It has wings and I got to say - if you aren't racing competitively, I'd never do without them. Ever. They add so much comfort and dryness as to make them a necessity.
The 18 is the little brother to this boat, basically. Uses a bunch of the same parts even. Having never bought a boat, but having grown up on them I was leary, read a LOT and spent probably 2-3 hours going over the boat before I gave him the money. Looking back, I probably should have: 1) Bought one of the current Hobies (i.e. Getaway) - had sailed on one several times in the Keys and loved it. But, it's not "fast" (faster than most keel boats I guess). 2) Gone over the hulls more thoroughly - I knocked and pressed on them and found nothing. Still no soft spots found, but I should have been more thorough probably. 3) Wings and 21's/18's - My wings fit into sockets in the hulls, you MUST check the sockets, if so. 17's have sockets, but I think all the 18s are externally mounted. They're almost guaranteed to be cracked and/or repaired. 3 out of 4 of mine were blown out. Water gets in the sockets in the winter, it freezes and that's all she wrote. You're cutting into the hulls to do fiberglass repair. I saw this and knew about it going in and is a prime reason why I got the boat as cheap as I did. Won't have this problem with 18s or Getaways. Get the boat with wings instead of trying to retrofit it. 4) Called the guys "bluff" on the "new sails..." They weren't. At all, but I wasn't going to argue and just figured that out in the pricing. Good sails are just about 50% of the price of one of these used boats... Even if they are "serviceable", they are fairly worthless. You find out when you get new ones and find out what you've been missing.
Do I regret it? HECK NO! I had a STEEP learning curve, but have some great sailing buddies who always seem to want to go with me (I buy the barley-pops) and they brought me up to not-rank beginner, but just "beginner" stage very quickly.
A Getaway, while plastic and not a "performance" boat will be much, much more family friendly (easier and quicker to set up/take down) and quicker to water. It's also currently supported by Hobie, but then more expensive, typically. The big caveat with them, if buying used, is to watch for cracks in the hulls - they seem to be more cosmetic and some special glues work on that plastic (welding does not), but raises a worried eyebrow. I'd buy one in good shape, if in the market. These, you can concentrate on more fun than all of the controls and adjustments for speed, etc. on the other boats. But then again, the other boats ARE faster...
Finally, Matt Miller is about the best support from a company you could ask for. I just still can't get over how much he's helped me get my boat up and running safely with detailed info., retailers for parts, and even drawings with dimensions! This on a boat that has been discontinued for 30 YEARS! Got to have a love for this hobby/business to do that.
Good luck - ask questions and don't get in a hurry if you're buying used. Take your time, ask questions here and beachcats dot com and you'll get tons of help. Forums aren't real busy, so you may have to be patient.
_________________ ChuckC H21SE- 408
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