A Hobie 16 to teach myself the ropes???

[Kite]

Planning to buy a Hobie 16 to learn the ropes. I'm in no rush. I have no sailing experience, but some theorical knowledge. My eventual goal is to eventually be able to sail something like 1160lite to the Bahamas and such. Is that a good plan? Am I missing something? A big mistake? Or whatever the community would like to say about it. I'm all ears. Thanks.

[Wannabes00n]

Hey Kite,

Yea a Hobie 16 would be a good platform to learn on but partly depends on where you are. They are a mostly wet boat so may limit your sailing season some if in colder waters. Fun for camping from, but not as good camping on if you are looking for some overnight opportunities. If you are looking for cat experience then this will get you there quicker but you can have just as much productive fun learning on a mono trailer sailor. Hobies are easy to find to rent at beach resorts so give one a whirl a couple times before diving in. club racing will be starting here soon so you may find some monos to crew on if you are located near the coast. In hindsight this would be a good path but I too dont have an ideal setup for my wants/needs so any way you will have fun.

Best of luck

[tamicatana]

That is an excellent idea. I wish more people who weren't from a dinghy multihull background would learn on dinghy multihulls before getting into a large multihull.

F.ex: heavy air handling is, to me, the biggest difference between mono and multi sailing, and you will achieve those instincts on a dinghy catamaran. Go for it!

[Tetepare]

I grew up on monohulls. When I got my own 16’ Prindle catamaran I also got a big learning experience! Think cars and motorcycles.

Go do it. Learn to sail a beach cat and you can sail a monohull. Though I’d recommend a Nacra or later Hobie that doesn’t have the flat topped banana hulls. Pitchpoling is no fun, and in heavy weather you want a hull that doesn’t act like a spade anchor.

[tkeithlu]

Sounds like a good start. Then recognize that there is an entire second stage for cruising that includes large sails, navigation, engines, weather, anchoring, radios and other electronics, and other stuff that you don't get on a water bug. The step directly from a Hobie to a 40' Lagoon could be too big. As you get closer to moving up from the Hobie Cat level, consider whether a starter cabined catamaran might be in order.

[thomm225]

Learning to sail on a Hobie 16 is a great way to learn!

Plus they can reach speeds to the mid 20 knot range.

Also sailing one teaches you to sail engineless which many even long time cruisers have never done.

I've owned two Hobie 16's and two Nacras which I raced extensively for 15 years.

I've seen Hobie 16's in 100 mile races and races that took us 15 miles offshore.

Hobie 16's were used in the first Worrell 1000's which was a 1000 mile race that went from Lower Florida to Virginia Beach in the Atlantic Ocean.

These days Hobie 16's even have spinnakers which mine did not but my Nacras did.

You also learn fast on a Hobie 16 because many times if the breeze is up and you make just a small mistake (which probably wouldn't even be noticeable on a heavy monohull) on a Hobie 16 though you'd be in the water due to the boat flipping or pitchpoling

Here are a couple videos that might motivate you on Hobie 16 sailing.

Plus the younger you are the better. After I bought my second one, I gave the first one to my 13 year old son.

At 15 he and his friend were sailing the 10-12 miles from Pensacola across Pensacola Bay to Pensacola Beach to meet girls. A couple times they did this on the outside going out Pensacola Pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIZhNviIar4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0LkUDALNk

[Kite]

Some more info about me in the light of the feedback. I'm in my 40s. Yeah, I have minor issues over here and over there, but overall, I'm in good shape. I, on and off, have done freediving - I surely am not the best, but I, at least, am not shy of cold water or getting wet. I have experience around outboards. I am planning to enjoy the Hobie 16 for a few years, and then yes, I want to directly hop on a 1160 - or even better a 1190.

[thomm225]

40's is good.

I started on Hobie 16's when I was like 36-37 and stopped with beach cat racing at around 52 years old. (others were in the 60's then and still racing them)

Then I switched to Cycling with the bike racers and triathletes then 2008 happened.

So ended up basically back in my home waters.

And as my original plan had been Hobie 16 (that was in Tennessee) to prep for retirement on a cruising monohull when I could move back to the coast, but I was transferred to the Gulf Coast 5 years after buying my first Hobie 16 so my plans changed.

I had to decide more hi tech beach cat for racing or monohull. Talked to many brokers and they basically said you are working and running a project you don't have time to do anything with a monohull besides day sail the bay so I bought a Nacra 6.0 then another Nacra and raced for 10 more years.

Now I have that Good Old Monohull similar to what I wanted back then....it's quite the change though.

One thing I never had an anchor the entire time I had a beach cat because whether our races were 45 minute races or 12-20 hour 100 mile races we didn't stop and sleep.

Luckily I had anchors on power boats when I was younger.

I bring this up because it is important when you are anchored 70 yards off the beach and you have a 25 knot onshore wind due to bad judgement on a spot to anchor or change in the weather (or squall)

That's something you can easily learn later though but these cruisers are down right religious about anchoring and type anchor, rode, shackles, etc, etc

[Tetepare]

You’ll love a catamaran. Get hiking harness.

You’ll start dreaming of a dry monohull after a few years of diaper rash. But ever after you’ll have great memories.

[ShoreFun]

Seems you have all you need with a Hobie 16 to get to the the islands..https://youtu.be/VxZnQA3r78o

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

You’ll love a catamaran. Get hiking harness.

You’ll start dreaming of a dry monohull after a few years of diaper rash. But ever after you’ll have great memories.

The harness should come with the boat but do get a good fitting PFD and wetsuit if you plan to sail when it's cooler.

I was given an ugly wet suit back in the day so wore it any.....teal blue

I'm second in first photo and age was about 48-49 years old in both

[Kite]

Originally Posted by ShoreFun

Seems you have all you need with a Hobie 16 to get to the the islands..https://youtu.be/VxZnQA3r78o

I watched the same video just last night. I wouldn't sail her to the Bahamas, but I am planning to sail like him in the very beginning - in calm waters / weather. Getting faster in time.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Kite

Some more info about me in the light of the feedback. I'm in my 40s. Yeah, I have minor issues over here and over there, but overall, I'm in good shape. I, on and off, have done freediving - I surely am not the best, but I, at least, am not shy of cold water or getting wet. I have experience around outboards. I am planning to enjoy the Hobie 16 for a few years, and then yes, I want to directly hop on a 1160 - or even better a 1190.

If you don’t know about how to sail at all then I would recommend a learn to sail course at a sailing club first - one that is taught in dinghies. Then your first sailboat should be a monohull dinghy - preferably just a mainsail (like a Laser). The heeling response is critical to learning about sail trim and balance, which are necessary skills.

Once you’re comfortable in this boat move up to a monohull dinghy with two sails. You don’t mention a partner but if you have one then now you can easily sail with two. Again, a boat that heels will more easily teach you about sail trim, managing sail-generated power, and about the interaction between the two sails.

Consider a learn to race course or an advanced learn to sail course as well (still in dinghies a stay away from keeled monohulls while learning!). That will teach you about properly trimming sails for different angles and wind strengths.

Learn to sail first, then apply that to learning to sail a Hobie Cat or similar catamaran dinghy.

Only after you (and your partner if you have one) are comfortable sailing the monohull dinghy in a variety of wind strengths consider a Hobie 16 or similar catamaran dinghy. All of your sailing knowledge will apply to the Hobie and you can now concentrate on learning how to apply those skills to a catamaran. The big difference is that the catamaran doesn’t heel (as much - it certainly can easily raise a hull) in response to a gust. So how to manage that power? And how to steer on different points of sail to keep the hulls under the mast?

Don’t worry about spinnakers until you are very comfortable on the boat in a variety of conditions. Certainly if you decide to race in a class of catamaran dinghy that has spinnakers then that will force you to learn. Spare yourself (yourselves?) the frustration by sailing with an experienced skipper to learn the basics of spinnaker handling before doing it with your own boat.

There’s no problem to step up from a dinghy to the full size boat that you want to cruise on. You’ve got the sailing part - now it’s time to learn the seamanship, navigation, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and all the other skills required to keep a boat and its systems working. That’s a whole new learning curve that’s much easier (or at least more comfortable) if you already have a good grasp of the sailing skills.

That said, plenty of people buy relatively large catamarans (and monohulls!) that know nothing about sailing and simply motor everywhere, rolling out a headsail only if the wind is from behind.

In your case you could skip the whole dinghy sailing thing, buy the boat you want to cruise on, and hire a skipper to teach you how to sail your boat. Hire one that teaches ASA and you’ll also satisfy an insurance company so you can get insurance. Check out Gone With the Wynns on YouTube on how they transitioned from their RV to a Leopard 43, with no prior sailing experience. It can be done.

[thomm225]

Back in the day they rented Hobie 16's especially along the Gulf Coast.

They would give folks a 20 minute lesson then let'm go on their own.

There's no need for any special training with a Hobie 16 (they are almost indestructible) just don't go out on your first day in big winds.

I went out and learned by myself in winds 5-8 knots.....

[toddster8]

I did exactly that when I was 40. Knowing what I know now, I think I'd choose a dinghy instead. Sorta like learning to drive with a Ferrari. Some days you spend more time righting the thing than sailing it. But once you get it mastered, or at least come to a working agreement with it, it's a blast. I sold it a couple of years after I got my keel boat because I didn't have time for two boats. But sometimes I wish I still had the H16.

Edit: Some people might think that pitchpoling is "fun," but some people come out of it black and blue from head to toe.