Hobie to Learn With?

[jeepbluetj]

I dunno about prices where you are, but I started out looking at trailerable boats. A catalina 25 w/swing keel can be towed by a good sized truck, but raising/lowering the mast looks like a pain.

There's water-ballast hunters and (gasp)macgregors too. (Although you can power the mac well beyond the 5-6 kts speed)

And tons of little pocket cruisers too -

[GILow]

Getting the mast up and down on our 20 footer was certainly the least fun bit of the day's sailing. Even when I made a rig for raising and lowering it. It adds a good half hour to each end of the trip.

Matt

[SaucySailoress]

My first boat was a Dart 18. Sailed it for a few years, married a Hobie 16 sailor. Sailed with him for a few years, even sold my dart on since others needed it when I didn't, really.

The glitter wore off. We started arguing. I bought another Dart 18, won the first series, the marriage got better (and even survived the following year when he came third and I only got fifth.

This all at the same time as rebuiding a coupla a yachts which we'd race, primarily with CatClub Crew. We rocked. We kicked ass. We won, loads. So yeah, learning on a Hobie 16 is an awesome way to go, if you can't get Dart 18s round your way.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I know a Hobie and a Weekender sized monohull are pretty much opposites, but the theory is either get something fun for the kids and I to have a blast day sailing in the bay, or get something that the wife and I could possibly overnight on.
.

I wouldn't say so. We did as many long trips out to islands 30nm out, and resorts 100km down the shore, followed by round trips out to islands and back... if you get the drift! You can get great camping trips in on the Hobies. To start easy, Just pack a good coolbox, and get a mate to meet you down the shoreline with the camping gear. This was a fun way of organising cat club events that the whole family could enjoy, even the wives!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

I wouldn't say so. We did as many long trips out to islands 30nm out, and resorts 100km down the shore, followed by round trips out to islands and back... if you get the drift! You can get great camping trips in on the Hobies. To start easy, Just pack a good coolbox, and get a mate to meet you down the shoreline with the camping gear. This was a fun way of organising cat club events that the whole family could enjoy, even the wives!

+A1...

[Capt RonB]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

It's going to be a couple of years until I get the youngest in College and we can go cruising. I know boats, been on and around them most of my life, but they have always been power boats. I don't see being able to cruise long term in a power boat, just way too much fuel, so sailing makes more sense, problem is I have never sailed anything in my life, read about it etc., but never done it. Have played with either buying the biggest boat I can trailer, or if I have to keep it in a slip, I want something big enough to weekend in, say 30+ ft., but that's almost a cruising boat to say nothing of the marina expenses etc.
But since a kid when they were first invented, I have lusted for a Hobie Cat, I've looked and used ones aren't that expensive, are of course trailerable. I'm no kid anymore, but I assume you would really learn sailing if you got to where you could master a Hobie Cat? Again assuming if I bought it right, took good care of it and made some improvements, I could maybe sell it for about what I paid for it when it became time to get a bigger boat.
So is sailing basically sailing? That is the skills I would learn from the Hobie would transfer to a bigger boat? I believe i have a mentor, the new Aeronautical Engineer we hired breathes, eats and apparently lives to sail, if I had a boat, I don't think I would have to twist his arm too hard to teach me, pretty much any boat

I taught sailing for while at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center on Sand Key. I taught kids and adults and imho nothing beats a Hobie Wave for learning to sail. It's simple to rig, tacks easily, no boom to whack you upside the head and they're almost indestructible. Run them up on the beach day in and day out. Fun, safe little boats. Have one on the lake in our back yard right now.

[a64pilot]

I'm going out tomorrow to see what's available down here in Panama City Fl, still chewing on the Hobie idea though