After 25 years of sailing my 21SE and am thinking about selling it....please help me come to my senses... 😕 😕 😕 .....or help me find a new home for my baby................
bill40421SE wrote: After 25 years of sailing my 21SE and am thinking about selling it....
The natural question is... why?
Tired of it? Spinnaker Envy Syndrome? Want something bigger? Smaller?
more details needed to give sound advice
Bill, did you not post this same question last year...or do I have you confused with someone else?
Yes, I am revisiting the idea of downsizing to just one boat. I had three catamarans, two Hobie 16's and my 21SE . I sold one 16 and still have a rare find...a 1981 Hobie 16 left in storage since '85. Well I finally started sailing this beautiful 16 and have had a blast... 🙂
And yes, I have pulled this wide boat (10' 4" is the trailer width) all over the country...some 220,000 miles on my first Suburban and 336,000 on my new Suburban without any real problems...I did pull a basket off a toll booth once with my guide roller and I have knocked down my share of orange cones in construction zones...sorry....Now my kids are off on their own and the 16 is so easy to setup and sail...what am I too do?
Several sailors have approached me wanting to buy my 21SE and I am entertaining this idea...HELP...
21 - 16 is a huge change, will you be satisfied on the h16? - if so.... sounds like a "sound" idea
I dont think i could do that large of a downgrade at this point in my life but i would certainly consider a used f16 so i dont have a monster mast to handle, and i would love to drop 100+lbs in boat weight... would make pushing my cat up the beach and into my back yard much easier on me.
You can answer this yourself with two very simple questions.
What experiences am I reaping out of the 21, (good & bad), and do I want to do without them in my plan going forward from here.
Sounds like you already know what your Hobie way of life will be looking like!
😉
set them both up on the beach.
sail 'em.
which one left you happier?
to me... it's a boat. try something new, there's no "wrong" answer either way...and you can try something new again if you don't like your decision.
Edited by robpatt on Sep 26, 2014 - 09:07 AM.
I am in the same situation as you are, well past my best before date, & kids doing their own thing. I sail 35-40 days/yr, & almost all solo.
I had always wanted a Tornado, couldn't find a decent one, so I bought a close copy, the Mystere 6.0XL. Sailed the crap out it this summer, 94% solo. Two up it was blast, solo, it was also a blast, but I had to be so careful, flipping it was not a good thing!
I don't have to setup each day, but it was still more work than the 19' 5.7, & way more work than the 5.0. Everything from raising sails to putting it on the lift were bigger chores. The most I soloed it in was 20mph, made 20.5 on the GPS, but I couldn't power it up with my skinny 170lbs trapped of the wings.(That was after I got over the initial trepidation of trapping off the wings).
That's when I decided that despite the beautiful rough water ride it gave, I had done 21.4 with the 5.7, & 20.5mph in the 5.0, why bother with all the work if I'm solo most of the time?
I'm not racing, or out to prove anything, I sail only for pleasure. Might as well stick with a smaller, lighter, less sheet load, easy to right boat that still gives the same speed. Boat X might have a lower Portsmouth, but I never go around the cans. We clear the point & reach 30 miles for the fastest shore most of the time.
I toughed out solo with a tramp launched spin all season, & it's a blast, but I think I'll downsize, get the same fun with less work. The smaller boat lets me go out in 30mph if I want. I know it'll be a pointing day, but a capsize is an inconvenience, not a rescue mission.
I'm thinking an F16, & a Spark (Dart 15), speed, plus righting with just a line, & easy to handle on the beach. We got rid of the 21' cuddy cabin, so there's room on the dock for 2 more Cats!
If the Hobie 17 would handle rough water I'd get one of those, as the wife likes the wings, but everytime the seas build my neighbour heads for shore with his.
In your shoes, I'd sell it, tomorrow. Sail the 16, use the funds to buy another, or several smaller boats, & sail the Hell out of them!
Lets be honest, as we get older we WILL go down in boat size/performance, eventually I'll be on a Wave.