Hoping someone can help. I have been sailing for some time but primarily in monohulls. During a recent vacation I had the chance to do some cat sailing (Hobie Wave). I am now interested in buying an H16. However, I want to buy something that I can sail with the family and alone. Can an H16 be sailed under mainsail alone? Also, do you have an opinion of the Escape Playcat vs the H16? Thanks
The H-16 can definitely be sailed under mainsail alone although it is going to make tacking the boat a little more tricky as you will not have the jib to help push the nose around but it can be done with practice. The 16 is really pretty ideal for combining solo and family sailing provided your family is not comprised of too many members or the combined weight of all on board is not too excessive. Personally I use my 16 largely for sailing by myself. I can move it up and down the beach myself and sail it as hard as I am capable fully comfortable with my ability to right the boat with a bag to aid me. I can also go out with my girlfriend and we can have a leisurely sail or a day of flying hulls in high wind. However if I were to start a family knowing that I would be taking children on the boat as they grew I think I would want to invest in something a little larger perhaps an 18 or 20. these would still provide me with plenty of solo sailing thrills however they would also be much more stable and capable of holding the weight of a growing family. the problem with the 16 is that if you get anything over 600 pounds on that tramp you are treading on thin ice. this last weekend I saw 5 high school age kids pile on a 16 and take it out and as they went out the tops of the hulls were even with the water. I watched expecting them to either catastrophically capsize the boat or sink it all together. 16's just aren't made for large people or large amounts of people. If you are planning on spending more time on it alone then go with the 16 if you are planning on spending more time on it as a family then I would think about something a little bigger maybe.
I sail my 16 solo all the time. It's very easy to sail solo with the jib. If your wife is anything like mine after you capsize once she won't go with you anymore anyway. So I would go with the 16.
The 16 is a great boat, and I sail mine all of the time solo. I always fly my jib, even in high wind. I just travel out about half way, and toss my jib sheet over the rail on the windward side so I can swing in a little to grab the sheet for trimming while on the wire.
The best thing about the 16 is--no dagger boards. Makes landing and getting off the beach much easier.
David
PS: you will need a righting bag or pole or something. I cannot right my boat solo unless I am in winds above 25 knots and the sails are pitched upwind. I did aquire a great new tip that I want to try next I pitch the sails downwind in the extreme conditions...check out the post about high wind boat righting.