I'm looking to move up the (speed) food chain from my present Hobie Wave, which may be sold this weekend.
I've pretty much ruled out the hooter conversion for the Wave as being a "work in progress" (perhaps wrongly), and too costly.
For a replacement, I'm looking at used cats.
In the Hobie line, I've pretty much boiled down the choices to:
1. H14, either Turbo, or with the "hooter" conversion. OR.
2. H16, with reefable main for single handing.
My intended use is for mostly two-up sailing, with spurts of solo use, and (if I ever got good enough), perhaps some racing. Crew weight would be 300 lbs dual, and 180lbs solo.
I know that there are other makes and models which might do just as well but what I am lacking is any on-water experience on anything but the Wave.
So, I'm looking for someone in the area (driving distance from central Brevard county)who is willing to give me a ride on something in the range I'm looking at.
There are quite a few good deals available on 17 foot and larger cats, but common wisdom says they're too big for solo use, and would be a real handful getting in and out of the water.
Just betting that I'm not the first guy to find himself in this position, I appeal to the cat folks in the area to help me avoid making a mistake on my next boat.
TIA,
Bob Cowgill
Cocoa, Florida
E-mail: rcowgill@cfl.rr.com
Hey mate if you want a boat for 2 up sailing the 16 is the best for it. The 16 can be rigged so it kills the sail because you really dont need to reef them. If you want to sail with less sail area what you could do is go out and buy a hobie 14 main and sail on that. The 16 is the best learning boat and from there you can go any where.
Thanks, Jules!
I've pretty much eliminated the 14 as having too little room on the tramp for two-up sailing.
I have leads on two 16's and a 17 set up with a roller furling "reacher" that I'm going to check out.
I expect to have my boat by the end of the weekend.
Bob Cowgill
My previous cat experience was a Wave.I have purchased a Hobie 16 and all I can say is WOW! Lots more power and the ability to send you swimming in the blink of an eye.Righting can be a bit of a problem. My advice would be to take it close to shore, pull it over and practise.On the whole, I really like my boat and plan on sailing it and learning performance sailing for the next several years.One thing, make sure you install a righting line or system asap upon purchase.These boats are a great value and lots of fun. I just added wings to mine and it has taken the boat up to a new more comfortable level Good luck and happy hunting,Mark
I started out on a H16 and sailed it mostly solo. After about 6 months I sold it and bought an 18' boat which I still sail mostly solo. Here in FL we don't get really heavy winds all that often. H16s are a great value for their money. Pick up a FL sailboat trader (or go to www.boattrader.com ) and see what they have in your area.
I'd recomend against putting a deadline on when you'll buy your boat. Instead put more emphasis on your experience level being at a certain point before making a purchase. When you learn how to sail a 16-18' cat by yourself and have been on enough different boats to know which will best suit your needs, your views on what you want may be very different than it is now.
My first boat purchase came down to a Hobie 16 and a G-Cat 16. I blindly chose the boat with more sail area and went with it. I bought H16 #4032 (Well, at least one hull wasn't original) and after I learned to sail pretty well I discovered that it was not what I really wanted in a boat. Had I bought the G-Cat 16 I'd still be sailing it. Sure, in the end things worked out and I'm on a G-Cat 18 now. It's a little bit big for me, but I can keep up with my friends on P18-2s and H18s who also single-hand (though they outweigh me by 40-50lbs).
The Hobie 16 is the right boat for a lot of people, but it's not for everyone. Find out what you want in a boat, and then find the boat that has those attributes.
Whatever boat you go with don't rush!-I took a year to find my H16- and right now I'm looking around at other boats so I can know what is out there when I get ready to buy a New one. See if there is someone who will let you crew with them on the boat you are interested in or someone that has one of the same type. That way you be happy with what you buy. I also recommend a furling jib-not as fast as a battoned jib, but it comes in handy.
Good luck!
banannahead
Ooops!
Sorry Bob, I guess I did not read your message well enough, you already are looking for someone to give you a test ride!
I guess my Middle School Students removed all my intelligence today!! Ha!
banannahead 
Bob,
IMHO a H17 is not a good choice for 2-up crews no matter the configuration (SE, Sport or homemade rigs). The hulls were designed for a solo sailor and two people on this boat really bogs it down. Hard to go wrong with a H16.
If you bought a boat this weekend: good luck and enjoy!
I have to agree with CMerrell.
The Hobie 17 minimum Crew weight is only 160lbs.
It becomes slow with 200lbs+, and a U-Boat with 250lbs or more.
Extra sails do not make a boat float higher,
Well, with all of the advice, but still no prospect for any "seat time", I picked up an H17. It has the roller furling reacher sail, and wings. The price was right, as the boat had been sitting in the guy's front yard under some sort of a berry tree for about 3 years.
3 bottles of Soft Scrub with bleach later, you can tell what color it is!
Just a couple more minor fix-ups to do, and then I begin to try to learn how to rig the thing up!
Since my only previous experience is the Wave, with it's single sail, there are a LOT more halyards, sheets and cables with this boat!
My wife and I will make a crew weight of just about 300 lbs. It's OK if it's a bit slower with her on board, as I don't want to scare her with my incompetence!
If we end up not liking the boat, you'll see it in the classified section soon.
One troublesome point: The two season old factory mainsail was stored away apparently damp for 3 years, and has black stains which I have not been able to remove with Soft Scrub, Fast Orange, Greased Lightning, or X-14. The sail is MUCH cleaner than my kitchen table, but the dark stains really detract from it's appearance. The white reacher was properly stored, and looks like new.
Any PROVEN remedies would certainly be appreciated!
Hope to see you all on the water soon!
Bob Cowgill
Cocoa, Florida
E-mail: rcowgill@cfl.rr.com
Did you try Beach on the sail?
No, I didn't know if it would be safe to put bleach directly on the sail. I'd rather have a sound, dirty looking sail than a clean one with holes in it!
Does anyone know FOR CERTAIN that it's OK to put bleach directly on the Hobie factory Mylar sails?
Bob Cowgill
Hi all, since you are all talking about which boat is right for who, i kind of have a question. I lost my H16 (by the way, best boat to start on) and now i'm looking to move up abit. I guess i am ready for something less likely to pitchpole. I really like the nacra 5.2 and the newer nacra 5.5 uni. But those hulls seem less "beachcat friendly" i guess is the word. The h17 and 18 are also probably options. I like high wind sailing and a fair amount of my sailing is single handed. Does anyone have an opinion on any of these boats? THanks all
Reid Rechel