Tacking the Hobie 16 w/o jib sail

It is difficule single handed and, from what I hear, harder than an H14. May I ask why you don't want to use the jib?

I know it can be done, because that's how we sailed our H16 the first time. The winds were extreme and I'd never been on any kind of sailboat before (reefed the main and left the jib off). My wife and I managed to sail all around our smaller lake (many tacks) and even ended the day with a violent pitchpole. So to answer your question, a couple of extreme rookies can tack a H16 without a jib (two complete rookies = one slightly experienced sailor) I'm not saying it works easy, but I can be done
Jack

This past season, for one of our fleet races, I borrowed a boat from another fleet member. (I was too lazy to take mine off the trailer. Wind 12-15 blow off the line DT'ed, the jib haylard broke, over backwards, race over.

Right the boat attach the jib sheets to the forestay. I tried my damdest to get the boat upwind to shore to fix the halyard. It was almost impossible to tack.

That being said if you wanted to try and sail a 16 w/o the jib you would have to rake the mast almost all the way forward then put the jib sheets on the forestay adjuster and pull them real tight.

It would still be no pinic to tack.

I was missing a shackle for the jib and took the family out (that would be 4 of us) and it sailed well with just the main in medium winds. It doesn;t tack like with a Jib but it still works fine. In real light winds you may have some trouble.

The secret is keeping the speed up and being light on the tiller.

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i enjoy the simplicity of solo sailing my 16 uni style. i weigh about 160 lbs. tacking is not a problem. the tacking drill is like the 14 (i sailed my 14 'classic style' for a couple of years) i do not rerig the mast, which has moderate but not extreme rake, though i see that some advantage could be achieved by pulling the mast forward. the 'trick' is in smooth, minimal steering and smooth weight shifts to the back corner and then across the trampoline during the tack. also the main should be smoothly sheeted in until head to wind, then let out or even pushed out to make sure the sail doesn't stop the boat from turning and prevent falling off onto the new tack. the sail should not be sheeted in too early on the new tack. i especially like the spacious feeling of the boat and great view i experience with this style of sailing.

I’m working with the D-PN adjusters for multi-hulls and come up with this

UL class normally with large jib (assuming overlapping, not self tacking)

Not carrying one

1.076

X

SP class normally w/o spi

Carrying one

0.960

X

L4 less than 70% of class crew weight (0.7 x 285 = 199.5 pounds)

Or single-handing a sloop

0.970

=

1.001 or same as standard, sloop rig class, 2-up

Hobie 16 w/spinnaker setup (at $1,500 new) is a relatively inexpensive alternative to no crew

the problem with not using the jib is that the boat is so much slower you can hardly get it to turn at all whe i have singlehanded her i tie the jib on the tramp in cans others want to join me it can be done but more often than not you have to as we say up here

whip a $hitty

sounds like too much rudder. forcing the rudders drastically slows the boat. the idea is to use the main sail to head up by sheeting in while gently guiding the boat into a smooth arc through the tack. the boat should not stop during the tack. it may take some practice. this is basically the same technique used in racing, if you are going so slow in the middle of the tack that the jib is needed to blow the bows down onto the new tack, the rudders have probably been used too aggressively during the beginning of the tack.

I don't know about a 16, but on my 17 you MUST crack at least 3 feet of sheet as you go head to wind and you MUST have good boat speed closehauled BEFORE you try to tack.

Hope this helps,

Doug Snell
Hobie 17

Stress Free

#007

You think the 16 is hard to tack, try the 14 unirigged. I usually sail with the jib at least and even a hooter sometimes. But from time to time for quick set up I use just the main. After a summer of sailing the little beast I have finally figured it out.

First of all you have to make sure that you have lots of speed. Without the jib you can really get going upwind closehauled. And as has already been suggested make sure to be gentle with the rudders. If you turn to hard you are doing more braking than turning. Also you have to figure when to change sides.

The assymetrical hulls are hard to tack that is all there is to it. But once you learn to do it, it does nothing but get easier.

I've sailed the same Hobie 16 for 24 years here in North Louisiana and up and down the Gulf Coast, with and without the jib—I consider jibless sailing essential for understanding the

flow dynamics

of the Hobie 16. In North Louisiana we do a whole of light air sailing, unfortunately, and extreme measures are necessary to get the damn thing to tack without a jib. But tack it will, and once you learn it, the H16 is actually faster-tacking without a jib, especially if you are single-handing:

In light air it is absolutely essential to blow both the traveler and the mainsheet right before going head-to-wind. After passing through head-to-wind the sail needs to be far out on the new leeward side—You will probably need to grab the boom and pull it toward you. This is far and away the most important point—When the boat slows down, you must keep the airflow attached to the sail!

Also, until the wind fills in on the new windward side of the sail and the boat begins to speed up again, the center of the skipper/crew's mass must stay on the old windward side, far aft on the trampoline. This is essentially the same thing as a Hobie 16 roll tack, only exaggerated—You're keeping the bows high in the air so that the boat can pivot on the rudders.

Finally, after passing head-to-wind, bear away farther to leeward than you normally would, then begin easing in the main and very gently pointing up as the wind begins to reattach to the sail and you gather headway.

Don't listen to the daggerboard weenies who say the H16 or H14 won't tack without a jib—I promise you they speak from ignorance.