Hi. New to the scene and am thinking about buying a beach cat. The plan is to mainly sail solo, but will also on occasions sail with a friend / wife or with my 6 year old son.

Im a 6,2" guy weighing about 190 lbs if that helps.

I am generally inclined to go for the 14 as it will be my first boat, but I am a little worried that its a bit slow, or Ill grow out of it quickly. Please could you give me a bit of an Idea. I live on the canary islands in spain and there arent any 14s here so its difficult to try one out to compare.

Ideal crew weight for a Hobie 14 is about 155 lbs. At 190 lbs + the weight of any additional crew, you will be far above what the boat was designed for.

The 16 or 17 would be a much better choice.

Joking here, but at 6'2" and 190 lbs you have already outgrown a Hobie 14

Get a H16. Mine sailed by itself yesterday for a mile and a half. I mean with me off.

Not really for that reason but because your size and it's capacity and strength.

Good luck with your choices.

You'll be cramped on a H14. You need a 16 footer.
Look into the other makes of catamarans too.

Simon Wade

I'm 6' weighing 190, I started out on a H14 for the same reasons as you, new to sailing, wanting to learn the ropes. Even as a newbie I quickly realized the H14 was waaaay too small, even though I had the advantage of owning a H14 turbo which came with a jib. I did learn quickly though and was able to right the boat solo, but thats where the pros ended.

I upgraded to a H16, switched out the standard jib for a roller furling jib because as a newbie you're very aware of your limitations, or lack of experience. I wanted to be able to depower very quickly in the event of the situation getting out of control and the furling jib was a great decision for me as I sail solo most of the time. This season I was supposed to work on a righting pole which would enable me to turn the boat back over solo but have not done that yet. As my sailing skills increased, flipping/pitchpoling opportunities decreased but it's just a matter of time. It's a real bummer to be stuck on the pontoon of your overturned H16, not able to bring it back with your own weight. Some guys swear by the righting bag but when I go sailing the only thing I carry with me is water, I don't want to have to deal with anything else, trapped out on the side of the H16 with the tiller in one hand and the main sheet in the other I really don't need clutter. When I need to,I go back to the launch zone and take a lunch break.

I would recommend going with a H16, a H17 or a P16, the Prindle is a great boat, I really love those huge volume hulls and the flush tramp, but the subject of H16 versus P16 is one you can read about elsewhere on this website. Hope this info helps.


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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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Thanks guys...looks like itll be a 16.