What is the upper limit for H14 sailing?
I am 155 pounds. I had it out in 15 knots, pitchpoled it upwind on just the main. because i slipped while in the trapeze.
This afternoon it was 20 knots gusting to 25-30, is that to much? I wanted to go sailing, but my parents thought that it was not safe.
This is on a lake 5 by 2 miles.

--
Stefan, Denmark.
H14,H16,P16,P18,SC17,N5.8
Team StaySail
http://www.staysail.eu
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I think it depends on several factors, safety of your life being #1.
Is the lake warm, & is it a bright sunny day, are there other boats on the lake, can you right is easily?
If there is no danger of hypothermia, well, you are never more than a mile from shore. Even if you wrecked the thing you can float on the wreckage and/or swim the mile (assuming you never go out without a lifejacket). I've pushed my Nacra to where we were both swept off the boat, if conditions & potential rescue were in my favour.
Is damage to the boat a show stopper? If not, the go for it, or sell the Hobie & buy a Nacra, mine has never lifted the sterns, no matter how hard I smash into waves.
I would experiment with increasing wind, & some safety devices (other boats around to help) & see how you make out. What might be an exciting ride for an athletic teen, might be undo able for an overweight out of shape person. I don't think anyone can say "XX" is the limit, it is a moving target, depending on you abilities, & safety net.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

E C. has some very good advice. There is no right answer for everyone. You have to consider your skill level, the condition of your boat and the environment you are sailing in (wind, waves, temperature, other boats etc). I would say you need to be a pretty skilled sailor and very comfortable with your boat before you sail solo in 20+ knot winds. So, without further information, I would tend to agree with your parents.

I too have an H14 (the Turbo version) and I weigh 150 lbs pounds. I like the 14 because it is easy for me to drag around on the beach and it is a blast to solo. Not to mention that it is one tough boat even at 36 years old. 155 lbs is considered the ideal weight for the H14 by the way. I bought my first boat, a Hobie 16, in 1978 and I have sailed a lot on both cats and monohulls since then. I have often quipped that the best sailing is when there are small craft warnings (not true). I have sailed in 20-25 knot winds on my Hobies, but it is always in groups of other cats with experienced skippers. The H14 can be quite a ride. Like riding a big surf board. But, we stay together and we don't venture far off shore. In addition to always wearing a PFD, I also carry some other safety equipment such as a paddle and radio. Years ago I and a buddy were on my H16 along with several other H16's in what we later learned were 35-40+ knot winds. Big mistake. Even though we had the jib down and a reefed main, all we were doing is fighting the boats. We got that sucker back on the trailer post haste and went home.

While the Hobie 14s and 16s do have a greater tendency to pitchpole then cats with more modern hull designs, there are a number of things you can do to minimize the problem. Make sure you have sufficient mast rake. There is a complete tuning guide by Bob Curry here:

http://www.hobiecat.com/support/articles/archive/?src=http://2010.archive.hobiecat.com/support/tech/h14tuning.html

In addition to being on the wire make sure you keep your weight as far aft as possible. I am often sitting on the rear pylon and if I'm on the wire I frequently have one foot on the hull behind the tramp with the other on the rear pylon. When you find that lee hull diving, head up some or ease the main. I keep the main sheet uncleated so I can react more quickly. Still, I go swimming once in a while. Don't be afraid of flipping it. I have done it many times. Just make sure you know how to right it. With the proper righting technique you should be on your way again in a couple of minutes. As you gain skill and become more comfortable with your boat, you will be able to handle more extreme conditions. But, I always say pay attention to safety and the fun will continue indefinitely. This is supposed to be a fun sport not a life threatening experience.

Good Sailing



--
Dave Wilson
Hobie 16, Hobie 14
Tampa, FL
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Good advice from the prior posts. A couple of things I always abide.

Never sail without a PFD on you. Just last week I was flying a hull while sitting on the hull. I was repositioning myself and I slid right down the tramp and into the drink in a New York second. The cat took off and was leaving me much faster than I could swim. I had to be rescued by a couple who saw it happen. Without that PFD on, I would have been very scared.

Never let the lines wrap around your feet, not even for a few seconds.

I had a H14 and had an incredible amount of fun on it. Dollar for dollar I haven't had any toy that has given me more entertainment value for the price than a catamaran. Good luck.

the h14 and h16 are easy to sail badly

and difficult to sail well

we all know that that both of them pitchpole if you are too far forward, and in high winds it is possible to pitchpole them backwards!

we could all probably ride a racing motorcycle around a track without incident if we went slowly, but make it a high speed race and most of would be crashing and burning all over the place

high winds are much the same, if you have a lot of experience then could be no problem, but if you don't have much experience it may be better to stay on the beach

don't worry there will be more windy days in your future

so says greybeard as he nurses the scrape across his arm from a particularly savage pitchpole on a weta trimaran, trying to fly the gennaker on too broad a reach on too gusty a day

not me but not too far from this





edited by: erice, Sep 27, 2010 - 09:39 PM

Ha Ha the poor sap is holding neither the sheet nor tiller, but those toes refuse to give up their tenacious grip under the strap, despite hearing the command "EJECT EJECT EJECTING NOW"
...you don't pisss into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the ole Lone Ranger, & you don't mess around with jim...de dum deda dum

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--