Which boat to buy?

I'm in the market for a Hobie 16 and was wondering what tips or advice ya'll might have for me. I intend to get the boat at a dealer, I live in Atlanta and hope to find one in SC, GA or FL. Any and all advice is welcome.

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Karl, Captain of Stayin' Thirsty
2011 Hobie 16SE
Atlanta, GA
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New or used?
Well, new. I've made some progress since my last post. Here's where I stand. I am trying to buy a new 16, but with White sails instead of the Tamale or Seabreeze. I plan on ordering the spinnaker kit and an extendable tiller. I also intend to have a custom set of sails made and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion on a sailmaker? Furthermore, I wish to add a large multicolored logo to the Main and Spinnaker. Any suggestions on how or who to utilize would be greatly appreicated.

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Karl, Captain of Stayin' Thirsty
2011 Hobie 16SE
Atlanta, GA
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Key Sailing is a Hobie dealer in Pensacola Beach. http://www.keysailing.com/

http://www.keysailing.com/images/header_outline_ld7p.jpg


I have had good dealings with Schurr Sails in Pensacola.http://schurrsails.com/

If you are going to race at Hobie Cat sanctioned races, check with them to see what mods can be made.

While there is nothing wrong with a Hobie 16, it was designed in 1969.
There have been tens of thousands of them made. You should be able to buy an excellent used 16 for half the price of new.
If you would like a more modern design in the 16 foot range I would look at something in the F16 class.http://en.wikipedia.org/w…Formula_16_%28sailing%29

http://www.formula16.net/…tent/view/28/45/lang,en/
http://www.falconmarinellc.com/blade.htm


If the Hobie 16 is the regular car of the cat world the F16 Blade is in the high performance area. Hobie 16's were the staple of a lot of rental fleets because of their toughness and you could teach almost any one to sail it in about 1 hour.

While most cats will pitch-pole the Hobie 16 seems to be more likely to do it with less warning. http://www.youtube.com/re…chpole&aq=1&oq=hobie+16+



Edited by skarr1 on Jun 03, 2011 - 09:02 PM.
Whirlwind sails. Chip is the best.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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