Currently own a P16. I was thinking about moving up to a larger boat. Perhaps a H18 - more room - carries more weight - parts are easy to obtain. Tell me the good and the bad about a Hobie 18. Anything particular about the h18 to watch out for when buying other than the obvious items to check. Also, how do they ride/sail in relation to a p16 - any major differences. Any advice or experiences you can [pass along would be appreciated. Thxs

where do you sail?
do you race?

No - just a casual sailor. The p16 has been a good boat but I am ready to step-up. I've sailed a p18. Its a different ride than the p16....more stable. Just wondering about the H18. I sail at the Texas city dike near Galveston, Texas. Mostly bay sailing.

I can't remember the vintage, but at some point the rudders system was redesigned so that they would kick-up like a Hobie 16 does.
Sailed a friend's H18 in Daytona Beach and his didn't kick up and you had to prepare to land on the beach and manually unlock the rudders, losing the ability to steer it as well

The Hobie 18 is one of the best designs they ever came up with. Yes, it is going to feel different from the P16. It is heavier and has daggerboards. It loves heavy to medium air. As Hobie sailcraft went through various manufacturers, (Coleman camping for example), there were variations in construction to look for. H18s built prior to 1986 may be considerably heavier than the 400# stated in the specs. While the original Hobie 18 SE has seen no significant changes during its lifetime, Hobie added wings and introduced the Magnum 18 in 1984. Sometime around 1990, Hobie added longer wings, a taller mast (28 feet originally, then up to 29.6) and vertical cut Mylar sails in and introduced the Hobie 18SX. Production ceased in 2004, as Hobie opted to focus its attention on the Miracle 20. There are parts still available through various sources.

The Hobie 18 has a common problem area in the deck just in front of the rear cross bar, where the skipper sits. Also be sure to inspect for cracking where the front crossbar attaches to the hull. If you are getting an excessive amount of water in the hulls, the most common point of entry is the dagger board trunk.. Check the seal both at the top and the bottom.

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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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mason1114

No - just a casual sailor. ... I sail at the Texas city dike near Galveston, Texas. Mostly bay sailing.

Gotcha
Not too unlike the p18 in deck/sail rigging but of course different hull shapes and boards as mentioned

i loved mine but i at that time i really didn't know too much. i couldn't have told you how to (properly) set the jib carts for the first 7 years i sailed beach cats

do some research - there are better years than others for glass and layup

the rudders were upgraded in the late 80's to a non alum cam that worked much better than the previous version - the upgrade kit was over $800 when i purchased mine in 2002 or 2003. - not sure about all versions but my old school ones did "kick up" but were prone to breaking (as mine did)

I thought the boat was a tank. now i own a 600lb beachcat and wish my mast / cat were as skinny as the my old h18


was a good boat - did not love the waves, sails better in flat water with those long skinny hulls

My advise - go newer.

Get something with full adjustments like 4 way adjuster, 6 or 8 way downhaul, flexable mast, newer sail design.

not that you can't make an h18 sail well and fast but newer design makes it easier with basically the same setup

the small step in price will provide a nice step in performance imho - ymmv



Edited by MN3 on Oct 25, 2017 - 06:33 PM.

I switched from a Hobie 16 to a Hobie 18 a while ago. I thought the 18 was a better sailing boat, handled big air and big water better, better weight capacity and less suceptable to moving weight around. Roller furling is standard and if you happen to get one with wings you'll be loving it. I thought it was more difficult to rig solo, hard to wrestle on the beach. dagger boards were one more thing to break and get stuck and didn't suit my sailing area. Prindle 16 is a great boat. Think carefully about swapping, often times the best boat is the one you have. Don't rule out a Prindle 18 either, no boards and I find them easier to handle on the beach. FYI I went back to a 16, but also have a Gcat 5.7 which is does a lot of what the 18 did but easier to rig and no boards.

+1 for the 5.7

The H18 is a good all-around boat, and with solid 'glass on the bottom (no foam on the bottoms), they are stouter and simpler to fix than some of the newer, lighter, more delicate boats. Anything with wings, H18 included, really makes the boat feel quite roomier, but wings add weight, and invite the possibility of more folks aboard, for even more weight. Slower may not be a big deal for your uses? I appreciate how my boat handles well-past-design-minimum people-loading in medium-to-heavy airs, but LOVE how it single-hands in light-to-medium breezes.

Newer designs can be found used at good prices, with newer sails and some with spinnakers already set up... and these are things that can really nickle-and-dime you if you buy the bits new.

Can you drop-and-forget daggerboards where you are? The deep reservoirs I sail make daggers easy... shallows, reefs, beaches, and/or shore-breaking waves definitely favor mini-keels or asymmetric hulls.

Randii

If your Bay has shallows, boards need respect.
The only reason I keep my H18 Magnum is because my wife really, really likes the wings. Otherwise my Nacra 5.7 wins. It's lighter, faster, (especially in light air), simpler to rig, carries lots of weight, no board, no boom, completely uncluttered tramp, & handles rough water better.
The Hobie rudders are better,(I only have used the newer system), but the Nacra design is fine if you set up the bungee properly.
The newer version, the N570 has a spinnaker option.



Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 25, 2017 - 10:25 PM.

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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
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You can’t go wrong with a Hobie 18. Tough, fast, lots of flotation, surf sailing or flat water, the boat does it all pretty darn well. There were some hull construction issues with the 1984/1985 red-line hulls, but otherwise the boats are pretty bomb proof. The upgraded rudder system (1987 and onward) does function better than the original systm, but the original system can be made to work with a couple tweaks. I’ve been sailing Hobie 18’s for 30+ years and still enjoy the boats...

sm

Thanks guys - Appreciate the experience and advice.