My wife and I have been taking classes on Lidos at Newport Beach, CA, and have decided we want to spend more time on the water than the school provides. We're not into racing or high performance (at least not on the water), so a cruising cat seems to be the best thing to explore.

The Hobie 21 SC is an obvious candidate and is very attractive to us, and the Getaway is a viable candidate though it doesn't speak to us as much. Any others that should be on our short list? We're not that familiar with the less famous makes and would be happy to learn about others in this class.

We hope to store the boat on trailer near the coast, and are more likely to use ramps than beaches for launching, so a larger boat is likely going to be our choice even if it's heavier.

Lots of good info here, thank you all for sharing!

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Tony H
Hobie 18
Sailing Mission Bay and nearby CA
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Tony
So I know just where you are taking those lessons as my wife and I did the same thing - oh so many years ago. Right next to the Boy Scout docks - at the college docks.
If you are looking for a cruising cat, the 21 is a likely choice, as is a Getaway and many others.
I am personally a huge fan of Supercats. Harder to find than the Hobies.
You will find as many opinions on this as there are subscribers to the website.
Some things to consider:
Sailing alone or with how many? All adults, or kids and what age and swimming level?
Mast up storage or setting the mast every time you go out?
Sailing within the harbor at Newport or will you be looking to head outside?
I know you said trailering and storing near the beach, but have you found a good storage spot and launch spot yet? - those two items are critical.
I used to try to get a speeding ticket in the harbor on an old Hobie 16 I launched from close by. I thought it would be a great "frame-able" keepsake. Couldn't get the Harbor Patrol to write the ticket.
I am not the guy you should talk to anymore about cruising in Newport as I have moved 3000 Miles away and have a 15' Supercat stored on the beach and love single handed sailing. But Newport is a great area and I wish you the best

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Supercat 15
Windrider 17
Several Sunfish and Sunfish clones
Ratboat built from Zuma and Sunfish parts
Shallow water sailor in the Delaware Bay
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Hi Tony, welcome to the cool kid club

Quote

We hope to store the boat on trailer

does this mean mast up? that is a game changer for many in your position

Stepping those masts really need 2 people with a fair amount of strength in case something goes a little wonky

IF mast up - then sure hobie SC, or maybe even stiletto catamaran would be nice
unsure of your budget but if unlimited (hehe) i am a big fan of trimarans - they are very spacious and much less prone to capsize

The weight of the hobie sc is Weight: 600 lbs. vs 390 lb on the getaway- this is substantial for sailing, righting after a capsize and getting on or off a trailer or rolling around on a beach/pavement

again - if mast up, on a trailer and will not be pushed around by hand at all it's not a big deal if you take the precautions of righting bags and shroud extenders

I know the SE is a powerful boat, but i don't have much knowledge of the SC - my point is, it may be better to start off smaller until you are really comfortable with your skills


side note: getaways are a great boat - fun, almost fast, lots of room, easy to right when upside down ...

If you want to carry much stuff with you on a beachcat, you really want to be considering hull volume, the more the better. If you weigh down an 18' boat, it's going to perform poorly, and be of questionable safety in big winds. The Supercat 19 and 20 have the volume you need, also the ARC 21 and 22. The H21 will work, but it has less volume. A Reynolds 21 is a much bigger boat, and much heavier, but can carry a lot of gear below in the hulls. Stiletto 23s and 27s are much bigger boats yet, and usually significantly more money. The R21 can be had in the $4 to 7K range if you can find one in decent shape. All of these boats would be best trailer launched, preferably with mast up storage. The SC20 and the Stilettos are much wider boats, 12' for the 20, which make set up time prohibitive for weekend full assembly. Masts on anything but the 19 will need a gin pole for safe stepping. Think about setting up a way to reef the main if you're any distance from shelter. The 20' and larger boats can handle a small outboard, which is handy when chasing wind or maneuvering in tight places, or wanting to get home when the wind dies, also allows you to point into the wind to drop the main when needed. Most of these bigger boats will not be possible to self right with just a couple of crew, particularly if loaded with gear. Lots to consider.....

windwardde

Tony
So I know just where you are taking those lessons as my wife and I did the same thing - oh so many years ago. Right next to the Boy Scout docks - at the college docks.
If you are looking for a cruising cat, the 21 is a likely choice, as is a Getaway and many others.
I am personally a huge fan of Supercats. Harder to find than the Hobies.
You will find as many opinions on this as there are subscribers to the website.
Some things to consider:
Sailing alone or with how many? All adults, or kids and what age and swimming level?
Mast up storage or setting the mast every time you go out?
Sailing within the harbor at Newport or will you be looking to head outside?
I know you said trailering and storing near the beach, but have you found a good storage spot and launch spot yet? - those two items are critical.

Thanks for the thoughts. Almost all our sailing will be the two of us without any others aboard; we are reasonably healthy physically active adults. Mast up storage is desired but may not be practical or immediately available; we need to consider the possibility that setting the mast will be part of the routine. We are likely not going to be at Newport (other than lessons on increasingly larger boats); we do want a boat that can move into open water. We are searching for good spots for launch and storage now, anywhere from Long Beach south to San Diego; travel time for sailing weekends makes that stretch the most practical.

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Tony H
Hobie 18
Sailing Mission Bay and nearby CA
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MN3

Hi Tony, welcome to the cool kid club

Quote

We hope to store the boat on trailer

does this mean mast up? that is a game changer for many in your position

Stepping those masts really need 2 people with a fair amount of strength in case something goes a little wonky. IF mast up - then sure hobie SC, or maybe even stiletto catamaran would be nice
unsure of your budget but if unlimited (hehe) i am a big fan of trimarans - they are very spacious and much less prone to capsize

The weight of the hobie sc is Weight: 600 lbs. vs 390 lb on the getaway- this is substantial for sailing, righting after a capsize and getting on or off a trailer or rolling around on a beach/pavement

again - if mast up, on a trailer and will not be pushed around by hand at all it's not a big deal if you take the precautions of righting bags and shroud extenders

I know the SE is a powerful boat, but i don't have much knowledge of the SC - my point is, it may be better to start off smaller until you are really comfortable with your skills

side note: getaways are a great boat - fun, almost fast, lots of room, easy to right when upside down...

I appreciate the suggestions. As noted in another reply, we hope for mast up storage but have to be ready to handle this based on what we can get in the right location. We'll be doing this with two reasonably healthy adults; I'm actually more concerned about the in-water issues like capsize recovery than I am with the on land issues.

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Tony H
Hobie 18
Sailing Mission Bay and nearby CA
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davefarmer

If you want to carry much stuff with you on a beachcat, you really want to be considering hull volume, the more the better. If you weigh down an 18' boat, it's going to perform poorly, and be of questionable safety in big winds. The Supercat 19 and 20 have the volume you need, also the ARC 21 and 22. The H21 will work, but it has less volume. A Reynolds 21 is a much bigger boat, and much heavier, but can carry a lot of gear below in the hulls. Stiletto 23s and 27s are much bigger boats yet, and usually significantly more money. The R21 can be had in the $4 to 7K range if you can find one in decent shape. All of these boats would be best trailer launched, preferably with mast up storage. The SC20 and the Stilettos are much wider boats, 12' for the 20, which make set up time prohibitive for weekend full assembly. Masts on anything but the 19 will need a gin pole for safe stepping. Think about setting up a way to reef the main if you're any distance from shelter. The 20' and larger boats can handle a small outboard, which is handy when chasing wind or maneuvering in tight places, or wanting to get home when the wind dies, also allows you to point into the wind to drop the main when needed. Most of these bigger boats will not be possible to self right with just a couple of crew, particularly if loaded with gear. Lots to consider.....

We are staying away from high performance boats, but won't be camping either - not a lot of gear to handle, just a picnic lunch and perhaps some dry bags with a change of clothes. The furling on the SC's main is described as allowing for the sail area to be reduced if needed - good catch raising that issue.

One question that grows from your suggestions and comments others have made - the number of boats in this category that are ANYWHERE in the west is tiny! Looking here and on other sites, I see plenty of choices on the east and gulf coasts, but virtually nothing in California or nearby areas. I don't mind traveling to get the right boat, but I do hope it doesn't require crossing the country twice

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Tony H
Hobie 18
Sailing Mission Bay and nearby CA
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IMHO: sounds to me that a getaway would be a better option than you and wife stepping a h21 mast and moving a 600 lb boat aroud

another option i see is there is a SWEEEEEET looking P19 in the classified ads here (in Walnut Creek / Lafayette
California
this is a great boat, good compromise between cruiser and race boat
looks to be in great condition

only issue is parts - they will be hard to come by
https://www.thebeachcats.…185-1985-prindle-19.html

MN3

IMHO: sounds to me that a getaway would be a better option than you and wife stepping a h21 mast and moving a 600 lb boat aroud

another option i see is there is a SWEEEEEET looking P19 in the classified ads here (in Walnut Creek / Lafayette California
this is a great boat, good compromise between cruiser and race boat
looks to be in great condition

only issue is parts - they will be hard to come by

We rather like the dryer, more cruising oriented designs; the Prindle seems a little too close to the bare, sport side from what I've read so far (though I defer to the more experienced). The Getaway is still on our list.

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Tony H
Hobie 18
Sailing Mission Bay and nearby CA
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Hmmmmm....no mention of budget. Beachcat sailors are a naturally cheap breed (myself included) but I think your constraints are really pointing you toward a trailerable trimaran. The gin pole setup using the trailer winch makes mast raising an easy one person job. I recently helped a friend rig and launch his F22 in less than 30 mins.

New Getaway is 9k or more with wings, spin kit etc...

Trimarans seem more popular on the west coast and I have occasionally seen them under 20k.
https://www.yachtworld.co…fSource=browse%20listing

Of course new is nice if you have 50k and dont mind waiting 12 to 18 months for delivery:
https://www.f-boat.com/pages/trimarans/F-22.html

If you have a budget of 30k or so the F27 is the most popular trimaran ever made and commonly come up for sale coast to coast.

Hope this helps...
Brad in Jacksonville, FL
Stiletto 27 on a 2 year plan

bradinjax

Hmmmmm....no mention of budget. Beachcat sailors are a naturally cheap breed (myself included) but I think your constraints are really pointing you toward a trailerable trimaran. The gin pole setup using the trailer winch makes mast raising an easy one person job. I recently helped a friend rig and launch his F22 in less than 30 mins.

New Getaway is 9k or more with wings, spin kit etc...

Trimarans seem more popular on the west coast and I have occasionally seen them under 20k.
https://www.yachtworld.co…fSource=browse%20listing

Of course new is nice if you have 50k and dont mind waiting 12 to 18 months for delivery:
https://www.f-boat.com/pages/trimarans/F-22.html

If you have a budget of 30k or so the F27 is the most popular trimaran ever made and commonly come up for sale coast to coast.

Hope this helps...
Brad in Jacksonville, FL
Stiletto 27 on a 2 year plan

Some good thoughts here.

The plan currently is to get a smaller boat for day sailing to continue increasing our experience and time on the water while getting our cruising papers. I expect we'll leave a bigger boat till we are more prepared in terms of both skills and the knowledge of what we most want in a long-term choice. As a result, the budget (while not unchangeably set) is more likely to be in the below $10-12k range including any fitting out costs (i.e., new sails/rigging, trailer repairs, etc. if required). We're almost certainly going to buy used.

I'm hoping to find a boat with a setup/takedown time of an hour or less, ideally 20-30 minutes. Some options obviously will push that, especially if mast-up storage is not available.

I have a great love for trimarans, and I would love to own one - years ago, I spent some time on what was then the largest sailing tri in the world, the Lammer Law, in the BVI area.

Thanks!

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Tony H
Hobie 18
Sailing Mission Bay and nearby CA
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Tony welcome. I just bought a 2019 Getaway new with wings and mast stepper 111. My wife and I are in our 60’s and we love the cat. We live in Florida and sail every weekend “still work full time”. Our set up time is around 30 to 50 minutes for a beach launch, less for a ramp. That includes stepping the mast, tying on the 2 coolers and mounting our electric motor.
Good Luck with your hunt.

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Larry
Mirage Tandem Island -sold
Hobie Bravo -sold
1979 Prindle 18 Sold
2019 Hobie Getaway
Polk City, Florida
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