Hey everyone! New to this forum so I hope someone has some advice for me. I've searched the typical search engines and haven't found a direct answer yet.

My wife and I are somewhat new to sailing. We got a Hobie 16 (with a trailer) a few months back and have been sailing regularly (usually once a week) since then. We have just started to trap out and are loving every aspect of sailing Hobie 16's. We joined a local sailing club that allows us to park our trailer/boat mast-up in a parking lot on a local lake and also gives us access to a boat ramp, beach, and cat-tracks (the single axle with big wheels that allow us to push the boat down to the water), and a communal Hobie Wave.

Sometimes my wife is not available when I want to go sailing so sometimes I'll go out to the lake by myself and take out the communal Hobie Wave and sail solo for an afternoon. The wave is enjoyable and easy to do solo, but it's not nearly as fun as our Hobie 16.

My question is: does anyone have any advice on how to take my Hobie 16 from the trailer to the water and back by myself? I'm afraid I wont be able to lower the back end of the boat to the ground, align the trax correctly under it and get the boat to the water and vice-versa on the way back by myself.

For reference, I'm 29 and about 6'2" ~250lbs. I don't think the boat will be too heavy for me to manage, I just don't know the best way to get everything lined up and in position. For example: Would the best way for me to get the boat back to the trailer after sailing be to position the trax on the boat ramp and then try to pull the boat over the trax and up the ramp so they line up?

Any information is appreciated!

Thanks!

I prefer to keep the trailer dry and do all the operation with the beachwheels. I changed the rear cradles of the trailer with double rubber rollers, which made a lot easier to slide the boat in and out of the trailer. If the trailer isn’t attached to the car I put something under the wheels to block movement. To slide the boat out I push from the front beam and pull back from the rear beam in the last part. I adapted some zodiac wheels to the rear beam just for that, but before that I used the beachwheels. The only problem with beachwheels is the extra work of sliding them forward on the hulls to balance the boat after it’s out of the trailer. To put the boat back on the trailer I bring it as forward as I can with the wheels centered, then use the trailer winch to pull it forward, after relocating the beachwheels at the sterns (or installing the rear Zodiac wheels)



Edited by Andinista on Oct 12, 2020 - 03:39 PM.

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I just don't know the best way to get everything lined up and in position. For example: Would the best way for me to get the boat back to the trailer after sailing be to position the trax on the boat ramp and then try to pull the boat over the trax and up the ramp so they line up?

i don't know what you are asking - totally lost

I can solo my 5.5 or 6.0 on and off the trailer solo - up and down the beach solo (but LOVE help, esp up hill)


if your asking how to align the beach wheels ... directly under the center of balance of your hobie16. it should be very easy for a mostly fit adult over 130 lbs to handle a h16 solo.

I would grab the wheels and practice in the parking area for a few hours or what ever is needed for you to practice and perfect pushing the boat off the trailer - onto the wheels and back on the trailer. get help the first time. utilize your trailer winch - utilize gravity when possible

you should be able to tie the wheels off (they should have a rope hanging out the ends - but conceivable not) and tie off to the h16 tramp post for or aft (depending on which direction you are pointing the boat (bows up the ramp or transoms up first).

as per pushing / pulling the boat up a ramp on wheels solo - lots of traversing and you can do it i am sure but .... doesn't sound fun to me. IF you bring the trailer to the ramps water edge you may be able to maneuver it on to the trailer

Here the Zodiac wheels
https://www.thebeachcats.…5f787f9279d47123e3611a85

Hi Supa Shane, and welcome to TheBeachcats.com,

With either a Wave or a Hobie 16 you can probably handle them by yourself with cat trax and trailer once you get the technique right. the exact technique will depend on your particular ramp/beach.

Tell us more about the setup at the club. I'm in a similar club on a lake, DSA (https://www.deltasailing.com)

We have mast up storage on trailers, the club is right beside the (long) concrete launch ramp which is too steep to cat trax a boat on single-handed.

But I've single handed launched my Hobie 18 (much heavier than H16 or Wave) many times from trailer to water and back like this.

• I prepare the boat to sail as much as possible while still on the trailer, don't raise the main though, jib is furled. Main sail, PFD's, and anything else I need on the boat are placed on the tramp. (saves trips back up the ramp to retrieve things)
  
  
• Hook up to trailer and back the boat into the water, remove tie-downs, slide the boat off the trailer and float it over to the shoreline next to the ramp.
  
  
• Beach the boat pointing into the wind and slide it onto shore where it's stable while I park the vehicle and trailer back in the storage area.
  
  
• Walk back down to the boat, raise the main sail (it's easy cause boat is already pointed into the wind) and sail away.]
  
  
• After the sailing, beach the boat near the ramp, turn it into the wind, drop the mainsail and make sure the boat is stable on the beach while you go fetch the trailer.
  
  
• Back the trailer just far enough down, I usually don't have to submerge the wheel hubs but it depends on the angle and depth of the water.
  
  
• Either brute force the boat onto the trailer or better, hook up your winch line to the front beam (not dolphin striker) and winch it up onto the trailer. Replace the trailer tie-downs and drive the boat back to the storage area.
  

Easy-Peasy

Notes: If your launch ramp is short and not very steep, you could offload the boat onto the trax in the storage area and walk it down to the water, but I don't really see an advantage unless you really hate backing your trailer.

If you don't have any beach/shoreline available next to the ramp then things are more difficult, it just depends on what you have there. Let us know and someone can come up with suggestions.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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I know of what you speak. I am 150lb and sail my Nacra 5.2 solo. When you pull the boat off the trailer the boat is lots higher than the axle of the trax. A couple of solutions: 1.Flip the trailer support beam the be underslung so the cat sits ~4" lower. 2. Assuming you have a tilt trailer, make it tilt. 3.Make pool floaties to tie around the sterns. Then carry the boat (via rear beam) back a ways and set the sterns on the ground/noodles. Then walk forward and tie on the wheels in the right spot (usually the shrouds).

--
FYC, Nacra 5.2 "Chris's Flyer" & Nacra Playcat & Farrier Tramp
Previously owned: Trac 14, H14, H16, H18, N5.0, G-cat 5.0
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Similar to Damon, I back the trailer into the water and float the boat off the trailer, then over to the beach. I do the same for pulling out. Its a Hobie 16 and the hull bottoms can take the damage on the beach, though I try to minimize this. And I am in fresh water.

Others will prep the boat on the grass, and use cat trax to the water, but I worry about the weight and my back.

At some regattas, using the trailer is not possible. In this case, for my boat and other H16s, we all helped each other lift the boat onto the trailer. I am not sure I have seen it done solo. I would worry about winching it on, but maybe that is possible. Otherwise, a lighter weight cat might be on the horizon.



Edited by yelkenli1 on Oct 12, 2020 - 10:03 PM.

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Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
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Damon has pretty much written the step by step instruction manual on how to manage solo launching. It is the same way that I’ve managed launching my H18 for many years.

supa_shane

For example: Would the best way for me to get the boat back to the trailer after sailing be to position the trax on the boat ramp and then try to pull the boat over the trax and up the ramp so they line up?

I think as some others have said, if you can just back your trailer down the ramp into the water and put the boat directly on the trailer, that will be easiest. However, if you want to put the boat on the cat trax first, it should be feasible to do so. I have a Hobie 14, 17, and 18 and can load each of them onto trax solo if I have to. My recommendations for loading solo....

First, if your cat trax have cradles, they will make things much easier. The cradles will help hold the wheels in position even when they aren’t tied onto the boat.

With the boat on the beach, drop or furl all sails and take to the trailer. Less windage and less weight will make things easier. Bring the trax to the water’s edge and put them in so they’re floating in a few inches of water near the boat. Push the boat into the water and with boat and trax in hand, move to knee to thigh deep water. Hold the boat by the bow. Line up the ends of the trax with the bows and push them under. Work them back by first holding the bridle wires and pushing the wheels aft as far as you can with your foot. Then duck under the bridles and push them under the crossbar. Finally, grab the dolphin striker and push the wheels back to the shrouds. Reach around each hull and find the line on the end of the trax and tie off to the shroud. Then pull the boat onto the beach and up to your trailer.

sm

I also have a nacra 5.2 a rocky beach and a trailer one little trick is moor your boat in the water cement block and piece of line you may even be able to leave the mooring in the water all summer others will use it very handy. As for putting my boat in and out of the water UNPLUG trailer lights, back into water
unstrap float your cat off the trailer moor it to your mooring buoy trailer back up to parking lot you can have your boat rigged jump on and sail away . You don't need catrax if you have to put it in the parking lot each time on the trailer

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I also have a nacra 5.2 a rocky beach and a trailer one little trick is moor your boat in the water cement block and piece of line you may even be able to leave the mooring in the water all summer others will use it very handy

edit

sorry i think leaving a mooring line out is a bad idea in public areas that are not designated mooring areas.

carry an anchor for beaching and setup/teardown (and sailing / capsizes) - ymmv

off my soap box -
Sincerly,
Grumpy old man



Edited by MN3 on Oct 13, 2020 - 05:28 PM.

DamonLinkous

Either brute force the boat onto the trailer or better, hook up your winch line to the front beam (not dolphin striker) and winch it up onto the trailer. Replace the trailer tie-downs and drive the boat back to the storage area.

Easy-Peasy

Damon you are an animal to be able to launch your H18 single-handed.
Sure, you are smart about the process and mechanics of getting it done, but pulling that 18 up on the sand, or on the trailer is a HeMan feat.

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klozhald

DamonLinkous

Either brute force the boat onto the trailer or better, hook up your winch line to the front beam (not dolphin striker) and winch it up onto the trailer. Replace the trailer tie-downs and drive the boat back to the storage area.

Easy-Peasy

Damon you are an animal to be able to launch your H18 single-handed.
Sure, you are smart about the process and mechanics of getting it done, but pulling that 18 up on the sand, or on the trailer is a HeMan feat.

it's all about leverage and weight placement ...
and he has that :)

for the record: I am calling him "tall" (not fat)



Edited by MN3 on Oct 14, 2020 - 06:59 PM.

MN3

it's all about leverage and weight placement ...
and he has that :)

for the record: I am calling him "tall" (not fat)

Damon is the Grizzly Adams of the Beachcat Clan.
I have a visual of him throwing his mast into place with one hand while snarling at the breakers he's about to cleave when he sails into the sunset.

Jeez.
I think I'll back off on the libations for today.

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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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Quote

dit

sorry i think leaving a mooring line out is a bad idea in public areas that are not designated mooring areas.

carry an anchor for beaching and setup/teardown (and sailing / capsizes) - ymmv

My comment was meant for areas where it is practical .At my sailing club I just pulled my boat out for the season mooring buoys are used by all the members and are very useful our beach is very rocky so beaching a cat not
possible ,mooring a cat is very handy

catsalor

Quote

dit

sorry i think leaving a mooring line out is a bad idea in public areas that are not designated mooring areas.

carry an anchor for beaching and setup/teardown (and sailing / capsizes) - ymmv

My comment was meant for areas where it is practical .At my sailing club I just pulled my boat out for the season mooring buoys are used by all the members and are very useful our beach is very rocky so beaching a cat not
possible ,mooring a cat is very handy

My comment was for places that are not designated mooring areas, esp near ramps and beaches.

I removed most of my rant but i will put some of it back.

we have a beach for non power boats (cats, sunfish, other small boats) & one beach for jetskis and small power boats

people put anchors and cement blocks, and other homemade moors a few feet off the beach - and sometimes walk out 100' when the tide is out. Then they leave a 3' - 40' of line so the float is no where's near the underwater hazard or is under water when the tide fills in (or the knot comes undone)

i have kicked anchors, cement blocks and other items. sailing into one of these, even slowly sailing away from a ramp or beach can cause real damage

so the idea of leaving a cement block near a ramp (that is not in a known/approved mooring area) is a hazard - esp to anyone who is not well versed in the local hazards

IF you are at a private ramp, or club that has a tradition or designated area for mooring - that is fine



Edited by MN3 on Oct 16, 2020 - 08:41 AM.

The beach where I launch my boat has rocks so I always anchor. 2 feet of water makes it easier to deal with the boat and eliminates the necessity of lots of line. I use bow and stern anchors with bleach bottles for markers and leave them when I go sailing. I align the boat so the wind is coming a few degrees off the bow. Cats have a tendency to sail around on just a bow anchor and using two eliminates this and makes set up easier. I can only launch and retrieve at high tide so I usually have to leave it in overnight. Once again I align the boat for what the wind is forecast to be for the next 24 hours. I remove everything from the boat including the sails. Even though it's private property I feel it's less of a risk to not have a "complete boat" there free for the taking. Remember part B of Murphy's Law; "What can be f--ked with will be f--cked with".

--
Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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Cats have a tendency to sail around on just a bow anchor and using two eliminates this and makes set up easier

The tendency to sail happens when you attach the line to the front beam. If you attach it to the bridles it goes away. I prefer to attach it at the front beam and pass it through a ring under the bow foil, in mi case. Joe Bennet has a video about anchoring and mooring a H16, he uses a loop of rope instead of a ring. If you want to recover the anchor from the tramp it’s worth a loo&

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The tendency to sail happens when you attach the line to the front beam. If you attach it to the bridles it goes away.

I keep forgetting that most cats only have two cross tubes, so the front one is actually the middle of the boat and of course the boat will sail around at anchor. When I had a Nacra I tied the anchor bridle directly to tangs where the wire bridle attaches. With rudders up, the jib down and the mainsheet unhooked from the mainsail it would stay bows to wind with the main up.

--
Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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on my cats and all others i have seen you must keep the jib furled (or off), rudder/boards up, main centered and sheeted otherwise (with air) the boat will dance, turn, heat up, and take off or capsize if it swings into shallows.

i don't like to attach anchors to my bow tangs/bridals because: at anchor, waves and wind will be addingforces against the attachments that were built for stresses from the verticals and not horizontal forces (esp cyclical waves)

I may be over cautious/ thinking it but i have had 2 tang failures in my day..

I drill holes in my bow, refill with epoxy that has moisture barrier in a few layers, redrill smaller and add a bridal via a spliced line or with stopper knots.

if somethings gotta fail - I'd much rather loose a bow tip than a bow tang

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main centered and sheeted

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i don't like to attach anchors to my bow tangs/bridals because: at anchor, waves and wind will be addingforces against the attachments that were built for stresses from the verticals and not horizontal forces (esp cyclical waves)

You really meant unsheeted, right? Good point on the tangs. If you had an older boat with rails it would be easy to fashion something really solid. If you're new to this be sure and use stretchy line like 1/4 3 strand nylon to absorb shock and help the anchor stay set. Presumably you'll be using a relatively small anchor and you'll be in shallow water, push the flukes in with your foot or hands especially if the bottom is grassy or shelly. If your marine forecast says your boat is going to be rockin' and rollen' hard all night, get it out! Don't underestimate chafe. And one more thing, if you have to leave it in choppy conditions, tie the mast so it won't rotate wildly for hours on end. No sense in having all that extra wear and tear on your mast bearing.

--
Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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You really meant unsheeted, right?

absolutely not.
an unsheeted main can pay out all the line and you have a swinging main and the boat will heat up and start to dance around the moor /anchor


if you don't sheet your main (i don't mean kill it), your boat won't weather bane around. this will create all sorts of issues

the only time to remove the main blocks from the boom is while parked on land - bows into the wind so the mast and main can swing 180* without issues. if you have a complete wind shift you will need to remove the main or turn to boat

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You really meant unsheeted, right?

absolutely not.
an unsheeted main can pay out all the line and you have a swinging main and the boat will heat up and start to dance around the moor /anchor


if you don't sheet your main (i don't mean kill it), your boat won't weather bane around. this will create all sorts of issues

the only time to remove the main blocks from the boom is while parked on land - bows into the wind so the mast and main can swing 180* without issues. if you have a complete wind shift you will need to remove the main or turn to boat

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absolutely not.
an unsheeted main can pay out all the line and you have a swinging main and the boat will heat up and start to dance around the moor /anchor

Interesting. I'll try it next time I go to the sand bare for swimming where I only bow anchor. I always unhooked the main from the clew for the very reason you stated, all the line being payed out. I always double anchored when setting up so the boat would behave.

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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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klozhald

Damon you are an animal to be able to launch your H18 single-handed.
Sure, you are smart about the process and mechanics of getting it done, but pulling that 18 up on the sand, or on the trailer is a HeMan feat.

MN3

it's all about leverage and weight placement ...
and he has that :)

klozhald

Damon is the Grizzly Adams of the Beachcat Clan.
I have a visual of him throwing his mast into place with one hand while snarling at the breakers he's about to cleave when he sails into the sunset.

You guys are hilarious...

For those that don't know me, I am definitely much bigger than your average beachcat sailor, but not particularly strong, I spend my day in front of a computer monitor. I'm also past 60, so there is that.

The real message in my instructions was to find a way to use the tools, customized to your particular launch situation, to get the job done without damaging yourself or your boat.

Lots of good info from experienced sailors in this thread.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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You guys are hilarious...

DamonLinkous

You guys are hilarious...

Aw, shucks.
#diggingtoeindirt

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
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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