I am new to catamaran sailing, although I have been sailing other small boats (mostly 420s) for about two years. I had the chance to sail a Hobie Getaway while vacationing at a resort in Mexico; I thoroughly enjoyed the whole catamaran experience. I live in MN.

Now that I have some background info cleared up, I would like to pose a question: If I were to get a small Hobie Cat, what kind would be recommended? I was looking at the 16 and the Getaway, because I would like to be able to carry a few passengers, but still go fast.

The main difference I noted between the two was speed and carrying capacity, with the 16 being faster and the Getaway being a better passenger boat. I have also seen that the two boats are made of different materials. Could someone please clarify the major differences, if any, between the two hull types?

Additionally, I'd like to know how hard it is to carry extra people on a 16 (in light-medium winds), and whether a trapeze system is included with the 16.

Sorry for such a long post. Any reply would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I'm new to cat sailing as well and I've been researching the questions you have asked for a few months. The cat you decide to buy basically depends on how you answer the following two questions.

What do you want to do with your cat; daysail with friends/family, race or a mixture of the two? Getaway's are clearly better suited for sailing with groups. However, they can also be sailed single handed and fly hulls. H16's are better for racing because there are more to race against. You can sail an H16 with 4 adults on it, in light to medium winds but your sailing performance will be limited. The 16 is a powerful boat and it has more sail area than the Getaway.

What is your budget? If you budget is limited then there many good options for a nice, used H16 in the $2K (or less) price range for an older one. New Getaway's are $7-8K. Used Getaway's are $5 - 6.5K, if you can find them in your area (and that's a big IF).

To answer some of your questions, the rotomolded hull is like hard plastic and the H16's use a fiberglass hull. Also, the H16's typically come with a dual trapeze system. The Getaway supports a single trapeze.

If you have other questions, let me know. I've been working this subject hard and learning a lot!

Thanks.

Thanks so much for the reply! It really clarified some things for me. I think that I am leaning towards the 16. I'm pretty sure that I will be mostly sailing with just my good friend (we are going to pool for the boat), but if need be I can take more people out on a 16.

At this point, like you said, finding a boat is the biggest thing. I have looked through many of the numerous online boat classifieds as well as the paper's classifieds, and I have found nothing, as far as used boats go. I think that a new boat might work out, but I would like to avoid spending more than I have to.

It's good to see someone else looking into the same stuff that I am. I have been overall a bit surprised by how (relatively) few Hobies are for sale; 420s seemed much easier to find.

Once again, thanks a lot for your reply.

There doesn't seem to be one easy place to look for a Hobie 16. The best places I have found are:

- www.craiglist.org
- www.Ebay.com
- www.thebeachcats.com
- www.catsailor.com
- www.boattraderonline.com

Where are you located?

I'm located in MN, around the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area. There's some pretty good sailing here, with Lake Superior and all.

On the Hobie website it said that there was only one licensed Hobie dealer in MN, which is OK I guess because it is in driving distance. It would still seem that there are not many used Hobies for sale in MN, if any.

Thanks for those sites, I've tried many of those and nothing is coming up. How is your search coming along? Are there any Hobies for sale where you live?



edited by: Dav333, Sep 17, 2007 - 05:33 PM

I agree that there as not as many hobie's as I expected to be available for sale. i live in Dallas and i can only find 1 or 2 new ones available per week within a 300 mile radius of here. However, this is not the best time of year to for availability. I think there are more available in the spring and summer. Just be patient and keep looking.

My search had a setback last week when I had to reprioritize my available funds. Seems my AC went out in my house. So I had to fix that instead of buying a cat!
I hope to be back in the market by early next year.

Good luck with your search!

Sorry for not replying til now, sorry to hear about your AC, that must be disappointing.

As of now I have about 2k saved up, and after looking a bit on Craigslist I have actually found some 16s for a reasonable price. Of course I will still have to look at the boat, as to ensure there are no missing pieces, delamination etc.

Once again i thank you for your help. Best of luck to you.