[quote=randii][quote=CatFan57]1. Could be my question doesn't make sense; I post stuff here to learn from people w/ a lot more catamaran experience/knowledge than I have.[/quote]
No worries on that -- KEEP ASKING! We can work out any communication/miscommunication issue... this is a great group of guys, many with TONS of practical experience.
[quote=CatFan57]But I came to the conclusion pretty fast that the "no crew available" problem, as an impediment to being able to go sailing when you want, sucks and isn't really tolerable at least for me.[/quote]
I hear you on crew availability... this may be the pivotal concern on me choosing which boats I'll keep. I have a new-to-me BIG catamaran that I'll slip, and have the Hobie 18 that I've been sailing for years, and a Hobie Tiger that joined the fleet in early 2018. I'm considering thinning the fleet a little, as the H18 and F18 overlap in my practical function, and the ability to single-hand is something that is weighing on me. The H18 is a TANK and has proven well-able to handle my single-hand abuses, but I worry about beating up the F18. With crew, I can easily run either, but solo... I have significant concerns about launching, and especially retrieving the F18 to the trailer... and lesser concerns about depowering (putting a furling jib on the F18 would probably help with that). My H18 is easier to rig solo than is the F18, but that's less of an issue if mast-up storage is available.
[quote=CatFan57]It just seems people are recommending (see above) to a guy like traphappy, who's 225, that he "walk away" from the idea of an F-16 if he wants to be able to take a 200 lb crew occasionally.[/quote]
Definitely, if he wants to [b]race[/b]... a skipper/crew combo pushing over 400lbs won't be [B]competitive[/B] on an F16. That same crew would have an H17 floating very low, but could sail an H18 well... but again, not competitively, against lighter crews. In general, catamarans are significantly affected by weight changes; some hulls handle it better than others.
Having a boat to singlehand and a boat for sailing with crew would be great, assuming infinite budget and storage! I think an A-cat for single and an F-18 for crew would be excellent... oh, and a much larger catamaran for overnight camping, and a high-speed tunnel-cat for commuting, and... :p I need to win the lotto, I guess.
[quote=CatFan57]I'd heard/read multiple people say an F-18 is a two man boat; hadn't heard anyone say they solo it w/ just the main until you mentioned doing it.[/quote]
It can be solo-ed in lower winds even with main and jib (it is kinda tough to tack with just the main). I haven't single-handed with three sails -- I won't rig the spin without crew, but I know some folks do. The F-18 is definitely built to do best with crew, but it can indeed be singlehanded... simpler to beach launch than trailer-launch, though.
Randii[/quote]
