No this is a Central Fl issue. Delray is in S. Florida. I am from S. Florida, Jupiter in fact. The Gulf Stream comes closest to FL in S. Florida and they have a much quicker drop off to deeper water than we do in Central FL. One reason you can Drive on Daytona is because the grade/slope is so gradual in Central Fl. For instance if you are deep sea fishing in S. Florida you only have to go about 2 miles out for good fishing. In Daytona you have to go 20 miles off shore for good fishing.
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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Slick Bottom
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We also had an Ocean regatta here in Daytona recently. We have 2 per year, 1 buoy and 1 distance regatta.
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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Because of water depth S Fl gets much more of just a shore break under normal conditions. In Daytona we have 2 sometimes 3 areas where waves break.
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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The fun begins with a on shore breeze, blowing 10mph, and the waves want to turn your boat sideways, and every time you try to head up to hit the wave head on you take all the air out of your sail. You are afraid to lock your rudders down because the waves can drive you backwards into the sandbar. But once you are past the surf you let your heart calm down and have a great time.
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Prindle 18 w/ wings, Prindle 16, Prindle 15, current
Hobie 16 in rebuild
2 Hobie 18 past
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Saint Cloud, Florida
member Lake Eustis Sail Club
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Boats finishing the Florida 300 this year at Daytona Beach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JllbAIibUoE&list
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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And the video Damon shows is a calm day...Look at the flag. Barley moving. In most of the other videos I saw posted from the 300 up and down the FL east coast they all had to ride their cat right up onto the beach. These guys are struggling with a very light breeze out of the west making it near impossible to sail right up to the beach.
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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It hurts my heart to see those beautiful cats driven up the sand
Side note: it is a different creature and much safer during a race when you have ground crew teams to help handle the cats, and race officials keeping the public out of harms way -
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Very True MN3.
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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True, that day was very unusual, the four boats finishing had raced over seven hours in huge conditions, not seen each other all day, then finished in a group.
The shallow multiple sand bars and current made it really difficult for them to choose the right angle to get across the finish line.
Here's a more typical landing with an onshore wind and low surf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZfKYtYbHSE&index
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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I cry a little every time i see that lol
Edited by MN3 on Jul 07, 2017 - 01:44 PM. -
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And that video is down in Palm Beach County if I am not mistaken. Look at the difference where the waves break. In Daytona even under calm conditions it's an offshore break. In S FL its a shore break only.
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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Damon, Do you have an recommendations for protecting my skeg designed cat when beaching?
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Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
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I think all the possibilities have been mentioned, my own choice on this has always been to just use the boats as intended and then periodically do a "bottom job" to restore the gelcoat. Don't wait until it's worn down to bare fiberglass or you have a much bigger job to do.
In the earlier days of beachcat sailing there were some products out there to add strips of metal or plastic to the bottom of a Hobie 16, one of the many products introduced during the peak of beachcat sailing that just seemed like it would cause more problems than it fixes.
Sounds like you are already doing everything you can by getting it onto beach wheels as soon as you can reasonably do it. Your original question was about Slick Bottom like air boats use, I can't see that helping at all since the surface area in contact with the sand is so small, those type chemical products are designed for large flat bottoms to more easily slide over mud and grass. http://www.gatorglide.com/
But I could be wrong, so try it out and report back!
I guess the real answer to your original post is "No, no one has tried Slick Bottom on their beachcat".
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
How To Create Your Signature
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