Re: Any Hobie Sailors Out there?
I'm partial to the Nacra boats myself (big surprise, right?) but what matters the most is how many people you plan to carry, how deep the water is (as in are there shallow spots?), whether you ever plan to race, if you would consider a new boat, and whether you are committed to the 18-20 foot size range. <br />Hobie's recreational boats, the 13' Wave and the 16' Getaway, will float lots of weight for their length. The Getaway is designed for four to six adults daysailing, has built-in coolers, and will set you back just over $4000 brand new. They uses skegs built into the bottom of the boat to prevent side slippage. Wings will be extra. <br />For boat that already have wings:<br />Hobie 17 is available with them. This boat is about the right size for one person not much over 200 lbs and is more for racing. It has pivoting centerboards that kick up to clear obstructions with relatively little damage.<br />Hobie 18 Magnum has wings as standard and will float plenty of weight. You can find a good used one, depending on where you are in the country. One drawback for a recreational sailor is the daggerboards, which tend to get dinged or worse (sometimes a lot worse) when you run aground.<br />Hobie 21 (I think the SE model) came with wings; it is a 10' wide beast that is usually raced with three on board. If trailering is not an issue, and you have big friends (or a whole passel of little ones) this may be your boat. It has centerboards like the 17.<br />As for the Hobie 16, you CAN add trapseats which replace the trapezes and let you sit outboard of the hulls.<br />Finally, and this is the boat I think I'd love as a recreational boat, the Nacra 500 and 570 can be ordered with wings, or the wings added to a used boat. These are 16 and 18 foot recreational cats that are boardless; they have skegs similar to the recreational hobies. The 500 will sail adequately with 400 lbs on board (I had my 5.O, an earlier model with the same hulls but slightly different sails) up over 20 mph with 370 lbs on board. The 570 (and 5.7) will handle even more weight, and also be a bit faster under all conditions. <br />Other boats you might consider if you were to run across one: Prindle 16 - a lot like a Hobie 16, but with less sail area. Some people find them easier to sail. I find them slower to sail. Prindle 18 - like the 16 but bigger. This is a true boardless boat, and I'm pretty sure wings are available; you'd only want to do that if you found a really sharp used one. <br /><br />Hope this helps<br />email any time<br />Andrew Tatton
