Best Cat for Crazy Sailing

There is a H17 sport for sale on this website also. Again no connection to it, but it is in the Chicago area and a good solo or solo +1 boat. And at the price you could sail it for a while and then decide what your ideal boat would be and not loose much when you sell it.

It sounds like the boat for you would be the Moth! Look it up, it is a foil concept that can out sail even an A-CAT. That looks like the most thrill you can get sailing. Also consider a windsurfer. If you want out of control feeling and are buy yourself they are fun too.

Here's a Formula 14... try this for crazy sailin. Watch this thing go..... ya got 9 mins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nrCYTxQDtQ

Here's a Formula 14... try this for crazy sailin. Watch this thing go..... ya got 9 mins

Its SOOO CUTE!, i think i will call it... Mini-me

i was waiting for 10 clowns to crawl out of a hull

PS they are killing it, but so does my boat in 20 🙂

Those Hobie 14s with Hooters were mine. I sold mine, with the 420 number and my friend sold the #99 one to the guy who was selling it on eBay. Don't know the result. Both were pretty cool.

They are Whirlwind mains and Hooters. Chip Buck really hooked me up.

The 14 with the Hooter was a blast. Upwind, you could sail it to about 8mph, then it was too much. In light wind, it would smoke anything. The square top was only good in heavy wind--a Dacron sail was faster in the light stuff. Down wind ANYTIME was holding on for dear life. I would hang off the back of the boat just to keep the bows up. Sometimes, I thought the boat wasn't even touching the water!

The big problem was righting the boat. I can right a 14 Turbo or Uni easily by myself at 165 pounds, but with the hooter--forgetaboutit.

...So, I'm on to a different project. A Supercat 15 with the same hooter as seen above. I sold the 14, but kept the Hooter rig. I wanted the Supercat because it has (what seems like) almost 3 times the volume in the hulls as the Hobie and it has the Supercat righting system. When you pop the shroud adjuster, it practically rights itself. That may fix the Hooter righting problem.

I think, though, if I was to do it again, I would get a Supercat 17 with a Supercat 15 rig on it and then add the Hooter or a spinnaker. Bigger sail plans don't always mean faster. I'm surprised anyone on a 14 with a 16 rig can keep it up right. There just isn't enough buoyancy. I figure that you can do a lot more with a controlable rig on some seriously buoyant hulls.

Just my 2 cents. I'll be posting pics of the Supercat when I get it done. I already have a self tacking jib on it..

Dan

One more thing--as far as a factory little bad ass boat--try a nacra 450. One of those with a Hooter or spin would be AWESOME.

Dan.... ya do have a pair !!! 😀 I'd should'ave known one of thoes cats were yours.... way to go 😉

JimTomes wrote: It sounds like the boat for you would be the Moth! Look it up, it is a foil concept that can out sail even an A-CAT. That looks like the most thrill you can get sailing. Also consider a windsurfer. If you want out of control feeling and are buy yourself they are fun too.

There is always kitesurfing. I hear that the learning curve is pretty steep, but it would definitely be a good adrenaline rush. To get any more intense than that you probably have to go to hard drugs.

The foiling moths are very fast. Watch the last 1/2 of this where he switches to a rig mounted camera, the stinkpot is really hauling ass trying to keep up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH9iXgh3fpA&feature=related

Put that on my bucket list!! :-O

Moths look amazingly fun (but hard to get out of the water on the foil).

world cat sailing pro John Casey recently tried one and wrote about it on his site. I asked him if he wanted to buy one and his answer was "HELL YEA!"

http://www.johncaseyworldwide.com/?paged=2

I think the 3 man 18' foiling skiffs would be amazing (and easier to get out of the water)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbECYuCzWs

and for you surfers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oyWMusaDTI&feature=related

Thanks for the help guys! I have alot of friends that kite surf, one of my friend's dads runs the slingshot factory in china, needless to say I could get one cheap if I wanted.

I am going to do some more researching, I will probablly find a local deal and pick up either a 16/17 or nacra equivalent. the F14 looks fun but I don't know how many race ready boats are in the area. Either way once I have one I am sure I will do something to it to make it crazy, maybe try to fit some wildcat mast + sails on there or something...

there is a huge difference between the Hobie16 and 17... i would think a 16 is more flexible* for all around sailing (in varied conditions) and would possibly be faster getting up to speed on (literal and figuratively).

Also if your gonna be pushing it.. your gonna be flipin it (no big deal) but a 16 is a lot easier to right than the 17 with wings.

* i see h16's flyin a hull high and far all the time, i dont see that on 17's. I see 16's out there jumping wave's (not the hobiewave) all the time, i see 17's avoiding waves (as i did on my 18 with similar hull shapes)

Andrew, I agree with your last entry. I consider myself still a newbie, and appreciate all the help and advice the group at Dunedin have offered. I am still listening and learning, though I have sailed monohulls for almost 30 years, the cats are totally different. Therefore speaking as a newbie to Colin. I started with a Hobie 17, and then bought a Hobie 16 for my fiancee to learn on. The 16 is hugely easier to sail than the 17. Don't get me wrong, I love my 17, but the 16 is easier to bring about, easier to get out of irons, and yes it is easier to fly a hull with. As far as waves, the tramp of the 17 is only half as far out of the water as the 16 tramp. (a lot more clearance for waves!) Also the 16 can carry more weight than the 17. If the choice comes down to the 16 or 17, I think Colin would be happier with the 16.

edited by: Deuce, Jun 02, 2010 - 08:59 PM

Andrew, I agree with your last entry.

then you are a wise man! (just kidding)

OK, have to reply here. Been out of pocket and out of the country for awhile. I will fillout my profile - I promise.
I am the nut that both sold the "99" number H14 with the squaretop sail and hooter on ebay - went for a fair dollar too, and tried to sell it here last year but I think I was out of season.
The hobie 14 with the square top and hooter was a rocket and scary fast. I also have moved to a supercat 15, and really love the predictability and the ease of righting.
I also had a %$#@& of a time getting the h14 righted when flying a hooter.
Just finished getting the hulls on the supercat gelcoated, and am working on a new tramp - slosails has been great
Anyone have any knowledge or roller furling setups and sources for the supercat 15?

OK, I'm selling the Hooter kit for the 14s as shown above--see the classifieds.

Harry--you're doing exactly what I did! I have a Supercat 15 now and I'm really liking it, but I'm having touble putting the Hooter kit on it because of the way the self-tacker is positioned on the boat. I'm going to go to a spin kit.

Hit me off line at (danberger at mindspring dot com) for SC15 tips. I have a roller furling jib for the boat and can show you the furling parts with measurements.

Sorry I havent posted here in a while. Ended up not buying a boat due to the new york winter and lack of good boats, but I just got a new Job in Houston. Looking forward to the big wind down there.

Some one mentioned the F18HT class, what boats fit into that class?

If you are Houstin, get an F18. That's the strongest class of crazy boats around here 🙂

F18s are AWSOME some of the boats tha fit into that category are:

Hobie
Tiger
Wildcat

Nacra
Inter 18
F18
Infusion

Australian High Performance Catamarans (AHPC)
Taipan F18
Capricorn
C2

Bimare
X4

There are other manufacterers but those are the ones you are likely to come across.

D.

Ok I was almost totally set on a 16' hobie. However, who is rocking it down there in houston (local Cat club)? What is the gulf like? I lived there for 11 years as a kid and remember it to be windy. I am thinking I might need the 18 to just keep up with the waves.

I want a 16 to get out of the water. But if someone can convince me the 18 is faster it will be a done deal.

The Bimare boats look awesome. I think they would be wiked fast.

Texas City Dike Yacht Club (the place, not the person 🙂 http://www.tcdyc.com/

That's the place to meet Houston cat sailors....

I sail in the gulf almost every weekend in Houston area there are 3 spots to sail as mentioned above TCDYC is the place to meet everyone. There are 3 spots to sail Texas City Dike, Cat alley, Surfside aka 10 Mile. TCDYC is hosting a learn to sail clinic on April 9th at the dike details on there website. Surfside Sailing is having a launch party April 16 just go to surfside beach access #6 details are on www.hobiefleet33.com or Surfside Sailing on facebook and there is also Cat alley over in Galveston which is on Bermuda beach.

buuhh99 wrote:

I want a 16 to get out of the water. But if someone can convince me the 18 is faster it will be a done deal.

The Bimare boats look awesome. I think they would be wiked fast.

Come to one of the events and sail some diffrent boats before you buy anything take it from me I have owned 5 boats in 2 years and I am burned out on swapping boats, trailers, sailtubes, tires etc... Find the boat you know you want before you buy anything!!
I want to sail someones Tiger myself seems like the prices are coming down and I am a fan of Hobies rudder system for the surf they have worked the best for me.

Edited by fa1321 on Mar 30, 2011 - 08:47 AM.