beat up not so old man

Terry,

Welcome to TheBeachcats.com, you live in an area that is the envy of beachcat sailors all over the world.

As for being old and beat up you are much closer to the average age for beachcat sailors than I wish was true. 😆

I know of lots of 60+ active beachcat sailors, plenty in their 70's and even some 80 year-olds that still race.

Have you ever done any sailing? Considering your location I'm sure we can get you some instruction.

I went out on a shrimp boat once and worked off shore (close off shore out of Louisiana)but otherwise, just an armchair sailor so far. But I really need to know how bad a beating I would get from just cruising around.Iknow that running through a chop in a small power boat will beat the crap out of a person but I don't think that would be the case on a hobie cat but I don't know. I hate to think of myself as disabled but the SSA does. I am like that country song, I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was.

It all depends on how hard you want to push. Setting up a cat is physical work for 1-2 people every time you sail unless you have mast up storage. The beating from the water is mainly based on speed and hull shape. Power boats usually run hard and often have a large bow area to crash into the chop while cats are going to be slower (especially if you want to keep both hulls in the water as previously described) and have very small surface bow surface area and thus tend to go through chop rather than impacting into it. Find someone nearby and take a ride. You will probably have better luck and a more enjoyable first voyage in the warmer months but I bet you could find someone sailing almost any weekend.
You also might want to check out some local clubs and see if they have any learning to sail or other first sail courses.

Hey Terry, glad you are thinking about it. TBH even the choice of cat will make a difference, I moved from an H16 to a Prindle and frankly am really glad I did since it is more forgiving to sail and despite being a little wetter, is easier on the joints with the tramp design (IMHO before I get berated by the H16 folks LOL)

My advice to you would be to try and hitch a ride on a few different cats and cat sizes (P16, H16, H17 H18, nacra, getaway etc) and then decide which one is a best fit for you. ONe thing I can guarantee is that ultimately you will have a blast 🙂

beat up and disabled according to the SSA is one thing...
frankly, it depends on your physical abilities.
like anything there's a learning curve
there's lots of folks over 60 sailing, but many have decades of practice and wisdom.
what the younger accomplish through might and will... they accomplish with grace and skill, and hardly break a sweat.

since it's so relative and subjective, you really need to just go for a few rides and decide for yourself.

in the end, on a nice day, with a forgiving boat... you may find it physically and mentally therapeutic.

watch Key Sailing just across the bridge, late Feb for advertisements about some races going on there usually in March. Someone will be glad to take you out for a ride in the intercoastal.

good luck,
Rob

Edited by robpatt on Jan 09, 2012 - 07:24 PM.

terry, sailing on the bays and intercoastal is nice and easy, you won't take a beating unless you get into the gulf. that being said, you have to have some ability to raise mast, load on and off trailor, get up and down the beach, right the boat if you flip it, and so on. the worst part for me is my 2 bad knees, bum shoulder, questionalable liver, and failing mentle skills but i still manage with a little help from my friends.

lucky for you you have key sailing to start with. you should be able to get hooked up with a ride or two to see how you like it before you buy something...i would suggest it. if you get bit then you can start to think about what boat and so on. good luck!

Thank you all for your help. I think the best advice is to try before I buy. I've waited 57 years to do this and it won't hurt me to wait till warmer weather. I had been feeling that I needed to do something while its still off season but that isn't really necessary. As care taker for my wife right now, I may not even be able to take time to do more than try a short rental this year so thank you guys for the advice and I will just keep reading here for now till I can get a better hand on things. Maybe catch someone setting up when I get a break, or even take Cathy out to the beach for a few hours, and ask to try to step up their mast just to be sure that wouldn't be a problem. I'll figure it out.

In the cold weather, you might try some reading. You won't appreciate it 100% until you have the boat in-hand, but some of it will sink in and help once you do get to the boat. I'm re-reading a couple of books after a summer of racing last year. It's amazing how that experience and perspective changes the value you get from a book. I'd do a search on amazon.com for catamaran sailing. I've heard good things about Phil Berman's books as well as Rick White's (which I have).

As to your original question, I doubt you'll get much of a beating from casual inter coastal sailing. I always have a few sore muscles after the 1st few times out, but that's from my own off-season laziness. 🙂

Thank you. I have been reading for months. That's just about all I can do at this time. I also watch quite a few Youtube videos and that's what gets me itching to go but I have to wait till my situation changes. Hopefully this year, I'll get some help. It has been promised but I never count my chickens till they hatch and get grown. By the way, I don't find many online videos for really learning about sailing these beach cats. Most of what I find are people righting theirs but very few about actually learning to sail and rig a catamaran. If anyone has some they would give me a link to, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again.
Terry

Terry, i sail in panama city every other month or so. Your welcome to go for a spin on one of my boats. Otherwise i would try renting a wave and see what you think. Sunjammers in PC will rent you one and provide some instruction. They are very nice boats to learn on.

Terry,

Get over to Key Sailing and talk to Kirk Newkirk, the owner. He has Hobie Getaways with wings for rent and they are already on the beach fully rigged. In the next couple of months it's pretty deserted around there so the staff will have more time to help you.

I bet if you rented a boat they could probably supply a "captain" to take you out to get a taste. Couldn't be a nicer, less stressful place to get your first sail.

In fact, renting per sail instead of buying a boat your first year would probably be a good deal. It's not usually the advice around hear because very few newbies are lucky enough to live next door to a rental fleet.

When you are watching Youtube videos, don't be alarmed, no one films a nice comfortable cruising day, it's all about gonzo sailing for the videos. Also, don't think that you will have to use the trapeze that you see in all the videos. I don't even have trap wires on my Hobie 18 with Wings.

Please keep us informed on your progress.

Terry,

If you are brand new to sailing you might find this one of interest. All about how to sail a hobie 16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFliNR3wW_w

Also this one shows you how to rig up

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=12697

Got to love Matt Miller's shorts in this one...No relation

I just got my cat in November and I live in NJ so I haven't sailed it yet but I did find those 2 vids helpful.

I used to drive a dirt track stock car so the thriller videos don't dampen my interest, just makes it more acute. I am considering the rental even though renting anything is something that goes against my instincts.
Thanks for the links. that lady is the best video I've seen so far.

dtfuqua wrote: I used to drive a dirt track stock car so the thriller videos don't dampen my interest, just makes it more acute. I am considering the rental even though renting anything is something that goes against my instincts.
Thanks for the links. that lady is the best video I've seen so far.

Well its one of those things, you wouldn't go out and buy a late model dirt car if you did not even know if you would like racing. Renting to try is the cheap option in case its not what you expected.

one thing...if your fist day out is with very little wind, you wont be impressed...if it's honking and your with someone who knows what they are doing, your ADDICTED! no kidding...

Damon says...

gonzo sailing

go go GONZO SAILING !!

Think that prompts my new favorite sailing motto:

" If you ain't flippin, you aint' trippin. ! 😎 "

Edited by robpatt on Jan 12, 2012 - 10:36 PM.

Hah! this not so old man (52) got pretty beat up last season, have a lawn care business and somehow managed to fall off of a 12'-14' roof, landed on my heels with a 30 lb back pack blower on my back, needless to say blew my back and pelvis out, and on top of that, tore the rotator cuff in both my arms, more so on the right arm. Been feeling pretty old hobbling about these last few months patiently waiting to see if it will all heal by itself......we'll see, just hope it all comes back together before next sailing season ...... 😥

Well in case the rental experience gives you the boat owner "bite"....this one might be calling your name...right there near you in Milton.

http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/2799996786.html

have a lawn care business and somehow managed to fall off of a 12'-14' roof,

Turbo...lawns are not on Roof tops, ya gotta change whatever yur smokin:-O

On a more serious note, as one who is also the +side of five-oh. Injuries seem to take way longer to heal. I banged an elbow on a tree, skiing at Sunshine (Banff), two years ago, & I've just regained full strength in that arm in the last few months. For two seasons I had to compensate when sailing as I didn't have the strength to haul the main sheet with my right arm when winds were strong.
I hope you heal, rotator cuffs can be a bitch, many require surgery to fix properly. If you have access to physio, do it, & follow the program. A friends wife, several decades younger than I fell off her bike & slightly cracked her pelvis. to compensate & alleviate she walked with a funny limp for two months. After the crack healed, she couldn't walk properly, her body had now hard wired part of the limp. Physio therapy gave her a regime to rebuild the muscles that were given 2 months off. It took another 3 months of dedicated application of the PT's program to get back to "normal"

Edited by Edchris177 on Jan 15, 2012 - 12:18 PM.

Thanks. I saw that Nacra in Milton. A little rich for my wallet. I'm gonna have to find one of those to good to be true deals for me to jump on. I'm keeping an eye on craigslist within a 250 mile radius for one but I'm having a little trouble getting free to go look at any right now. There is a Hobie 16 also in Milton that I wanted to go see but just can't get time away right now. But, if the right one comes along, at the right price, I think I could get a sitter for Cathy long enough to go see, just not right now.

Hey if you will 2 months I will bring my boat over to Pensacola and go. But u probably cxan get a better deal on a boat in the winter.

I'll be here. I'm not sure of what my circumstances will be but if you'll let me know when and where, I'll try to at least get time to look at your craft and maybe help rig it up ( just lend a watchful hand) . I was also thinking that winter time would be best for someone searching for a bargain but I'm not in control of my time right now.

I may have found something. I'm wondering if anybody knows anything about this boat. http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/2802264386.html The guy sounds nice but in these days, a person needs to be careful. I'm hoping Cathy will be strong enough to go for a ride tomorrow to look at it.

how is your wife doing? and how are you doing? hopefully you will have some improvements to build on soon. i am currently caretaking for my wife as she recovers from brain surgury, again. stupid ole' cancer, poor girl has learned to walk for the third time in her life. when the tumer grows, she is paralized on the left side of her body and loses all function of it...there is never any guarantee she will regain function but yet she has each time. i know the strains of being a caretaker and the importance of taking care of yourself, it's a 24/7 job and you put your life on hold to do it. two years ago mindy was recovering over the holidays just like now and if it weren't for sailing and fixing up the boat i would have gone crazy...you have to keep looking to the future whatever it is and have something fun to look forward to besides docter visits. i have been lucky that both times here lately the surgeries have been in the offseason and by march she is back to work, hopefully this time too. get a boat!...it gives you something to do and look foreward to...you have to take care of yourself to care for her. in the meantime i will be praying for cathy and you mi amigo, sure has helped us!
hang in there! bill.

dtfuqua wrote: I may have found something. I'm wondering if anybody knows anything about this boat. http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/2802264386.html The guy sounds nice but in these days, a person needs to be careful. I'm hoping Cathy will be strong enough to go for a ride tomorrow to look at it.

That boat looks great, however I strongly advise looking up starboard marine, I think its closer to Destin. The guy restores old Hobies and I have heard many great reviews and reasonable prices. He advertises on CL quite often but he is in the phone book.

EDIT www.starboardmarineinc.com

Hi Cathy is doing as well as can be expected right now. She is stable but in poor condition. I'm expecting to get some help with respite care to give me a break. They have already said that we can get 35 hours for someone to sit with her. Just don't know when anything is actually going to happen. Trying to find something for me to do is about all I can do to keep from dwelling on things to come. We have already out lived all expectations for her and I'm in no hurry for anything to change. Thanks for your prayers and concern. I'm glad to hear your wife can expect a recovery, and in time for the summer will be a great time to get out and about.
I grew up spending most of my time hanging out at the beach and hopefully being able to get to secluded beaches, I can enjoy living here again. I don't know but hopefully, a beach cat opens a lot of new trails to explore. Without a job and since I quit drinking, I don't know anything that's fun anymore, at least anything I am able to do now days.
Hi Bacho. I have looked at Starboard and if he were a lot closer, I would probably have found time to check him out. He is a little more expensive than this boat but being from a person that does repairs on these things would go a long way in reassuring myself that I'm being told everything about the boat. Also, the boats he has advertised close to this price are 14s and I think a 16 will be better for carrying extra stuff for me to go overnighting with when time becomes my own again.

Ya, I would suggest a 16 over the 14. He sells a lot of boats though, I would check with him every so often.

Hobie 16's are tanks, especially pre 80, I picked up a 79 H16 and she was solid, apparently Hobie, the company was sold twice after 1980, first time to AMC (?) a motorcycle company, and then to Coleman. In both cases, to cut costs, they cut back on the fiberglass layup, made for a lighter cat, but hull structure was seriously weakened. So if you can get your hands on a pre-80's H16 that has solid hulls with no delamination, awesome. But if I were in your situation, I would look at the P16, high volume hulls would enable you to construct a cargo tramp forward to carry all your gear for overnight trips and a crew member. I would recommend a furling jib instead of the original hook and ring jib just to make your sailing experience more enjoyable.
The last 4 digits on the hull numbers etched into the transom on the H16 will give you the year of construction.

Turbo
H14
H16
P18
Swan 65-1

The problem with getting a Prindle is that they aren't everywhere like the Hobie. I'll be checking the hull #'s later today if I'm lucky. He says he thinks its an 89 But I think it has a single piece mast from trying to get a good look at the pictures. If thats right, doesn't that make it an early 80s?