I am 66 years old, 6'3 and 220 pounds. I want a cat I can take my grandkids on and sail on the small lake they live on and at my ocean beachhouse in North Carolina. I am looking at a P19 near me, but in researching, it seems to be to high performance. My priority is to get them sailing and have some fun, but need to be able to handle around 400 Lbs. No racing yet, but boy is it tempting!!! H-16 best choice???
Tim, Welcome to TheBeachcats.com!
You didn't mention if you have previous beachcat experience? Also how old are the grandkids?
The Prindle 19 is indeed an extremely high performance beast. Would do the job in very light air but could quickly get hairy. It's a BIG boat and handling 400+ pounds alone can be a challenge depending on if you are launching from a ramp or beach.
If you are really experienced, and sail in light air only it might be ok, tell us more.
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Damon Linkous
Tim,
How old are the grandkids? Will they be helping to move the boat around, and will their parents be helping? The larger the cat, the harder it is to move around for launching, etc. Will the kids be taking the boat out solo in the near future?
I have a H16 on a lake, and ramp launch it. I don't like moving it by hand, but do. I put up to 320 lb (me, a 9 year old, and 12 year old) on it and have fun. In surf, a boat with smaller sails in more wind might be a good choice.
My Grandkids are 13, 11, 9 and 8 (not on the cat at one time). I would plan on launching from a ramp at both locations, not from shore or beach. My experience is over 40 years ago, know the concepts, but no experience with a hi-performance cat. Unfortunatly, I would not rely on the parents to help. Want an easy cat to sail yet get two kids plus me sailing at at time. I would like to get the 13 year old sailing on his own in a couple of years (depending on parents permission and skill. I have wanted to do this for a long time and, if I can find the right boat, now is the time for them to learn and enjoy sailing.
A Prindle 19 would be a bit higher performance than it sounds like what you're looking for. It would get overpowered in moderate breeze, not to mention that it will be fairly complex to set up. Based on your size and the number of people you want to sail with, I would recommend either a Hobie 18 if you want a fiberglass boat that has good performance and load carrying ability or a Hobie Getaway if you want to go the rotomolded route and a more simplified design. A Hobie 16 is going to be too small for what you're looking to do, especially if there is anything more than a light breeze. The 16 just doesn't have the hull volume or trampoline space to carry three people comfortably.
I would also highly recommend you avoid dock/ramp launching if at all possible. These boats are much easier to launch from the beach (they don't sit well at a dock with the sails raised).
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Edited by Dogboy on May 01, 2014 - 10:30 AM.
Steve M.
+1 on what dogboy sayz, H18, P18 or the Getaway with the Hobie Getaway being the 1st choice, has indestructible roto-molded hulls, forward tramp, furling jib, boom-less sailplan, relatively easy to rig and sail, and can take those bumps and scrapes that will happen at concrete ramp launching. PM sent
R
+2 on the Hobie Getaway. I have sailed the Getaway many, many hours and had 6 kids at once on it with no worries. Front tramp is GREAT! Its easy to manage and rig and virtually indestructible. Spend your time sailing instead of rigging and fiddling. I just bought an H18, which I haven't sailed yet, but comparing the 2 boats, I would go with the Getaway to fulfill your goals. Once your 13 year old grandson (and maybe others too) falls in love with sailing, trade the Getaway for an H18 and fulfill his need for speed! Welcome back!
The whole key to your decision is how you will raise the mast. At your age & height, you might be able to throw up a 26' Hobie or Prindle 16 mast. No way on the 18's without a ginpole. Pete
prindle pete
Agree with Pete, the mast of any boat 18' and up is going to be your biggest challenge with no adult help. A rear stand that holds your mast 8'-9' in the air will help tons, when you climb up on the boat your mast will already be 20% raised while keeping kids in the clear - they can pin the forestay π
Make sure you get beach wheels too!
+3 on the Getaway, simple indestructible boat. Easy to rig, easy to sail, kids will love it. There are/were a couple for sale on sailboatlistings.com or something like that. HTH, Ricardo.
The Getaway was designed for exactly what you want to do. They are still a little more expensive since they are newer than most cheap cats, but will be a great fit for your needs. The Getaway is not a racing boat but still very quick compared to monohulls. The front tramp and wing seats options make for a great family boat even better.
Scott
Hobie 18M in Chicago
This getaway with wings looks nice......... took a while to find it tho π
http://www.thebeachcats.com/classifieds/catamarans-for-sale/p13393-2003-hobie-getaway.html
Looks nice to me. Why hasn't anyone bought it yet? 5m too small?