I would be very embarrased to own/sail that boat! For the more experienced cat sailing guys, I'm sure its not a terribly inspiring project/design. H...

We had a mixed bag of wind at Tradewinds last year. Generally light and shifty, but all said that it was rare occurrence.

Sam - you da man! Awesome write-up (for others, you can find it on the USF18.com site as well). It's saying something when so much goes against y...

If it was me, I'd grind out any questionable material and then fill it with glass filled polyester resin and then re-drill it. An alternative would b...

For some reason, the pics don't load for me, but I have interest - depending on how they're constructed.

Not sure about the GCat setup, but as a general rule, I don't rely on the rudder kickup except in case of emergency. When I come in or go out through...

Anyone tried Rain-X or something similar to keep them from getting totally spotted up? When I get back from a day of sailing I'm usually shocked at h...

BTW - the older boats are in the flat part of the depreciation curve. After a year or two, you can probably sell it for close to what you have in it...

Yes - 'tis true. It makes the most sense on a boat with a self-tacking jib, but I can see it being used in other cases as the jib is often set and fo...

As a fairly new F18 sailor (started with an H18), I'm slowly transitioning to crew sheeting when the breeze is up. Hard to break my old habits, but I...

No Higgins for me this year. I got a biz trip that weekend. 🙁

Cesar- I had the same issues when sailing the H18 (and still do to some degree on the F18). Its really tough to know what gives the best VMG. I'd gue...

I inherited a setup with spliced loops reinforced with a cover up top and small (3/8" ID) thimbles spliced in at the bottom. T-handle load is taken u...

When you're ready to tack: 1) Get some speed going into it. 2) Release the mainsheet a couple feet as you come head-to-wind. Don't sheet in until you...

That red I20 gets around. Saw it at Tradewinds last January sailed by a fellow Michigander. Beautiful boat - the airbrush work on the sides was prob...

Now we know where Hobie got their ideas for the spray rails on the wildcat 😛

I used a disposable Preval sprayer for the gel coat on my boards. Worked great. I thinned with acetone (others have cautioned against this), but had...

I like the driving range versus playing golf analogy. In very simplest terms it gives you a way of measuring your ability and your progress to become...

Found the article. Very informative.

I started with an H18 about 4 years ago, and just purchased a used F18 (C2) last December. The C2 is for travel racing with CRAM (and maybe Sarasota ...

+1 on the Tiger. Your son will love it 🙂 . Don't forget to let him take the tiller! Single-handing one would be limited to the light stuff (prob...

My 2 pennies: I would put 2-3 down the top 3rd of the leach so you can verify lee side flow attachment. If the sail is translucent enough, you can p...

Regarding the CRAM regatta, as of this morning we have 5 F18 1 F18HT 1 F16 2 A-Class I'm expecting at least 2 more F18s a couple more A's and a few o...

I think you have the basics covered. Noticed the registration in PA and assume you're there as well. There is a large and active Hobie fleet up ...

I have an '88 and absolutely love it. Its still in near-new condition. Biggest factor is how well it's been treated. In addition to what Robpatt sai...

Zach - you have a point. I was thinking about that - no electrolyte to complete the electrical circuit except perhaps when it rains and the remaining...

Like it too. Is it reading kph or kts??

5.0 has skegs built into the hulls and a loose footed main (no boom), the 5.2 has dagger boards and a boom (and thus a gooseneck). I think it would b...