A bottom job shouldn't be that big a deal. It is worth doing though. I have hull covers for mine that hold moisture for a couple of hours after a rain...

Try sanding and buffing before re-spraying. A lot of oxidation will come off without needing to add gelcoat.

If you take the mast into about 3 feet of water and completely submerge it, you will see where the leaks are. Only submerge the mast (not attached to ...

When it comes the hobies and Nacras, I am Nacra biased. The Nacra 5.0 is also supposed to be one of the most versatile of the Nacra fleet. For me, it ...

Is there room to add spreaders and diamonds? This would let you straighten the mast and give it extra support to prevent it from returning to the prev...

They make those sheeves in aluminum too. I switched to amsteel for my halyard after an on-water problem forced me to use the halyard to hold the sa...

As the wind gets heavier, the mast rotation is limited to take power out of the rig. It is usually adjusted anywhere from rotating freely to pointing ...

I have sailed the classic Tornado rig, but not a Panther Craft. The Tornado was a very tightly controlled design and 95% of everything on the boat sho...

I can see where Eddie is coming from. I bought my Nacra when I lived in Michigan. There is a great Nacra dealer and a fleet of 5.5 unis. Since then I ...

Enjoy the 5.2 Bob. They are a nice boat.

The Nacra 6.0 is a beast. I considered buying one since you can pick them up pretty cheap, but it is just too much boat for my wife and I to handle.

That sucks Steve. Damn vultures everywhere.

Bob, Are you looking at wings for comfort or performance? If the wings are just there to give you extra width on the trap, just get a wider boat. ...

I am still learning what is the right rake for different conditions on my boat. Unfortunately I learned a couple of weeks ago that too much rake is pr...

Hi Bob, I'm not really familiar with California or ocean sailing. I grew up on the great lakes and am limited to a 30,000 acre lake in Texas. Most ...

1/2 a mil....I'll give you lots of bad advice for a lot less.

Hi Bob, If you are considering a 5.5 I would go with the Uni and convert it to an SL if you feel the need. I don't think the carbon mast is class l...

Glad to hear that it is getting easier. Sail up should be easy until you go to pull the ring over the hook. At that point I wrap the halyard around...

Extrasport vests work well with a harness. They used to make a vest similar to the Genoa (but shorter) with an off-center zipper that doesn't interfer...

Hi Pierre, Any dirt will cause the sail to bind in the track. I use sailkote on the track and sail, but there was another product mentioned by Andr...

This can be pretty tricky. Make sure that your track and sail are clean and lubricated. Check to make sure that the right knot was used to tie the ...

I am biased toward the Nacra. I have the Nacra 5.5 Uni and love it. Boat setup takes a while to figure out (diamond wire tension and mast rake are ...

wmsteve: I have trouble lernnin' since I left skule. In Texas you definitely need to conceal. I would go S&W .50 if you can manage to conceal a ca...

If you can get through the tack clean, it will be faster than if you backwind the jib. You can release the jib a little early and wait until the bows ...

Flipped bow over stern on a rogue wave in Lake Michigan surf. Last words before the wave hit were 'this isn't going to be good'. I had a rookie with m...

Andrew: If you want something done right you have to do it yourself. Glad the boat didn't take off on you.

Alright Steve: To my knowledge ('knowlage'), the local spot that I sail from (Hobie Point on Lake Lewisville Texas) has the following answers to yo...

If you are sailing without a jib, you have to make sure that you let out more main traveller and sheet.

Sailing without a jib requires a different tacking technique. It isn't that much harder once you get used to it.

15 mph works out to 4 on the Beaufort scale. In these conditions, the ratings are slightly different. Hobie 16 --- 74.1 Nacra 5.0 --- 76.2 Prind...