Should I buy this

[MisterSteve124]

I was at the lake near my house and this guy said he was selling his neighbors 1984 hobie 14 turbo. Apparently they only used it like twice and stored it in their barn and now it is in the way. He's selling it for 1250 with all new lines, a trailer and lessons. Me and my mom have sailed a sunfish many times and we sailed a windrider 2 once but me and my family will mostyly be using it. 2 adults and 2 children mostly sailing in just lakes. My question is if the boat looks like its in pretty good condition (we're going to look at it on saturday) should we buy it? Would it be a suitable boat? Here's a picture he sent us:

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/6242/hobiecat14turbooi2.jpg

[yipster]

great little boat but get some wetsuits too

[Chris Ostlind]

Hey Steve,

These are nice boats and a ton of fun for solo sailors or very light two man crew, but I think you will have it overloaded with two adults and two kids. The H14 is not known for its ability to handle a crowd. It's one of the reasons why it fell out of favor when one compares it to the H16. There were over 250,000 H16's made over the years and on the used market, they sell for less than this one and can carry more weight, safely.

Chris Ostlind

[MisterSteve124]

ok thats what i was thinking from looking at pictures but the guy said you could fit 4-5 people on it. I mean my family is pretty small, my dad is only 5' 6" and we probably only weigh 400lbs. Most of the time it would probably just be 2 or 3 of us but do you think it would be fine to have 4 every once in a while. Is it a matter of weight limit or just enough room?

[Chris Ostlind]

The hulls of the H14 are fairly slender and they just don't have enough buoyancy for that much crew weight. These boats were sailed successfully by solo adults or by a pair of teenagers who were learning to sail a beach cat.

The original boat did not have a jib. It was added later as a "turbo" kit to enhance performance.

Really, not trying to be cheesy about this, but you'll be much better off with an H16 and they can be had for a lot less than this guy is asking for the H14. There are more used parts on the market in case something breaks and it will trailer behind any car with the same ease.

Here's one example: '81 Hobie 16 -- Excellent condition for beginner. Yellow with rainbow sails. New, unused tramp and beach wheels. EZ mast raiser, comptip, galvanized trailer, toy-box. I am second owner, did some upgrades. Moving, so ALL accessories included. Fairfax, VA, $1200, 571-243-8696, nmahlandt@hotmail.com (VA)(Aug2)

This was from Catsailor.com's classifieds and was sitting fifth on the list. Another place for used cats like this is www.thebeachcats.com... and of course, eBay, Craig's list and a whole host of TV stations with classifieds in your area.

Take your time, there are plenty of deals out there waiting for you.

Chris

[MisterSteve124]

ok that makes sense ill think about it but the only problem is i have to find one thats within 50 miles max of my house. And the people that live around me aren't exactly looking just to get rid of stuff almost everybody trys to make money off stuff but i will look around like you said. And I'm going to look at it on saturday and test it out so if it doesn't fit the 4 of us well then we wont buy it. Thanks

[frosh]

The Hobie 14 is a great solo adult boat and goes very well as such. More weight on board will significantly downgrade the performance. It's your money but a Hobie 18 might even be a better choice as the 16 is not all that bouyant either for more than 2 adults.

[Delane]

Hello Steve,

Love the opportunity to chime in when a potential Cat sailor joins the scene. Agree with the info the others provided about the H14. The H16 is a great little boat and simple to operate as you don’t need to worry with dagger boards. A larger beach cat will give you better performance but not much more Tramp space for the entire family.

If and when you do purchase one, go over it with a fine tooth comb looking at the following. Shrouds should not have any large kinks or broken strands at the terminals. When rigged, ensure your clevis pin ring clips are taped in place to ensure they don’t work out. Trust me they will try and get snagged on everything. Be sure your Cat has a righting system that is in working order and that you understand the procedure. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take each of the kids out and deliberately flip the boat over with control and instruction as to where to fall to and so on. I taught Hobie sailing for a few years and this was an important factor in their training.

Many will say that Catamaran’s flip easily, but the real case is many amateurs don’t handle them effectively which induces flipping. Always hold on to the mainsheet when sailing in winds over 10 knots with the potential for gusts. This alone will keep you from flipping her. Put together a safety survival kit and bungee it to the tramp.

Get one of the Catamaran books and read it a few times, and swing over to one of the Cat forums as well. Put the kids on the Trapeze one at a time until they are comfortable and then crank up the speed a little and fly the hull. They will Love it. Also you can rehearse most everything to include trapezing on the beach or on the trailer. Be sure to use a Telo-Cat wind vane as they really help with Cat sailing. I would be happy to answer any other Catamaran questions you may have, as I’m only scratching the surface here.

Now go get that rush!

[MisterSteve124]

So how much weight would you say would overload it? Like if I had 300-400 lbs on it would it just go slower? Or would it cause damage to the boat/flip it easier? The guy that is selling it has like 8 sailboats so I don't think he would say that it would hold 4-5 people if it didn't, I realise it would go faster with 2 people compared to 4 but that would be fine by me because it would just be occasionally.

[timgoz]

Steve,

Unless he is a trusted friend do not put anything past someone as far as exagerating to make a sale goes. Having 8 boats means he probably sells and buys often. Beware untill you see & do it with your own eyes. Take along the max (4?) people he says it will hold and take her out. Then "you" will know what you are dealing with.

Do not let the thrill of seeing your potential boat cloud your judgement.

We had four average size fellows on a Hobie type 18ft cat and that was definetly the max. Fourteen is much smaller. Hold off if need be until you find a boat that truly fits your needs. If you plan alot of solo sailing, go for it. But if the family is going to be a real part of your boating, you need a bigger boat in my opinion.

Welcome to the forum. Good searching.

Tim

[MisterSteve124]

Yeah I am defenitly going to like walk around and feel the hulls to make sure they are in good shape and I will tell him to take us all out and if it looks like it isn't what i want then ill look for something bigger. If its overloaded then the hulls will just be under water too much right?

[Delane]

Steve,

Tacking and safely jibbing are the two most difficult things to do properly on a beach cat. The following are a few tips to accelerate your learning curve in these areas.

1. Sail to windward nearly as high as possible and with boat speed of at least 3 to 5 knots. The mainsheet traveler should be within 4 to 6 inches of center with a fair amount of pulled on. Also the jib track should be all the way in and sheeted fairly tight as well. This puts you in a very narrow slot. A little up and you stall and a little off and your too fast and healing dependant upon the wind speed.

2. Push the tiller over in a smooth steady and consistent fashion all the way to the other side. As your doing this, release the main sheet when your half way thru. This allows the boat to pivot better around the main thus thru the eye.
3. Next tell your crew to release or break the jib if you’ve crossed through the eye enough. Then sheet in as quickly as possible.
4. Lastly sheet in on the main only after you initially start moving forward a little on the jib. Don’t forget to straighten the tiller a little or a stalling effect will result.

Jibbing: This can be dangerous on all boats and especially beach cat’s if you’re not paying attention and or in a heavy blow. You can always tack around when going downwind if experience and or conditions warrant.

Broad Reaching is the best method for tacking downwind as you make up for the extra distance traveled by the added speed and it’s more fun when surfing waves. Your Telo-Cat should be 90 degrees to the boat in steady wind with the main traveler about half way between center and the end stop.

With best speed began your jibe and then turn around behind you facing the rear of the cross bar. At about the halfway point switch your hand around to the other side of the cross bar and with the free hand grab the main sheet and force it to the other side before the winds decides to do it for you. Try to jibe as quickly as possible to prevent loss of boat speed and be sure you and crew shift their weight to the other side to prevent flipping over or pitch poling.

This method reduces the amount of wind slamming the sail from the other side as you’re going closer to the wind speed as possible. It’s all about differential speed. Master these skills and you’ll be well on your way.

Side note: When you try out the boat, don’t pile everyone on board, family and seller. Two or three is plenty for the first go and two is better.

[Hobiestoke]

I had a Hobie 14 as my second boat as a kid, and if you want to go sailing recreationally you can easily fit 4 people on it, but you wont be going very fast at all. I can remember seeing the old Hobie promo films in the early
70's where they pile 6 guys on an H14 in heavy surf with stormlike winds to test the boat. Sail it by yourself for speed, The price doesnt sound all that unreasonable for a 14 turbo if the hulls have no soft spots, and the sails are in good shape. You could easily get an H16 or 18 for the same price and have a faster boat, but whatever you decide to get, keep in mind any hobie with aluminum and not black mast, boom and crossbeams is a 1970's hobie and really needs to be checked thourouhly for soft spots on the hulls so you dont end up buying an unsafe craft. If you are a beginner perhaps the 14 is the best way to go - I see lots of families at the lake getting rescued by the lake patrol when the wind kicks up and they realize an H16 is a bit too much boat for them to handle or right after they capsize...
Good luck to you!
Hobiestoke
www.geocities.com/proteus_catamaran

[waltm]

I've only been sailing cats for 3 seasons so this is a beginners opinion...

Look at the photo you posted. It looks to me like with one adult and 2 children (one on each side of the tramp) the windward hull is almost submerged. I don't think thats the way an asymmetric hulled boat likes to be sailed.

Think hard about what you want to do with the boat. If you are not going to mostly sail single handed a 14 might not be your best bet, especially for that amount of money.

Find out if there is a Hobie fleet in your area. The members would love to take you out on some of the other sizes of boats to try them out. Thats what my wife and I did when we were thinking of getting into this. I sailed on a 14, 16 and 18. We ended up buying an 18SX for the capacity, stable ride, resistance to pitch poling, ability to furl the jib if things get too rough, wing seats etc. It does have more strings to pull and other things to deal with (dagerboards) than a 16. With the help of fleet members we learned to sail and and have a ball with our new Hobie friends. I'm still not sure what I like more, the sailing or the cookouts after the sailing ;)

Cat sailing is a lot of fun. If the 14 isn't the right boat for you there are lots of others to be had for around the same money.

Good luck and have fun!

[MisterSteve124]

What do you guys think about storing a boat for the winter? Since the ones I'm looking at are fiberglass does it need to be inside the garage or is ok being outside? I live in PA and we can get a lot of the snow in the winter and the temps go down to atleast 25 so would the fiberglass be ok or would it have to be inside?

[waltm]

I guess its always better to store anything indoors. That being said, I live in RI and sail with people from Mass and CT. We all leave our boats (Hobies) outside year round. Most of us throw a tarp over the mast to make a tent. We just clean off the snow or remove the tarp before it snows so it doesn't leave the weight on the mast.

[MisterSteve124]

ok so as long as I take care of it (clean it off, cover it with a tarp) I shouldnt have problems like the fiberglass cracking?

[MisterSteve124]

Well that wasn't an actual picture of the boat, as I found out yesterday but we went and looked at it and the hulls were in perfect shape and the sail and trampoline had no holes in them. So we offered him 1100 for the boat and he accepted so we got ourselves a boat. Now my question is do I need to take the rudders off to take it home? I only live 14 miles away and he said he just bungees them down to keep them straight but for some reason I thought it was better to take them off.

[alan white]

Everyone seems to store their glass boat outside in the open. The biggest problems are usually bird ****, pitch, branches, and fading of the gelcoat pigment. It is therefore advisable to cover the boat with a well-tied tarp away from trees and consider a frame of some sort to prevent water or snow accumulating enough to damage the boat or the tarp. Look for hard spots where trailer (if any) bunks contact the hull, as glass boats "set" to hard shapes over time, distorting the hull. Support on a trailer should be designed for long-term storage as much as for roll-off and on and highway safety.
It is wise to remove rudder (s), board (s), and drop the mast and take all indoors along with the sails to discourage thievery too.

Alan

[alan white]

Well that wasn't an actual picture of the boat, as I found out yesterday but we went and looked at it and the hulls were in perfect shape and the sail and trampoline had no holes in them. So we offered him 1100 for the boat and he accepted so we got ourselves a boat. Now my question is do I need to take the rudders off to take it home? I only live 14 miles away and he said he just bungees them down to keep them straight but for some reason I thought it was better to take them off.

14 miles, just bungee them up so they can't possibly drop. Otherwise, you'll need tools for the bolts/nuts I think.
Cracking of gelcoat near stress points due to flex and/or expansion/contraction differential between gelcoat and glass layers can be accellerated by direct sunlight, but can only be slowed a bit by covering--- it will eventually happen anyway if it's going to. It helps to wax often and well.

[MisterSteve124]

We were just at pepboays to get stuff for the trailer and to get some hair pins for some to replace the little rings that hold stuff together and I saw the car covers they had and we got the biggest one and it fits the boat very nicely. This should protect it from the sun and water when its outside and me and my dad already used some polish to clean it up and we plan to do it a couple more times this week to get it lookin clean.

[waltm]

You might also be interested in the following forums for beachcat sailing info.

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beachcats/
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/index.php

[MisterSteve124]

thanks! I already registered at hobiecat.com but im still waiting approval. It's been like a week.

[Meanz Beanz]

I agree with the general comments about the Hobies. For my money they are too low buoyancy and prone to nose dives when it gets windy. You have to ask yourself exactly what you are going to do with it. If the answer is puddle about in light winds (< 12 knots) then you will probably be quite happy but once the wind kicks in you are talking about a very different beast.

If you are set on a Hobie before you buy it stand behind it on the trailer in one corner and lift it up. You are looking for twist, slack in the boats "frame work" of beams and pillars. A good boat will be stiff, a boat that has been hard sailed and not maintained will twist. This can be fixed by pulling the boat down and resetting the joints in epoxy but its all work. Bottom line is if the boat has had little use it should be stiff.

Also check under the hulls for excessive wear, being beachable the hulls (although very solid on the bottom), can be damaged significantly. This becomes more of a hassle to fix up depending on your skills.

Cheers
MBz

Edit: Looks like you have bought it and I am a tad late chiming in! :)