Hobie Cat

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by Snubber, Feb 7, 2006.

  1. Snubber
    Joined: Feb 2006
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    Location: Denver, Colorado

    Snubber New Member

    As a student at the University of Colorado, my funds are limited. I am aware of all the storage and maintanence costs, my question is: What should one expect to pay for a used Hobie Cat in good condition?

    Any information would be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. Markojones
    Joined: Feb 2006
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    Location: Vancouver, BC, Cnd

    Markojones New Member

    Finding a used Hobie can be a disaster or great find. A disaster comes from paying any amount for a Hobie that is more frustrating to sail.
    A good start is to source a local Hobie dealer and ask what Hobie fleet is in the area. Get a contact name of the Fleet commodore. Call this person and ask for the names of people that are selling their Hobies and worth buying. Hobie Fleets consist of racers and casual sailors that upgrade to newer boats every 5 years to be competitive in the circuit. A 2000 model will cost $5000 roughly.
    If you plan on spending $1000 US (circa 1983), you will have to be careful taking note of the following. The three most expensive repairs are: Hulls,$2000, Mast $700, Tramp $350

    Hull Delimination. Press down hard on the hull deck in front of the post. It should be rock hard. Continue up the hull to the front and press/feel for any soft depressions. Do the same for the other hull. Some people wrap their knuckles on the hull creating a drum sound then listen for changes as they work up the hull. Some hulls have this invisible problem and I recommend to stay away if there is any delamination.

    Mast: Look up the mast and ensure it is not bent. If it is, the boat will sail great on one tack and poorly on the other.

    Tramp: If the tramp has chaffing such that fibers are beginning to show, the UV has begun to break apart the vinyl. There is nothing you can do. One day you will go right through the tramp.

    FINAL Check the sail for rips etc. They are repairable. Look at the stitching over the entire sail. If you see the threads beginning to pull out of the sail, then the threads are breaking down and the panels will soon come apart. People that use detergents to clean the sail enhance the breakdown of threads. Never use anything but Sail Cleaner.
     
  3. Snubber
    Joined: Feb 2006
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    Location: Denver, Colorado

    Snubber New Member

    Thank you for the thorough response. It is good to be aware of the major damage areas to the boat. Also, I was surprised to learn that $1000 will buy you a Hobie circa 1983, the year I was born. With maintenence costs and storage fee's, I may have to hold off on the boat until I am out of school.

    Thanks again.
     
  4. yipster
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    Location: netherlands

    yipster designer

    and include cost for a wetsuit :D
     
  5. Seafarer24
    Joined: May 2005
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    Location: Tampa Bay

    Seafarer24 Sunset Chaser

    www.catsailor.com would be a better resource for the information you're looking at.

    That being said I would like to make a few points:
    1) The Hobie 16 is probably the best bang-for-you-buck catamaran out there.
    2) I can't stand Hobie 16s. The hulls are low-volume and the platform has too many joints to ever be stiff.

    My first boat was a Hobie 16, and I sold it after about 6 months to get a G-Cat 5.7M (18'8"). If you can find a G-Cat in your price range, they are an excellent craft if you're not racing one-design (or not racing at all). They are as fast as their contemporaries, but not generally as fast as what's come out in the past couple years. They are built like tanks though, super easy to rig and sail, can hold a lot of weight and due to twin trampolines have the space to hold it.

    If you expect to be sailing solo, google the Mystere 4.3 . It has a pretty good following on its own and falls under the Formula 14 box-rule. Main, r/f Jib, and Spinnaker on a 14' boat equates to big smiles!
     
  6. mattotoole
    Joined: Nov 2004
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    Location: Potomac MD, USA

    mattotoole Senior Member


    I raced Hobie 16s for awhile, including some nationals and a worlds. For the most part I agree with you. It's not a great boat. It has all those problems and then some. But it's still the most popular cat class, so it's where the action is. Used Hobie 16s are some of the cheapest small sailboats available, in part because of their popularity. Even here in Appalachia there are several around my neighborhood. Another advantage is the board-less design, which doesn't point well, but it's great for shallow water, and sailing off a beach.

    I actually like the Hobie 18 a lot. It's more expensive than the 16, but still relatively cheap. It sails better in every way, with fewer quirks. While livelier, it's actually easier to handle.

    The G-cat is a *great* boat, probably the best boardless design. Unfortunately there aren't many around.

    There are a lot of old NACRA 5.2 and 5.8 around for reasonable prices, and these are great boats too.

    Whatever you do, avoid the Hobie 14. If you're stuck with one, the optional jib makes tacking a lot easier.
     
  7. Seafarer24
    Joined: May 2005
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    Location: Tampa Bay

    Seafarer24 Sunset Chaser

    Well, Formula-14 version of the Hobie 14 is one of the top competitors in it's class, beating even the Mystere 4.3s boat-for-boat at Spring Fever.

    There are, of course, many factors which contribute to this success:
    Bob Curry was sailing one of them.
    Reacher instead of spinnaker allowed the sail to be carried almost all day, upwind and down (One of the F14s paced an I20 upwind in the light airs)
    Brand new sails

    [​IMG]

    I have a Hobie 14 sitting around... I've been considering going this route just to have something to race solo. I also have plans for the Quattro 14, and have been to the drawing board for a full-bore 14' racing machine of my own design...

    Then there is the Alpha Omega F14 which is... well... amazing! I'll try to find pictures of this elusive Australian machine. The designer/owner/builder races it against 18' boats because he beats all the 14-16' boats on the course!
     
  8. mattotoole
    Joined: Nov 2004
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    Location: Potomac MD, USA

    mattotoole Senior Member

    What's that, about six grand worth of rig on $600 worth of old Hobie? I love it...
     
  9. Seafarer24
    Joined: May 2005
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    Location: Tampa Bay

    Seafarer24 Sunset Chaser

    No, not nearly $6000 worth of rig. Mainsail and Reacher are each around $700 (averaging quotes from 4 major sail lofts). Spinnaker pole is an old windsurfer mast (free), and the small furler and associated parts are also rather inexpensive. Maybe $2000 of parts on a very cheap boat. My particular H14T was free- just an abandoned boat I picked up. The rig can always be transplanted onto a better platform....
     

  10. outsidersails
    Joined: Oct 2012
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    Location: brussels

    outsidersails New Member

    Hi, I also want to modify my old HC14, how long is the gennaker pole?thx,fred
     
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