Does Oppo Hobie Cat?

"cbell04" (cbell04)
06/21/2016 at 12:41 • Filed to: Hobie Cat

It’s an older one and has sat in the woods partially covered for the last 6-8 years but some new ropes should get her ship shape. The Pops bought this 10-15 years ago only problem was we had zero sailing experience. A couple wind powered trips to the middle of the lake followed by paddling back and we finally figured out the basics. Going to be a rusty restart but looking forward to it.

DISCUSSION (20)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 12:47

Ooooh. Back when I was a pre-teen we had a Hobie Cat t-shirt at my house, so I’ve known about them nearly forever, but pretty much never seen one.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 12:59

fun! I love small, semi-fast sailboats. something that if you flub it badly no one dies and you don’t need a recovery vessel ;)

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:02

I sailed my buddy's as a youth.

cbell04 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
06/21/2016 at 13:06

You have all the correct credentials you are now my sailing instructor.

cbell04 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
06/21/2016 at 13:07

Agreed always been a motor boater myself but looking forward to round 2 of attempted sailing.

cbell04 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
06/21/2016 at 13:07

Ever get it up on one pontoon? It’s a rush.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:12

That cat’s got enough sail that it can get hairy if you don’t know what you’re doing and the wind kicks up... just remember to be ready to let it go if you need to. Sheet line out, hand off rudder, let it flop and luff, sort out the rope tangles later.

a little quick refresher...

http://www.lovesailing.net/sailing-theory…

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:13

I have actually sailed a wee little fiberglass sailboat, just not a cat, Hobie or otherwise.

Jonathan Harper > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:27

Oh yes I Hobie Cat. I have a Wave 16 I use almost every weekend.

Jonathan Harper > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:28

it’s THE BEST! Like a wheelie, but with less chance of road-rash.

Jonathan Harper > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:29

When I started sailing mine I had no idea what I was doing. Now I use the jib when the wind’s good and it’s the fastest boat on my non-motor lake.

TheRealBicycleBuck > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:29

I learned to sail on a Hobie 16. The first time out I was put in a diaper and hung on the trapeze. The captain wasn’t prepared for the gust of wind once we cleared the point, so we started flying. I had no idea what was happening, so I just stood there like an idiot. The captain couldn’t get the main sheet out of the cleat and he got a little panicky. While he was trying to turn us into the wind, he was also trying to scoot backwards over the upwind pontoon to provide a little more ballast on that side. We ended up nearly vertical with me still standing there on the side and him lying on his back over the side.

That’s when the wind died.

When we dropped back into the water the captain went overboard, head first. It was a mixed blessing when the main sheet wrapped around his foot. On one hand, he was still attached to the boat. On the other hand, the wind had picked up again and he was being dragged behind the boat like a terrible skier who refused to let go of the rope.

When he managed to get his head above water, he would scream “turn it into the wind!” The rest of the time, all I could hear was the burbles and shouts of a man drowning.

I suppose he should have taught me a bit more before getting us under sail. It was fortunate that I was a fairly bright kid and it didn’t take too long to figure out how to get myself out of the trapeze, how to retrieve a lost tiller, and how to get us turned into the wind before we ran aground.

In one moment we went from having a nice sail to holy crap. Over the next few minutes we nearly went turtle, nearly drowned someone, and nearly ran ashore. We were fortunate that the only casualty was a lost pair of Ray-Bans.

And that, my friends, was my introduction to sailing.

Chteelers > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 13:38

Flipped one in Jamaica trying to fly it. Of course, I was intentionally hiking out to leeward in gusty breeze cause I was determined to get it up. The wind won and I went swimming. Scared me for a second cause I fell through all the lines and was worry about getting entangled. But I swam down and around. Even righted it myself, which I’d never done before. The rope on the bottom made it surprisingly easy. Would love to try it again in more steady wind. The Flying Scots I sail are much more forgiving in choppy weather.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chteelers
06/21/2016 at 14:01

Were you using a jib? Once I learned to sail, one of my big fears was flying the trapeze into the cheese slicer. I did get thrown into it once, but I did as I was told and jumped. I almost cleared it, but not quite. I only had small scrapes on my leg. My weight nosed the cat over the front. We had a hell of a time righting it because the mast got stuck in the mud.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 14:13

Yeah. Cat sailing in general is a blast

Chteelers > TheRealBicycleBuck
06/21/2016 at 14:20

Single sail for the tourists on the resort. It was a little weird to have so much sail for such a short hull though. And with no jib, it felt more like being pushed than pulled through the water. I think it would have been much easier to control with an extra 4 feet or so. On second thought, it was probably too stable, which is why I had to do everything wrong to get the hull out of the water. And since I was on the wrong side, I couldn’t catch it when the gust hit. Glad I didn’t bury the mast. Didn’t even think about that. The water wasn’t super deep, so it was probably close cause it went full turtle.

Diesel Panda > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 19:38

I want one so badly!!!!

http://www.x-cat.com/en/x-cat-sail

cbell04 > Diesel Panda
06/21/2016 at 19:47

Kinja'd!!!

Looks light years ahead of ours. This is more my style. One on the left is the last boat I owned. Missing it..

facw > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 20:38

I’d like to. They are fun boats.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > cbell04
06/21/2016 at 21:27

lots of fun. wear a lifejacket. when in doubt, let it out (line)