sailing

[icr]

I know a few people on here sail, maybe you can offer some insight.

I'm just getting into sailing, I bought a sunflower last summer and had a blast cruising it around the local lakes...I'm hoping to get a hobie cat for next summer. So far I'm self taught from a few how-to books and trial/error (yes, i've rolled more times than I care to admit).

So my question is how did you guys learn? Someday I'd like to sail in blue water...are they any schools you can recommend? Any books that would be a good read in the meantime?

Feel free to add pics of your boats, and what you like/dislike about them.


Thanks!

 

[Q-BALL]

To bad you didn't throw this up in early oct. while my bro. was here visiting from maui,great sailor with 25 yr.+ experience. i know he learned to sail out of Seward in the early 80's and a couple yrs. later bought and sailed his vessel from seward to maui.there is an american sailing assoc. accredited sailing academy there,you can find it at (sailing inc.com). I know he always said the most important thing to learn on sailing was understanding the wind. a great training tool he kept on board can be purchased from (sailingthewind.com). good luck on your adventures,saw yours on the boating thread,looks like fun out at harding/birch lakes.

 

[xrated]

dude that sounds fun!!!!

Don't sail(i want to) but I know a few guys. Course I'm not sure how my bud learned, but I know that until he could afford his own boat, he "worked" other peoples, especially for ragatas and races. Seems people are always looking for help. Often times in return for all his "work" the owners would let him take the boat out a few times.

Agian, not sure, but I bet if you started asking around the marina you could find guys who are willing to teach you how to sail, in exchange for "work"

 

[BigAl]

The best advise they gave me when I started sailing was "when in doubt, leave it out."

 

[Jeff C]

I have a 16' Hobie cat, and have been sailing for 20 years.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.

Just got the Hobie last year, coming from a 20' scow. This jib thing is quite the experience getting used to.


In a good wind, the Hobie is "Explosive" to say the least. It is so light, that when you get a gust of wind, it reacts almost immediately.


Very fun, I wish I got the hobie 10 years ago.

You dont need to spend alot of money getting one either. I bought a used one for $600, and spent another $200 on epoxy freshening up the wear spots on the hulls.

a 20 mph wind on a hobie cat, sailing solo is an exhiliarating experience

 

[icr]

I have a 16' Hobie cat, and have been sailing for 20 years.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.

What's a good year/length to look for? I'd like to be able to take a passenger as well.

 

[JDKZRT]

What's a good year/length to look for? I'd like to be able to take a passenger as well.

As Jeff says --- Hobie 16 --- pretty much the most fun you can have with a bathing suit on.
They've been making them for close to 40 yrs without many changes, so the year isn't important.... just make sure the hulls and sails are good (no soft spots in the glass or un-repaired rips or wear spots in the sails).
Can haul a passenger (or 2) without too much trouble.... and can be righted after a flip if you're a strong swimmer and weight 210 or 220 lbs. .... so you can go out by yourself if it's not too windy.
I've had one for 25 yrs.
If you haven't sailed before, I'd highly recommend that you take someone out with some Cat experience to give you a few lessons..... then go for it!

 

[icr]

can be righted after a flip if you're a strong swimmer and weight 210 or 220 lbs. .

I'm about 40lbs shy of that mark...would a 14 be easier to right? I do sail solo frequently

 

[Jeff C]

Naaa, dont go with a 14.

I sail my 16 alone alot, and in high wind as well. That is the excitement

People on our lake that have the 14's tell me that they wished they would have bought the 16. a bit more hull for passengers


I bought my 16 before I knew what to look for in the hull etc.

My mast does not have the comp tip on it. Make sure you ask for that. The comp tip is an insert on the last 2 feet of tha mast that hobie retrofitted back in the day so there was foam in end of the mast to make it right easier. It was also installed (It is fiberglass) to reduce the chance of electrocution if it hit an overhead wire

 

[rp7x]

beach cats

my wife and i race our nacra 6.0 look on you tube sail boats do rock good luck

 

[akpowrider]

icr, I have been sailing all my life (doesn't mean shat though) and have a boat in Whittier. Feel free to contact me if you ever want to go out. In May, I stay on the boat and ride above Whittier (double days kick a$$). It stays in the water year round, but I don't go out until April. I check it weekly on my way to turny.
I grew up sailing sunfishes, lasers and windsurfing. If you dream of cruising in the future, sailing smaller boats is a really good idea. It will teach you how to read the wind better than a larger displacement boat will.

 

[V-Man]

I had a Hobie 16 for 6 years. Awesome fun boat and easy to handle. I learned by trial and error. Flipping it is half the fun. If you're flying hulls, your're getting wet. The 16 is just right. 18 is kind of big, and 14 is kind of small. I'd love to have a 17 with wings, but they start getting pricey.

My mast does not have the comp tip on it. Make sure you ask for that. The comp tip is an insert on the last 2 feet of tha mast that hobie retrofitted back in the day so there was foam in end of the mast to make it right easier. It was also installed (It is fiberglass) to reduce the chance of electrocution if it hit an overhead wire

Regarding comp tip, I would make sure it was factory original if it has one. I had mine retrofitted and it was never the same. We could never get it sealed well enough, so when the tip was in the water it actually took in water and made it harder to right. Then once you got it back up, you got dripped on for ever. Biggest mistake we made, but we started racing and they wanted them on all boats.

As mentioned earlier, just look for one in descent shape, age doesn't matter. You can save a lot of money if you find a dirty one that is structurally sound and just clean it up. If they didn't care for it enough to keep it clean, then they probably will let it got at a good price. Just make sure the sails look good and the tramp isn't deteriorated and ripping.

 

[Greg B.]

sailing is a good time. A nice sail boat will attract a lot more attention than any hopped power boat out there. Its not hard once you get the basics figured out. The best way to learn is to get out there and do it. You can read all you want but if you don't get out on the water you will never figure it out. I grew up on a sail boat and could sail my parents 30 foot o'day easily by the time I was 12. There was nothing better than shooting across the Great lakes of MI at 7 knots on a nice sunny day. I here are some tips. have your lines secured and neat. loose lines are never good and tangled lines can be a disaster. Know what line dose what. Use the lines with the colored strands in them. it will take the guess work out things when you set up a color code. Keep your boat clean and in good working order. This will make the operation and the experience go easily and smoothly. There is nothing worse than a wore winch or a main sail that sticks because the owner did not do proper maintenance. Inspect the seems on your sails all the time. the stitching will wear over time. If you keep up on them you can restitch them yourself before it becomes a problem. If you don't they will tear and cause you lots of problems and money. When coming about don't just go ripping lines as soon as possible. Watch the sail, it will tell you when its ready to be pulled over. If you go ripping lines right off the bat the sail will drag on the mast cables, which will wear out the sail quickly and tear it. Always point the boat into the wind when raising and lowering sails. have a good winch handle and easy to get at. Our boat's sails had a "window" on them with 2 colored threads. when the threads were both horizontal and even spacing you knew you had the sail trimmed correctly. If you get caught in a vicious storm, point that baby into the wind and ride it out. don't fight the storm, its more powerful than your boat ever will be. Tape all of your cotter pins so you don't catch a hand on it and rip it open. Have your mast cables tensioned properly. If they are not set right they will "clank" up against the mast. Its annoying as hell having to hear clank, clank, clank every time the wind blows. Use the boom stops. they are there for a reason and will not hurt performance. Nothing worse than boom flopping around for no reason. Its annoying and dangerous. Don't sail into marinas, it pisses people off unless it is your only source of power. Take pictures as soon as you get your boat from the dealer and get it set correctly. this will help in the spring when you go to re rig it after the winter. thats all i can think of right now.

 

[Greg B.]

get this book.. tons and tons of knowledge in here..

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...ue&storeNum=5004&subdeptNum=16&classNum=12500

If that link does not work its called chapman piloting and seamanship

 

[JDKZRT]

Naaa, dont go with a 14.


People on our lake that have the 14's tell me that they wished they would have bought the 16. a bit more hull for passengers

Exactly, and in addition to more passengers.... the other thing about a 16 is that with the jib, you can sail way, way higher into the wind and way, way faster downwind.
I often wish I had an 18.... that's the ultimate Hobie....even with the daggers.

 

[icr]

icr, I have been sailing all my life (doesn't mean shat though) and have a boat in Whittier. Feel free to contact me if you ever want to go out. In May, I stay on the boat and ride above Whittier (double days kick a$$). It stays in the water year round, but I don't go out until April. I check it weekly on my way to turny.
I grew up sailing sunfishes, lasers and windsurfing. If you dream of cruising in the future, sailing smaller boats is a really good idea. It will teach you how to read the wind better than a larger displacement boat will.

You had better be serious on your offer...because I'll take you up on it first chance I get!

What does it take to keep a boat year round in AK? Do you shovel it constantly? What prep work/maintenance do you do for winter? Is the hull insulated to deal with the cold water?

I'm definitely learning on small boats because anything bigger is rediculous in the lakes up here, but once I move to the coast I want to get a bigger boat (about 25', I think)

 

[akpowrider]

pm'ed you