pbekkerh Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 Hello I see a lot of talk about Hobie 14s in Australia and wonder if they are bought/sailed by adults or bought for their children. Here in Denmark there are almost no Hobie 14s, adults are sailing minimum 16s, I have a FxOne which is 17 and a one person boat but can be used by two. I'm interested because I'm thinking of, at some time, buying a cat and make a long trip somewhere along the Australian coast (or in the Tuamotus in Polynesia :-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyquoll Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 Hobie 14s are sailed by adults, usually one-up. As the hulls aren't particularly buoyant, I'd guess a passenger weight upto 100kg would be suitable. In 1983, my High School rented a fleet of Hobie 14s for us teenagers to sail 2-up. The flotation and speed was all fine, our inexperience and their difficulty in turning not so good. After the amount of damage we caused one windy day, we weren't allowed back there, and were sent off windsurfing instead. These days there are lots of Hobie14s rotting away in backyards and can be bought very cheaply ( While I strongly support 14'cats as great boats, for a long off-shore voyage the Hobie 16 would be better. I know of solo trips of a few hundred km that have been done on Hobie 16. Hull delamination from the repeated impact force of stay-wires yanking tight as the boat bounces over waves was an issue, which ended one long voyage. See related posts: http://catsailor.net/forums/showthread.php?599-350-Km-sail-on-14ft-Caper-advice http://catsailor.net/forums/showthread.php?510-Sydney-to-Melbourne-by-14ft-Cat http://catsailor.net/forums/showthread.php?419-sydney-to-hobart-H\tiger&highlight=offshore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sando Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Good advice TQ but as a previous owner of a Hobie 16 I would say they are overpowered for single handed off-shore voyages and a Hobie 17 as a cat rigged may be a better option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remo Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Sando, the Hobie 17 is always the best option!! Great boat- the best! (not just cause i own one..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darcy1945 Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 Years ago whilst sailing a 14' Windrush on Morton Bay I had a shackle break on a sidestay, I was able to re rig the boat on the water, anything bigger would have been impossible. If you don't weigh over 90kg, a 14 would be my choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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