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(Redirected from Hobie Cat)
A 'Hobie Cat' is one of several small catamarans. Compared to other small sailboats, Hobie Cats are appealing because they offer high performance at a relatively low cost.
In 1967, Hobie designed the Hobie 14 Catamaran. Hobie wanted to make a boat that you could easily launch into the surf from the beach, sail, and bring back through the surf. In 1969 Hobie released the Hobie 16, the most popular catamaran ever and the most competitive catamaran class in the world. Over 100,000 Hobie Cats are sailing around the world.
The boats are considered by many to be overpowered by design due to their light weight, efficient hull design, and large sail area. On the other hand, many seek out the Hobie 16 for precisely these reasons. They can reach high speeds over 17 knots (20 miles per hour) due to efficiency gained from "flying" a hull. When flying, one of the boat's hulls is lifted out of the water due to the angle of the boat. As well as reducing drag from the water, this also takes advantage of the hulls' asymetric design, each hull being shaped to provide a sideways upwind force. With both hulls down, the hulls' sideways forces cancel each other out. The Hobie 16 is surprisingly stable when flying a hull as increasing tilt causes wind to spill from the top of the sail, thus reducing turning moment. Conversely, reduced tilt results in a more vertical sail, thus increasing turning moment; so the boat is self-stabilizing to some degree when flying a hull.
Catamarans are inherently more stable than monohulls but some Hobie cats such as the 16 and 14 have hull designs that don't have a lot of buoyancy in the bows which results in some spectacular pitchpoles. Most frequently a capsized boat will lie sideways with the sail and mast floating. The hollow aluminum mast is designed to be sufficiently buoyant to hold the boat at 90 degrees from vertical even under extreme conditions. But if the mast leaks, the boat may "turtle" (turn completely upside-down).
Righting a Hobie is a required skill in high winds. Righting is the technique used to lift the boat such that it is ready to sail again. If one imagines a small catamaran sail boat lying on its side, one hull will be floating at the water line and the other hull will be supported about 8 ft above the water. By casting a line over the top hull, standing on the lower hull, and pulling, the sailor can pull the Hobie back into position to continue sailing. This task is easier if the sailors first rotate the bows into the wind by moving their weight forward; the wind can then help lift the sail from the water. Righting is more difficult when there is no wind to help, or if waves are large. Most racing Hobies have a permanently fitted righting-line under the trampoline, held out of the way when not in use by a system of pulleys and bungee cord.
To counteract their tendency to capsize, sailors have the opportunity to use a "trapeze" system whereby they wear a harness and attach themselves to cables suspended from the mast. Thus suspended, the sailor places his/her feet on the edge of the boat and sits out over the water, providing more torque to hold the boat down. When the sailor's body is parallel to the water, they are providing maximum torque.
It is possible to sail a Hobie 16 (at very low speed) without even hoisting a sail, relying only on the shape of the mast for propulsion.
The Hobie 16 is one of the few small sailing boats that can be rolled end-over-end.
Hobie cat rudders (one per hull) protrude quite some way below the hulls. To prevent damage from the bottom or underwater objects, they have a spring-release mechanism that allows them to snap to a horizontal position. Hobie cats draw very little water and can sail in as little as 4 inches of water when lightly loaded and with the rudders up.
Different catamaran models range from 10 feet in length to 21 feet, and beams range from 6.8 feet to 8.5 feet, mast heights range from 20 to 33 feet.
This series of boats is created of rotomolded plastic and is intended for casual and new sailors.
The Bravo is the smallest Hobie sailboat at 12' and is intended for one person but can carry two. The relatively narrow beam (53") compared to its 19' mast leads to considerable ''heeling'', or tipping of the boat compared to other catamarans. The Bravo has the distinction of being able to furl its sail around the mast.
The Wave is intended for one to four passengers, but is easily handled by one with its 13' length, 7' beam, and 20' mast. The Wave was designed by the Morelli/Melvin Engineering firm, and has proved to be extremely popular with beach resorts and rental operations. It is often praised for being rugged and easy to sail. While described as slow and underpowered by catamaran standards, it has a Portsmouth yardstick similar to a Laser (dinghy) that is often considered to be a performance dinghy. Although marketed as a recreational sailboat, an owner-controlled racing class has organized and held regattas since 1998.
The Getaway is marketed as a "social boat" and is designed with room for up to 6 people, more than Hobie Cat's other boats. The boat has a trampoline both forward and aft of the mast, and is the only rotomolded Hobie to come stock with a jib and have an available trapeze. At 16'7", the Getaway is the same length as the Hobie 16; the beam is 7'8" and the mast is 25' tall.
The Hobie 14 was the original catamaran designed by Hobie Alter. The general shape and design of the boat is very similar to the later Hobie 16. They share many of the same parts; with the sails down, they are hard to tell apart without a tape measure. The 14 was originally designed to be sailed as a unirig with just a main sail. It is possible to convert a standard 14 into a Hobie 14 "Turbo", also known as the JT14, by adding a jib, trapeze and dolphin striker. No longer manufactured by Hobie North America, the Hobie 14 is still produced in limited numbers by Hobie Europe.
===Hobie 16===
''See Also Separate Wikipedia Entry: Hobie 16''
The 16 is the most popular Hobie Cat, both for recreational purposes and as a one-design racer. The boat is 16'7" long, 7'11" wide, and has a mast 26'6" tall, but only weighs 320 pounds. As with the 14, it is intended to be sailed from the beach through the surf, and to be surfed back in on the waves to the beach. Instead of daggerboards or centerboards, the 16 has asymmetrical hulls which act like foils and keep the boat from ''crabbing'', or slipping sideways from the force of the wind. Both jib and main sails are fully battened and total 218 square feet. A trapeze is usually used by the crew (and skipper too in higher winds) to keep the boat from heeling too much.
One notable flaw is the tendency for the boat to 'pitchpole' when running downwind; the sail plan and distribution of the flotation of the hulls is such that it can push the bows down far enough to dip them under the water, stopping the front of the boat and leading to a cartwheel or sommersault and subsequent capsize of the boat. Sailors compensate for this by putting their weight as far aft as they can while running downwind. Because of the curved contour of the hulls, in lighter air where pitchpoling isn't a threat, the boat can be steered in much the same fashion as a sailboard: as the crew shifts weight fore and aft, the boat tends to turn into or away from the wind. In this manner, the skipper can "trim" the rudders to minimize the force that must be exerted on the tiller extension.
This boat comes in two 'trim packages': the Sport has a jib and a small boomlett that is not attached to the mast and is intended for recreational use by two people, while the SE has only the main sail, a full boom, and is designed to be raced by one person. It is 17' long, 8' wide, has a 27' 7" mast and 168 square feet (15.6 m²) of sail area (200 ft² or 18.6 m² with the jib). Both models have swinging centerboards and 'wings', which are made of aluminum tubing that plug into the hulls and covered with reinforced vinyl or mesh covers that can be used as seats, backrests, or provide more leverage when trapezing. The uni-rig or catboat sail plan allows the 17SE to 'point' well, or sail closer to straight upwind than many other Sloop-rigged catamarans. As of 2007, this boat is also out of production.
The FX-One is an import from the France-based Hobie Cat Europe company. Similar to the 17, this boat is designed for single-handed racing. With or without the optional gennaker, this boat is not eligible for the Formula 17 multihull class. Relatively uncommon in North America, the FX-One is 17' long, 8' 4" wide, with a 27' 9" mast and 172 square feet (16.0 m²) of sail area (much more with the spinnaker), and weighs in at 326 pounds (148 kg) with the Formula 17 set-up.
The 18 is of a similar hull design to the newer Hobie 17, with the primary difference being the extra foot of length and an extra sail, making this a two person boat. When configured for the Hobie 18 class, the boat is equipped with a main sail and jib. Optionally the Hobie 18 may be equipped with wing seats (similar to the 17). The Hobie 18 is currently out of production.
Length= 18', Beam= 8', Mast = 28' 1", Sail = 240 sq ft. Weight = 400 lb Hobie 18 Magnum Wing seats (mid 80's style) add 39 lb.
The Tiger, another Hobie Cat Europe import, is Hobie Cat's entry into the Formula 18 multihull class. The Tiger has been very popular and successful both in class racing and Formula 18. At 18' long, 8' 6" wide, with a 29' 6" mast and 227 square feet of sail area (452 square feet with the spinnaker). It weights in at a minimum of 396 Lbs (180 Kg) as to conform to the Formula 18 specifications.
In contrast to the Tiger, the Miracle 20 has 250 square feet of sail area and takes advantage of light winds. The 20 is 19' 6" long, 8' 6" wide, with a 31' mast, and weighs 420 pounds. Some of the early production models had a high rate of hull failures due to a manufacturing defect, but this was rectified in later models. As of June, 2007 this model is no longer in production.
The Miracle 20 is designed by Jack Groeneveld, a Dutch catamaran sailor (European champion Prindle 19,winner of the Prindle 19 nationals etc.)
The 21SC (for Sport Cruiser) was Hobie Cat's first 'family boat'. Intended for casual sailing, this boat has a front trampoline, wings, an outboard motor-mount, and a built-in cooler. Though larger than the at 21' long, 8' 6" wide, with a 29' mast and 222 square feet of sail, the 21SC was quickly displaced by the more rugged, cheaper Getaway and has been phased out by Hobie Cat.
The 21SE hulls are similar to the 21SC but the similarities end there, the 21SE is a performance oriented boat. It is no longer in production but it had a 10' beam and wings. It also had centerboards instead of daggerboards.
The TriFoiler is the most unusual of Hobie Cat's boats. Designed by Greg Ketterman, this trimaran has two sails, one on each ama, and hydrofoils that lift the hulls out of the water at speed. It lifts on the foils at wind speeds between 10 and 11 mph and quickly accelerates to twice that speed in seconds. On its foils, it sails at approximately twice wind speed and can pull 2+ g's in turns. The Trifoiler is a production variant of the A class world sailing record holder Longshot, also designed and built by Ketterman.
The boat seats two persons. At 22' long, 19' wide, with two 18' masts, and 145 kg (320 lb), the TriFoiler is the biggest multihull ever produced by Hobie Cat. The two sails have a total sail area of 215 sq feet (150 sq feet reefed). The TriFoiler's high price-tag, fragility, and usage limited to winds between 10 and 25 mph with low waves, led Hobie Cat to discontinue production as of 2005. Approximately 30 Trifoilers were built prior to production starting at Hobie in 1995 and another 190 were produced by Hobie before halt of production.
Hobart "Hobie" Alter founder and creator of the [Hobie Cat]
★ Hobie Sailing
★ Hobie Class of North America
★ International Hobie Class
★ International Wave Class Association
★ BHCCA - British Hobie Cat Class Association
Hobie 16s during a race with sailors trapezing.
A 'Hobie Cat' is one of several small catamarans. Compared to other small sailboats, Hobie Cats are appealing because they offer high performance at a relatively low cost.
History
In 1967, Hobie designed the Hobie 14 Catamaran. Hobie wanted to make a boat that you could easily launch into the surf from the beach, sail, and bring back through the surf. In 1969 Hobie released the Hobie 16, the most popular catamaran ever and the most competitive catamaran class in the world. Over 100,000 Hobie Cats are sailing around the world.
Sailing a Hobie Cat
The boats are considered by many to be overpowered by design due to their light weight, efficient hull design, and large sail area. On the other hand, many seek out the Hobie 16 for precisely these reasons. They can reach high speeds over 17 knots (20 miles per hour) due to efficiency gained from "flying" a hull. When flying, one of the boat's hulls is lifted out of the water due to the angle of the boat. As well as reducing drag from the water, this also takes advantage of the hulls' asymetric design, each hull being shaped to provide a sideways upwind force. With both hulls down, the hulls' sideways forces cancel each other out. The Hobie 16 is surprisingly stable when flying a hull as increasing tilt causes wind to spill from the top of the sail, thus reducing turning moment. Conversely, reduced tilt results in a more vertical sail, thus increasing turning moment; so the boat is self-stabilizing to some degree when flying a hull.
Catamarans are inherently more stable than monohulls but some Hobie cats such as the 16 and 14 have hull designs that don't have a lot of buoyancy in the bows which results in some spectacular pitchpoles. Most frequently a capsized boat will lie sideways with the sail and mast floating. The hollow aluminum mast is designed to be sufficiently buoyant to hold the boat at 90 degrees from vertical even under extreme conditions. But if the mast leaks, the boat may "turtle" (turn completely upside-down).
Righting a Hobie is a required skill in high winds. Righting is the technique used to lift the boat such that it is ready to sail again. If one imagines a small catamaran sail boat lying on its side, one hull will be floating at the water line and the other hull will be supported about 8 ft above the water. By casting a line over the top hull, standing on the lower hull, and pulling, the sailor can pull the Hobie back into position to continue sailing. This task is easier if the sailors first rotate the bows into the wind by moving their weight forward; the wind can then help lift the sail from the water. Righting is more difficult when there is no wind to help, or if waves are large. Most racing Hobies have a permanently fitted righting-line under the trampoline, held out of the way when not in use by a system of pulleys and bungee cord.
To counteract their tendency to capsize, sailors have the opportunity to use a "trapeze" system whereby they wear a harness and attach themselves to cables suspended from the mast. Thus suspended, the sailor places his/her feet on the edge of the boat and sits out over the water, providing more torque to hold the boat down. When the sailor's body is parallel to the water, they are providing maximum torque.
It is possible to sail a Hobie 16 (at very low speed) without even hoisting a sail, relying only on the shape of the mast for propulsion.
The Hobie 16 is one of the few small sailing boats that can be rolled end-over-end.
Hobie cat rudders (one per hull) protrude quite some way below the hulls. To prevent damage from the bottom or underwater objects, they have a spring-release mechanism that allows them to snap to a horizontal position. Hobie cats draw very little water and can sail in as little as 4 inches of water when lightly loaded and with the rudders up.
Current and notable past models
Different catamaran models range from 10 feet in length to 21 feet, and beams range from 6.8 feet to 8.5 feet, mast heights range from 20 to 33 feet.
Rotomolded Boats: Bravo, Wave, Getaway
Wave on the rocks with Bravo and Getaway behind.
This series of boats is created of rotomolded plastic and is intended for casual and new sailors.
The Bravo is the smallest Hobie sailboat at 12' and is intended for one person but can carry two. The relatively narrow beam (53") compared to its 19' mast leads to considerable ''heeling'', or tipping of the boat compared to other catamarans. The Bravo has the distinction of being able to furl its sail around the mast.
The Wave is intended for one to four passengers, but is easily handled by one with its 13' length, 7' beam, and 20' mast. The Wave was designed by the Morelli/Melvin Engineering firm, and has proved to be extremely popular with beach resorts and rental operations. It is often praised for being rugged and easy to sail. While described as slow and underpowered by catamaran standards, it has a Portsmouth yardstick similar to a Laser (dinghy) that is often considered to be a performance dinghy. Although marketed as a recreational sailboat, an owner-controlled racing class has organized and held regattas since 1998.
The Getaway is marketed as a "social boat" and is designed with room for up to 6 people, more than Hobie Cat's other boats. The boat has a trampoline both forward and aft of the mast, and is the only rotomolded Hobie to come stock with a jib and have an available trapeze. At 16'7", the Getaway is the same length as the Hobie 16; the beam is 7'8" and the mast is 25' tall.
Hobie 14
The Hobie 14 was the original catamaran designed by Hobie Alter. The general shape and design of the boat is very similar to the later Hobie 16. They share many of the same parts; with the sails down, they are hard to tell apart without a tape measure. The 14 was originally designed to be sailed as a unirig with just a main sail. It is possible to convert a standard 14 into a Hobie 14 "Turbo", also known as the JT14, by adding a jib, trapeze and dolphin striker. No longer manufactured by Hobie North America, the Hobie 14 is still produced in limited numbers by Hobie Europe.
===Hobie 16===
''See Also Separate Wikipedia Entry: Hobie 16''
The 16 is the most popular Hobie Cat, both for recreational purposes and as a one-design racer. The boat is 16'7" long, 7'11" wide, and has a mast 26'6" tall, but only weighs 320 pounds. As with the 14, it is intended to be sailed from the beach through the surf, and to be surfed back in on the waves to the beach. Instead of daggerboards or centerboards, the 16 has asymmetrical hulls which act like foils and keep the boat from ''crabbing'', or slipping sideways from the force of the wind. Both jib and main sails are fully battened and total 218 square feet. A trapeze is usually used by the crew (and skipper too in higher winds) to keep the boat from heeling too much.
One notable flaw is the tendency for the boat to 'pitchpole' when running downwind; the sail plan and distribution of the flotation of the hulls is such that it can push the bows down far enough to dip them under the water, stopping the front of the boat and leading to a cartwheel or sommersault and subsequent capsize of the boat. Sailors compensate for this by putting their weight as far aft as they can while running downwind. Because of the curved contour of the hulls, in lighter air where pitchpoling isn't a threat, the boat can be steered in much the same fashion as a sailboard: as the crew shifts weight fore and aft, the boat tends to turn into or away from the wind. In this manner, the skipper can "trim" the rudders to minimize the force that must be exerted on the tiller extension.
Hobie 17
This boat comes in two 'trim packages': the Sport has a jib and a small boomlett that is not attached to the mast and is intended for recreational use by two people, while the SE has only the main sail, a full boom, and is designed to be raced by one person. It is 17' long, 8' wide, has a 27' 7" mast and 168 square feet (15.6 m²) of sail area (200 ft² or 18.6 m² with the jib). Both models have swinging centerboards and 'wings', which are made of aluminum tubing that plug into the hulls and covered with reinforced vinyl or mesh covers that can be used as seats, backrests, or provide more leverage when trapezing. The uni-rig or catboat sail plan allows the 17SE to 'point' well, or sail closer to straight upwind than many other Sloop-rigged catamarans. As of 2007, this boat is also out of production.
FX-One
The FX-One is an import from the France-based Hobie Cat Europe company. Similar to the 17, this boat is designed for single-handed racing. With or without the optional gennaker, this boat is not eligible for the Formula 17 multihull class. Relatively uncommon in North America, the FX-One is 17' long, 8' 4" wide, with a 27' 9" mast and 172 square feet (16.0 m²) of sail area (much more with the spinnaker), and weighs in at 326 pounds (148 kg) with the Formula 17 set-up.
Hobie 18
The 18 is of a similar hull design to the newer Hobie 17, with the primary difference being the extra foot of length and an extra sail, making this a two person boat. When configured for the Hobie 18 class, the boat is equipped with a main sail and jib. Optionally the Hobie 18 may be equipped with wing seats (similar to the 17). The Hobie 18 is currently out of production.
Length= 18', Beam= 8', Mast = 28' 1", Sail = 240 sq ft. Weight = 400 lb Hobie 18 Magnum Wing seats (mid 80's style) add 39 lb.
Hobie 33
Tiger
The Tiger, another Hobie Cat Europe import, is Hobie Cat's entry into the Formula 18 multihull class. The Tiger has been very popular and successful both in class racing and Formula 18. At 18' long, 8' 6" wide, with a 29' 6" mast and 227 square feet of sail area (452 square feet with the spinnaker). It weights in at a minimum of 396 Lbs (180 Kg) as to conform to the Formula 18 specifications.
Miracle 20
In contrast to the Tiger, the Miracle 20 has 250 square feet of sail area and takes advantage of light winds. The 20 is 19' 6" long, 8' 6" wide, with a 31' mast, and weighs 420 pounds. Some of the early production models had a high rate of hull failures due to a manufacturing defect, but this was rectified in later models. As of June, 2007 this model is no longer in production.
The Miracle 20 is designed by Jack Groeneveld, a Dutch catamaran sailor (European champion Prindle 19,winner of the Prindle 19 nationals etc.)
Hobie 21SC
The 21SC (for Sport Cruiser) was Hobie Cat's first 'family boat'. Intended for casual sailing, this boat has a front trampoline, wings, an outboard motor-mount, and a built-in cooler. Though larger than the at 21' long, 8' 6" wide, with a 29' mast and 222 square feet of sail, the 21SC was quickly displaced by the more rugged, cheaper Getaway and has been phased out by Hobie Cat.
Hobie 21SE
The 21SE hulls are similar to the 21SC but the similarities end there, the 21SE is a performance oriented boat. It is no longer in production but it had a 10' beam and wings. It also had centerboards instead of daggerboards.
TriFoiler
The TriFoiler is the most unusual of Hobie Cat's boats. Designed by Greg Ketterman, this trimaran has two sails, one on each ama, and hydrofoils that lift the hulls out of the water at speed. It lifts on the foils at wind speeds between 10 and 11 mph and quickly accelerates to twice that speed in seconds. On its foils, it sails at approximately twice wind speed and can pull 2+ g's in turns. The Trifoiler is a production variant of the A class world sailing record holder Longshot, also designed and built by Ketterman.
The boat seats two persons. At 22' long, 19' wide, with two 18' masts, and 145 kg (320 lb), the TriFoiler is the biggest multihull ever produced by Hobie Cat. The two sails have a total sail area of 215 sq feet (150 sq feet reefed). The TriFoiler's high price-tag, fragility, and usage limited to winds between 10 and 25 mph with low waves, led Hobie Cat to discontinue production as of 2005. Approximately 30 Trifoilers were built prior to production starting at Hobie in 1995 and another 190 were produced by Hobie before halt of production.
Racing
See Also
Hobart "Hobie" Alter founder and creator of the [Hobie Cat]
External links
★ Hobie Sailing
★ Hobie Class of North America
★ International Hobie Class
★ International Wave Class Association
★ BHCCA - British Hobie Cat Class Association
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