Talk me out of buying a Hobie Getaway :: Catamaran Sailboats at TheBeachcats.com

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Talk me out of buying a Hobie Getaway

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ragebot

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Registered: Aug 14, 2019

Last visit: Jul 04, 2022

Posts: 57
Posted: Aug 14, 2019 - 11:32 PM

Currently I have a Seawind 1000xl catamaran I have owned and cruised since I bought it in 2012. Mostly in the Florida Keys and down island. I normally single hand the boat. It is nominally 36 feet with a six foot bow sprit to fly a screecher from. Most time I have spent on the boat with out setting foot in a store to reprovision is three months.

Problem is in hurricane season I keep the boat well up the St. Marks Riverl protected from the weather so it takes me probably three hours from when I drop the dock lines till I pass the last red marker and hit open water.

So what I am looking for is a boat I can use when I know there is good weather to go for a day sail and maybe camp cruise on some local barrier islands. Also might wanna take the boat up some of the rivers in Florida, specifically the Peace River to look for meg teeth. Also considering the Okeechobee Waterway and maybe the Everglades Challenge.

Back in the day I raced sailboards and went to the Olympic Trials. Also raced ODs of various flavors and in SORC races. I understand PHRF ratings and that the gunboat that crosses the line first does not always win. But nowadays I mostly race for the social aspect not to get hardware to clutter up the boat.

I looked at a lot of fboats and really like the various flavors of Ian's 22/24 and maybe even a 27; also some of the less common tris. But they seem a little big for a spur of the moment go for a sail; even if they are much more comfortable boats.

What impressed me about the Getaway was a vid I saw where it was rigged from mast down to in the water and raising sails by one person much faster than a lot of other boats. I know it is not going to be a gunboat but it does seem easy to get off and on a trailer and sail by one person (even if there may be additional passengers not to be confused with crew).

I have also sailed and raced Stilettos, both the 23 and the 27. While they are great boats it is a non trivial exercise to get them on and off the trailer. Have been on a Prindle 18 and it seems to be much faster than the getaway but never had experience raising the mast on one.

Another consideration is the UFO. Much smaller but seems like an easy boat to sail and when it is foiling it is very fast. Probably many other boats I forgot to mention.

Budget is flexible depending on what I consider a good deal. Right now I am looking at an older DragonFly 25 at the top. But some of the older beach cats are around $US1,000+ but would probably need some upgrades.

Must haves are easy for one person to trailer (I have a Sprinter van to tow with a max of 8,000 pounds), get on and off the trailer, take apart and put together, sail single handed in 15 knots or less with ease, and be a fun boat. Most important it has to be a babe magnet.

Edited by ragebot on Aug 15, 2019 - 12:35 AM.
kevinlbatchelor

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 12:45 AM

I had a getaway for many years, loved it. Not a race boat, you can sail it solo in heavy wind, easy to rig and great to sail w6 inexperienced crew. I only sold it to upgrad to a h21sc which i also love.
HULLFLYER

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 10:22 AM

Have you considered a WETA
ragebot

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 10:53 AM

HULLFLYERHave you considered a WETA

Not for very long. My take is a UFO would be a better choice for what I am looking for. Problem for me is both of those boats are not really able to camp/cruise the way a medium/large size beach cat can.
Dogboy

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 12:27 PM

Perhaps consider a Hobie 17? They are fairly rugged. Designed for solo rigging and sailing (but can handle a small crew). Depending how you store it, could be rigged in roughly the same amount of time as a Getaway. Definitely faster/higher performance than a Getaway. Pretty good used market and parts availability.

sm
jalex

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 02:25 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrg0hGGyuc

This guy has some videos of him camp cruising his Getaway. I wouldn't talk you out of it, my only concern is with your background you may not think its a performer, but its a great boat.

I cruise camp on a Gcat 5.7 and could not be happier. It suits the job perfectly. They are hard to find in decent shape though.

Do you keep your boat on the St. Marks River south of Tallahassee? I live in the area and have a Hobie 16 and Gcat 5.7 you are welcome to take for a spin if you just need to scratch the itch. The Hobie 16 is mast up on Shell Point beach probably only 5 miles to the mouth of the St. Marks river by water, a good bit further by land

Edited by jalex on Aug 15, 2019 - 03:27 PM.
DamonLinkous

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 03:05 PM

Sound like the Getaway with a front tramp would be a good fit. Faster than a lot of beachcats to rig with no daggerboards and very good rudder system.

Very durable boat since it's rotomolded like a kayak instead of fiberglass layup, that makes it a little heavier than it could be for the size but not too much to handle.

Performance is better than most people think, I've been beside well-sailed Getaway's on my Hobie 18 and they are competitive, although didn't seem to be able to point as high.

Best thing is there is a lot of them around and unless you buy a brand new one (that would be great) you'll be able to sell it if you decide you don't like it. They always seem to go quickly on the classifieds here.

And ragebot, welcome to TheBeachcats.com, you have a lot of sailing experience, have you ever owned a beachcat before?

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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nohuhu

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 03:22 PM

Quotehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrg0hGGyuc

This guy has some videos of him camp cruising his Getaway. I wouldn't talk you out of it, my only concern is with your background you may not think its a performer, but its a great boat.

If you want to explore, it's safer and funner on a Getaway. And you can fly a hull solo, if you are good. Go for it! The H17 would never carry enough weight for overnighters.

That guy gets "cool" points for his awesome pontoon BBQ. Unfortunately he loses them all, and then some by wearing argyle on a campout,..

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MN3

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 04:39 PM

how about something like a searail ?
light, easy to rig, can haul all the gear you need for camping
http://www.searail19.com/
martin_langhoff

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 04:49 PM

For blazing fast rig-up, all-around performance, and camping, the Weta is a serious option. The UFO is also a hoot. I own both -- you could do the same.

Sailed Getaways quite a bit. Sail one (almost any cat rental spot will have them). If you are not disappointed with their handling on the water, then you'll be ok.
ragebot

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 04:56 PM

DamonLinkousSNIP

Best thing is there is a lot of them around and unless you buy a brand new one (that would be great) you'll be able to sell it if you decide you don't like it. They always seem to go quickly on the classifieds here.

And ragebot, welcome to TheBeachcats.com, you have a lot of sailing experience, have you ever owned a beachcat before?

None seem to be in the classifieds now. Never owned a beach cat, mostly because I had several windsurfers.
ragebot

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 05:07 PM

MN3how about something like a searail ?
light, easy to rig, can haul all the gear you need for camping
http://www.searail19.com/

Searail has the same problem for me as the L7. Both are almost as much trouble as some flavor of a C24 but with much less creature comfort. All the Fboats Ian designed stressed getting off the trailer and into the water quickly. My understanding was that the L7 was similar to the Searail in terms of speed; faster than similar Fboats. Thing is in this vid at about the 3:50 mark Prindle shows up and seems to be walking away from the L7. All the tris like Weta, Searail, L7, and Fboats are probably twice the price of something like an older Hobie, Prindle, NACRA, and similar beach cats.

https://www.youtube.com/w…continue=1&v=UQSasSXnrTU

Edited by ragebot on Aug 15, 2019 - 06:58 PM.
nohuhu

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Posted: Aug 15, 2019 - 09:51 PM

Comfy. Looks like a stretched WETA.

Sorry to diverge but that was a stupid move by that Prindle. Even if the container ship was not underway, which it appears to be. Disappointed to see that.

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Prindle 18
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MN3

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 08:38 AM

QuoteThing is in this vid at about the 3:50 mark Prindle shows up and seems to be walking away from the L7. All the tris like Weta, Searail, L7, and Fboats are probably twice the price of something like an older Hobie, Prindle, NACRA, and similar beach cats.

well yea, a 400 lb catamaran with more sail to weight ratio is gonna have lots of get-up-and-go on tri but when you start getting into bigger tris (30') a beachcat can't touch it's speed

plus L7 are homebuilds correct? so no way of knowing how the build quality is

and every boat has it's preferred wind range - some kill it in light air (comparatively), some kill it in heavier air, some bigger boats will win because they have tall rigs that will get air that others have windage ... so 1 clip of a race doesn't mean all that much

my friend has a f-31R - it's huge (45' mast, 23'beam) -it's a rocket ship but weighs a few tons
need an f-250 to move it around the lot

Yes your gonna pay more for a carbon fiber anything vs a 20 year old prindle/hobie/dart/anything
you stated"Budget is flexible depending on what I consider a good deal. Right now I am looking at an older DragonFly 25 " - so i thought you were open to some "real boat" costs and your not getting into any F-boat for cheap

QuoteSorry to diverge but that was a stupid move by that Prindle. Even if the container ship was not underway, which it appears to be. Disappointed to see that.

dumb is an understatement - that boat should be dnf'd
i mean he could have seriously scuffed up the paint on that cargo ship when it demolished that prindle

Edited by MN3 on Aug 16, 2019 - 08:47 AM.
ragebot

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 11:09 AM

MN3
QuoteThing is in this vid at about the 3:50 mark Prindle shows up and seems to be walking away from the L7. All the tris like Weta, Searail, L7, and Fboats are probably twice the price of something like an older Hobie, Prindle, NACRA, and similar beach cats.

well yea, a 400 lb catamaran with more sail to weight ratio is gonna have lots of get-up-and-go on tri but when you start getting into bigger tris (30') a beachcat can't touch it's speed

plus L7 are homebuilds correct? so no way of knowing how the build quality is

and every boat has it's preferred wind range - some kill it in light air (comparatively), some kill it in heavier air, some bigger boats will win because they have tall rigs that will get air that others have windage ... so 1 clip of a race doesn't mean all that much

my friend has a f-31R - it's huge (45' mast, 23'beam) -it's a rocket ship but weighs a few tons
need an f-250 to move it around the lot

Yes your gonna pay more for a carbon fiber anything vs a 20 year old prindle/hobie/dart/anything
you stated"Budget is flexible depending on what I consider a good deal. Right now I am looking at an older DragonFly 25 " - so i thought you were open to some "real boat" costs and your not getting into any F-boat for cheap
SNIP

Lots of terms being used don't really have hard and fast definitions. "Beach cat" is a great example. I would say all the Hobie cats are beach cats, along with a lot of what I would say is true for most under 22' cats (there are some pocket cruiser cats with cabins that are under 22' but they are few and far between). I am not sure how to define something like a Reynolds 33 (or even the older Macgregor 36); both are open deck with tramps. While the Macgregor had some issues the Reynolds is still capable of being a gunboat in lots of races and consistently beats any fboat. I have sailed on C24, C27 and C31 and none of them would be faster than the Reynolds; and I doubt they would beat a well sailed Prindle 19 or a good Nacra. The A Class beach cats would also run away from them.

The fastest I have ever sailed on was a home built F39 which hit 22 knots. Of course there was a crew of 5 and the owner said he would not feel comfortable with less crew. Thing is the Reynolds can easily match that speed with fewer crew; and is easy to trailer and ramp launch.

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fboat fan. Ian was the man who created tris that performed well and could be quickly and easily moved from a trailer to water; there is a reason there are more Corsair tris than all other production tris combined. But fboats are not really known for their speed compared to more high tec tris of the same length; some folks think they are over weight.

I have never been on, or even seen, a Dragonfly. They are not really that common and due to their quality build demand a quality price. The older ones often have issues with soft spots and the non folders can have issues with how the cross beams connect. They seem to offer more creature comforts than fboats and are somewhat heavier and not as fast. While I did consider them early on I have come to view them like a unicorn, attractive but almost impossible to find.

One of the more interesting tris I have come across (and one of the rarer ones) is the Catrihttps://catri24.com/for-sale. It is a perfect example of what you call preferred wind range. In most wind speeds a C24 will beat it, but if the wind gets above 20 knots and the foil assist kicks in it can easily exceed 20 knots and the designer has legit claims it has hit 27knots+. It also has a huge advantage of no centerboard trunk in the cabin, not to mention standing head room below.

A big reason most of what you call a 'real boats' measure their numbers in the hundreds and the beach cats measure their numbers in the hundreds is what I will call 'bang for the buck'. Some times for less than $US1,000 and often less than $US5,000 you can get a viable beach cat you can keep in your back yard, trailer to the water, set it up and go for a day sail or camp cruise for a weekend. It is hard to find a real boat you can do that on for less than $US20,000; and a new one will probably be three times that or more.

For me it was worth getting a 'real boat'; even if I had to pay a lot more than $US20,000. My claim to fame with my Seawind 1000 is that when google streetview came to the Dry Tortugas my cat was anchored off the North Coal Dock and they captured it of posterity.

https://www.instantstreet….872038,62.85h,-5.09p,1z
badfish

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 11:32 AM

Let's start off with the fact that coming here and asking us to talk you out of a beachcat of any type is not going to be a fruitful endeavor. Heck, we might just as easily suggest you get two boats...

QuoteMost important it has to be a babe magnet.

Now you're just being picky...

The getaway is a great boat for social sailing.

QuoteMust haves are easy for one person to trailer (I have a Sprinter van to tow with a max of 8,000 pounds), get on and off the trailer, take apart and put together, sail single handed in 15 knots or less with ease, and be a fun boat.

I can think of a ton of beachcats that would fit this bill depending on your skill level, fitness level, age, etc.
What do you want to do with it?

--
Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
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MN3

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 12:57 PM

you are talking about purchasing $20,000+ boats and then comparing them with $1000 beachcats.

I have nothing more to add to this

best of luck

Edited by MN3 on Aug 16, 2019 - 12:59 PM.
ragebot

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 02:14 PM

badfishLet's start off with the fact that coming here and asking us to talk you out of a beachcat of any type is not going to be a fruitful endeavor. Heck, we might just as easily suggest you get two boats...

QuoteMost important it has to be a babe magnet.

Now you're just being picky...

The getaway is a great boat for social sailing.

QuoteMust haves are easy for one person to trailer (I have a Sprinter van to tow with a max of 8,000 pounds), get on and off the trailer, take apart and put together, sail single handed in 15 knots or less with ease, and be a fun boat.

I can think of a ton of beachcats that would fit this bill depending on your skill level, fitness level, age, etc.
What do you want to do with it?

Not asking anyone to talk me out of a beach cat; rather asking to talk me out of buying a Hobie Getaway by suggesting a different a different beach cat to buy. Right now I am looking at a Hobie 21 SE and a Prindle 18 2 from the classifieds here. They are both an easy drive from where I am; which is also another consideration since I will not be going to Europe to buy a boat.

In my OP I said

QuoteSo what I am looking for is a boat I can use when I know there is good weather to go for a day sail and maybe camp cruise on some local barrier islands. Also might wanna take the boat up some of the rivers in Florida, specifically the Peace River to look for meg teeth. Also considering the Okeechobee Waterway and maybe the Everglades Challenge.

Back in the day (1980s) I crewed on a Stiletto 23 which was faster than any of the other local beach cats. But today there are a lot more options. While I liked the 23 it was not a lot of fun getting it off and back on the trailer. Today there are tons of youtube vids about single handedly raising the mast on a beach cat on a trailer and launching it. Problem for me is that while some are legit some may be bogus as well.

There are also some top of the line brand new beach cats that cost $US10,000 plus. Depending I could buy a small tri that would be a much more comfortable cruiser and some of them are also easy to get in the water from on a trailer.

I have always found the sailing part easy. As the Everglades Challenge web site says if you flip your boat and have to right it you will wind up being behind boats that reefed early and kept the mast side pointed up.

Maybe I should have not included the babe magnet comment; but I am humor impaired and often say things I think are a joke that others take seriously.

Bottom line is while I have a lot of experience sailing and still cruise on my big boat for extended periods during the season I have not kept up with the beach cat developments so what I was asking for is advice about a boat that is better than a Getaway.
badfish

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Registered: Jan 17, 2019

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 02:43 PM

ragebot
badfishLet's start off with the fact that coming here and asking us to talk you out of a beachcat of any type is not going to be a fruitful endeavor. Heck, we might just as easily suggest you get two boats...

QuoteMost important it has to be a babe magnet.

Now you're just being picky...

The getaway is a great boat for social sailing.

QuoteMust haves are easy for one person to trailer (I have a Sprinter van to tow with a max of 8,000 pounds), get on and off the trailer, take apart and put together, sail single handed in 15 knots or less with ease, and be a fun boat.

I can think of a ton of beachcats that would fit this bill depending on your skill level, fitness level, age, etc.
What do you want to do with it?

Not asking anyone to talk me out of a beach cat; rather asking to talk me out of buying a Hobie Getaway by suggesting a different a different beach cat to buy. Right now I am looking at a Hobie 21 SE and a Prindle 18 2 from the classifieds here. They are both an easy drive from where I am; which is also another consideration since I will not be going to Europe to buy a boat.

In my OP I said

QuoteSo what I am looking for is a boat I can use when I know there is good weather to go for a day sail and maybe camp cruise on some local barrier islands. Also might wanna take the boat up some of the rivers in Florida, specifically the Peace River to look for meg teeth. Also considering the Okeechobee Waterway and maybe the Everglades Challenge.

Back in the day (1980s) I crewed on a Stiletto 23 which was faster than any of the other local beach cats. But today there are a lot more options. While I liked the 23 it was not a lot of fun getting it off and back on the trailer. Today there are tons of youtube vids about single handedly raising the mast on a beach cat on a trailer and launching it. Problem for me is that while some are legit some may be bogus as well.

There are also some top of the line brand new beach cats that cost $US10,000 plus. Depending I could buy a small tri that would be a much more comfortable cruiser and some of them are also easy to get in the water from on a trailer.

I have always found the sailing part easy. As the Everglades Challenge web site says if you flip your boat and have to right it you will wind up being behind boats that reefed early and kept the mast side pointed up.

Maybe I should have not included the babe magnet comment; but I am humor impaired and often say things I think are a joke that others take seriously.

Bottom line is while I have a lot of experience sailing and still cruise on my big boat for extended periods during the season I have not kept up with the beach cat developments so what I was asking for is advice about a boat that is better than a Getaway.

Was messing with you. Sounds like you should take some time and figure out what you want/need. If money isn't the concern (doesn't sound like it is) and you're not a timeline, just ease off and think about it. There will be boats available whenever you decide on what you want. Charter some different ones, go out with people who have some different ones. There's never a shortage of people willing to take out people to see what they think about their boats.
Again, the Getaway is a great boat, but it is no Stiletto 23.
A Hobie 16 is a great boat, but it is no Getaway when it comes to comfort.

--
Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
--
jalex

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Posted: Aug 16, 2019 - 05:08 PM

QuoteMust haves are easy for one person to trailer (I have a Sprinter van to tow with a max of 8,000 pounds), get on and off the trailer, take apart and put together, sail single handed in 15 knots or less with ease, and be a fun boat. Most important it has to be a babe magnet.

Most of what we call the legacy cats fit these qualifications. As long as its not a spin boat I find most of the under 20ft cats are pretty easy to rig and I have owned a handful and have camp cruised with them. Some will disagree with this, the argument being the longer masts with spreaders are more difficult. I am 40 and not a super athlete and I still do a Supercat 20 just fine, although I have my tricks. Never done the river cruise thing even though I do have a motor mount on my 5.7, I just can't imagine having all that weight hanging off the stern.

The rest of it I think you have to answer for yourself, you are not a newbie, have a decent budget and have your own opinions.