Light cat for 4 people - alternatives to Hobiecat 18

eiasu

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Registered: Apr 03, 2021

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Posted: Apr 03, 2021 - 03:04 PM

Hi all, it's my first post here,
I'm from South Italy, 49 and 70kg.
I'm currently sailing my class A catamaran, old style not foiling, and I'm looking for a cat that allows more people, ideally 4.
I enjoy the lightness of my class A, that in my case i think is around 90kg and i am bit concerned how difficult might be to handle on the sand a much heavier cat.
At the moment my cat is on a beach about 30 meters and, even if I'm not very weak and the boat is very light, it's quite an effort to move it on the big foot trailer, it's much better when someone can help me.
I am looking for an Hobiecat 18,that for what i know, it's 180kg and around 200kg the wing equipped version.
I am not a racer and would enjoy a less reactive cat than my class A.
Do you know of other beachcat that can be sailed singlehanded, can carry 4 people and are lighter than the hobie 18?
In my area, at the moment, are available second hand Hobie 18,Mattia esse, bimare f18ht, dart 20,hobie 20,hobie 21 and few more. There are also few beautiful Tiger, but i think the Tiger allows 240kg while the HC18 can carry 320kg,and both have the same weight.
Thanks for any advice.
HULLFLYER

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Posted: Apr 03, 2021 - 10:07 PM

The Hobie Getawy can carry 1000 pounds close to 450kg
watermanbob

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 04:58 AM

Not sure if there are any still around, but the Prindle 18 was about as fast as a Hobie 16 but bigger.
eiasu

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 05:48 AM

Thanks for the hints,
The getway i never heard of, i looked the website of the Italian distributor, and there are available new ones, But on the secon hand market i can't remember ever to see one.
I can imagine it will be slower than the hc18 but this is not much of a problem, so far that it is stll able to tack, since it has no daggerboards.
I'm interested what are the differences between polythene hulls and fiberglass.
the Getway is listed in the polythene section, what does it implies?

Regarding the prindle, there are few around, i will look for a test trial or at least to have a look at.
rattlenhum

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 08:37 AM

The Getaway has skegs toward the sterns instead of daggerboards. It can tack, but nothing like a board boat. The hulls are rotomolded plastic (like an ice chest)....more forgiving than fiberglass. Compared to an A-Cat, the Getaway is heavy as heck (as will be any conventional cat that can handle four people). As you can tell, I'm not a big fan, but they are certainly popular here in the US.

Moving the heavier boats in soft sand is difficult...even for two people...and it's even worse if there are skegs digging in. I would plan on it being more difficult than handling your A-Cat solo. Beach wheels with inflatable tires are a must. Is your "big foot trailer" what we call beach wheels?

--
Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
--
eiasu

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 10:02 AM

Ahahah that's funny when we use English words with different meanings.
I bought the A-cat together with small beach wheels, that are confortable on hatd groynd like grass or concrete, but the dive into sand and are completely useless. To launch the boat i use the beach wheels of my association, that have wery wide inflatable tyres and with this one i can move my A-cat alone, with quite an effort, or with the help of one person, and that is much better.
This is the very expensive "hobiecat big foot" sold by the Italian importer and distributor of Hobiecat
https://www.bolsenayachting.com/bys/shop/9-carrelli/alaggio/multiscafi/big-foot-hobie/
tominpa

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 11:57 AM

That is equal to what we know as Cat Trax beach wheels. They are expensive here as well, and the price goes up as you add options like cradles. Worth every penny when you have to move the boat alone. My old Nacra is a heavy fiberglass boat with skeg hulls.

https://floridasailcraft.…cradles-8%e2%80%b2-beam/

--
Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
--
gahamby

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 12:47 PM

Would a Hobie T2 serve?

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--
Andinista

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 02:26 PM

Coming from an A cat you might not like the Getaway, you can have plenty of people on board, like to make a party, but the price to pay is a slower and less sporty boat. It might be what you need, to carry all the family and enjoy sailing or cruising, just be aware of it. Other that the Getaway, I think for 4 you should look at a 20 or 21 ft boat, with decent beachwheels, if the beach is not too steep, you can handle it alone or 2 of you. For 2 adults + 2 kids under 12 or so, or 4 very light adults, or if it will be most of the time 2 or 3 and only occasionally 4, the only 18 footer that I would pick ( of those I know) would be the Nacra 5.7 or 570. a clean tramp is very relevant for more than 2. No daggerboard help, jib blocks on the front beam like the 570 (or a self tacking jib) even better. But the Getaway would handle much better the weight of 4 people. What about keeping the A cat for solo sailing and getting a Hobie 21 for more? 2 of you moving the bigger boat shouldn’t be a problem.
Andinista

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Posted: Apr 04, 2021 - 02:34 PM

About handling the boat on the beach, are you launching it from the trailer without a car? That sounds way more complicated than with beachwheels. If you need to leave it on the trailer (as I do), consider not moving the trailer but just the boat. I know the A cat trailers are different but with the regular trailers it’s not hard to take the boat in and out of the trailer, I do that alone every day that I sail.
eiasu

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Posted: Apr 05, 2021 - 07:34 PM

Thanks for the answers, @gahamby, the hobie t2, like the getway, i know they exist but i never saw them on the second hand website.
@andinista, the Nacra have a great reputation for performance and overall quality and are also quite present on the market.
The model you mention, 570 and 5.70 are very beautiful, how do they sail compared to the hc18?
I can imagine they are overall faster and the only point where the hc18 is better is weight capacity and sailing with 4 adults, i believe.
And no, i will not keep 2 boat, i keep my luggage essential, all my belongings they fit in 3 suitcases, i keep it simple :)
Also i have no car trailer, only a cat trax, i keep the boat on the beach and i need to anchor to very heavy weight because the a class is extremely light and even the mast alone make it fly in strong winds, that's unbelievable how much it moves with winds
tominpa

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Posted: Apr 06, 2021 - 10:28 AM

The Nacra 5.7 /570 and HC 18 compare closely under sail and are competitive. The Hobie tends to tack a bit higher in the wind, but overall I think the PHRF rating is about the same. Sail area is similar, double traps, of course the 5.7 is a very narrow skegg hull. If you actually plan to have kids and a group of people on the boat, the boomless main and no centerboards are a huge advantage for room, safety and handling. When under sail, the 5.7 can bury the bow and come up strong in a good beam reach. It will blow your mind to see the hull in the water with a rooster-tail rising from the cross-beam.

--
Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
--
gahamby

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Posted: Apr 06, 2021 - 12:43 PM

https://www.thebeachcats.…17102-2017-hobie-t2.html

Just for reference

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--
eiasu

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Posted: Apr 06, 2021 - 07:21 PM

Thanks all for the answers,
At this point my choice is limited to hc18 or Tiger 18,there are not other interesting offers in the second hand market in Italy.
i havw two main doubts left:
They both are meant for crew of 2,but in case of easy sailing with 4 people, which one sails better? The Tiger has more volume in the hulls, maybe it tolerates better the load.
And it's clear that the Tiger has better performance, in light winds, let say 4-8 knt is the hc18 really a slug? I read it suffers light winds while the Tiger sails much faster.
Thanks for the hints
robpatt

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Posted: Apr 21, 2021 - 03:26 PM

Dart 18 is light, no boards, in Europe and can take 4 folks... old boat though. Bimare F18HT is light and a beautiful for 1 or 2, but not 4. The H18, H20, Tiger, etc are all about 400 pounds (US). You have high requirements, a lightweight boat that takes 4 people. Good luck & ciao.

Edited by robpatt on Apr 21, 2021 - 03:29 PM.
eiasu

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Posted: Apr 21, 2021 - 04:39 PM

robpattDart 18 is light, no boards, in Europe and can take 4 folks... old boat though. Bimare F18HT is light and a beautiful for 1 or 2, but not 4. The H18, H20, Tiger, etc are all about 400 pounds (US). You have high requirements, a lightweight boat that takes 4 people. Good luck & ciao.Edited by robpatt on Apr 21, 2021 - 03:29 PM.

Yes, it's an impossible search.
There is a Bimare F18HT for sale at a good price, it has to be a wonderful boat but i think it's too fragile for me, i did already waste my class A, i need something more sturdy.
In a couple of weeks, as soon as Covid restrictions allow me, I'll see a Tiger with wings, a Nacra 18 of 2004 and a Hobie 18 Formula (the European one, with high mast). Most likely I'll pick one of them, the Tiger with wings it's very rare, that's my favorite, if it has no big issues I'll buy that one.
Thanks for all your hints!
Happy sailing
dssaak

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Posted: Apr 21, 2021 - 09:51 PM

I had one of my best runs on my Tiger with two friends on the wire and me steering from the tramp. As long as they were on the wire, it wasn't crowded. I think you would need a H21 for a crew of 4 to be 'comfortable'. A Hobie Tiger with wings sounds like a great choice to make.

--
dk

Blade F-16
Hobie 14
Corsair F-242
Mirage 25 (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
TomCat 6.2 (Sold)
--
eiasu

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Posted: Apr 22, 2021 - 02:29 AM

dssaakI had one of my best runs on my Tiger with two friends on the wire and me steering from the tramp. As long as they were on the wire, it wasn't crowded. I think you would need a H21 for a crew of 4 to be 'comfortable'. A Hobie Tiger with wings sounds like a great choice to make.

Thanks dssaak, i really hope that the Tiger with wings I'm going to check has no main problems.
There is also an hobie 21 with wings for sale at a very low price, but there are two things that keep me away from it, the first is that the hobie 21 is really heavy, about 290kg,that's really a lot, and the second is too old, it was in production until 1990,i would like to buy a 15 years old catamaran.
That said, having the possibility to get a lot of help pushing and pulling the hobie on the beach, it must be a great catamaran suitable for up to six people and really cheap.