Seasons Greetings!
I have two boys that have really been at me to buy them a beachcat.
They are 10 & 11 and both have some cruising monohull experience.
To be honest, their mother is scared to death of cats and would rather put them in a daysailor. No real risk of capsizing, etc.
Is there something out there that is stable and forgiving that will be pretty tough to flip?
I would like to see the kids happy but also safe.
Thanks!
Dad Needs Help!
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Posted: Dec 23, 2012 - 09:52 AM
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Posted: Dec 23, 2012 - 12:01 PM
Don't know the availability of Dart catamarans where you live , but I would suggest a Dart 15, no daggerboards, less beam so easy to right. Can be sailed with- or without jib, perfect toy to learn catsailing.
Regards, André
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Tornado (80's Reg White)
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Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Posted: Dec 23, 2012 - 03:41 PM
Great to hear you have kids that want to get outside instead of just playing video games! What type water will they be sailing on, lake, bay, beach? Will you have to trailer each time?
Check out the Hobie Wave, seems to meet your needs, stable yet fast with two boys, and has a mast float to keep it from turning turtle making it easier to right. Plenty fast for their first (hopefully of many) beachcat.
I think that two boys that age could handle it on their own after instruction.
http://keysailing.com/sales.html
Let us know how they progress in beachcat sailing, the 2020 Olympics beckon!
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Dec 23, 2012 - 07:33 PM
10 and 11 turn into 13 and 14 before you know it. Prindle 16 with a mast float. You can find them cheap, less prone to pitchpole and you won't have to buy another boat in three years. Hobie 14 would be another option, they should be able to right it. (with a mast float). I would stay away from a H16. If money is no problem buy the Wave it is everything Damon said. But if they like it you are going to buy another boat in 3 years. However you should be able to sell it easily. I hope I didn't muddy the waters.
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Posted: Dec 24, 2012 - 12:32 AM
Depending on where they are sailing and with a good safety plan I would not worry to much about flipping. In fact you might encourage it as a matter of practice for righting it. If you have other boats you could be close at hand as they are learning. I first let my son take the p18 out with his girlfriend on small mountain lake where I could easily see them and with many other friends out sailing who could help. He now sails a 20 mile regatta on his own and usually does better than me.
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
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Posted: Dec 24, 2012 - 06:47 AM
I know your boys are looking at beachcats but have you considered the WETA trimaran?
[http://www.wetamarine.com/news/]
They are a similar size to beachcats and are very stable.
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Virginiasailor
Prindle 15
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Posted: Dec 24, 2012 - 06:52 AM
2nd the hobie wave, just to keep mum happy
pick up a 2nd hand one
and when they and mum are bored/happy with it
sell it for near what you paid
and put that toward something bigger -
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Posted: Dec 24, 2012 - 08:22 AM
IMHO...
I have takes several kids (and their parents) cat sailing. Some kids behave perfectly but still get themself in trouble, others are a nightmare and require me to return to the beach and have them get off my boat (pulling on lines they shouldn't, hitting their heads on a boom, not following skippers orders... etc)
i personally think 10 & 11 is to young for solo sailing unless they are very experienced, skilled, and mostly mature and wise above their years. there are too many situations (unpredictable or even expected) where immaturity and immortality conflict. Do your kids know boater safety rules? Do they know who has right of way in a channel? ROW around other boats? Know how to put a boat into heave-too or get out of irons? I have seen adults put them self into life threatening positions on the water out of stupidity or just ignorance.. either one can kill ya
I would suggest a slightly bigger boat so you and your boys can sail together until they have proven themselves skilled sailors and trustworthy of skippering a vessel.
A hobie Bravo is probably more fitting for boys that age. however a Getaway would be a much better family option. with room for 3 or 4 if mom goes for a ride, a decent boat that could last for decades and they could grow into skippering it them self
PS Daysailors capsize too -
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Posted: Dec 24, 2012 - 09:43 AM
I would second the vote for a Bravo. The Scouts had some at Goshen Scout Reservation on Lake Merriwether. They made great trainers. I sailed one and it was a blast. They are simple, forgiving, and easy to handle.
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'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
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Posted: Dec 25, 2012 - 11:02 AM
Unfortunately, "pretty tough to flip"rules out Cats. If I understand correctly, you,(your wife) are saying they do not want the boat to flip, & would be very unhappy if it did.
None of the Cats mentioned so far are in this category. The fact is the kids are going to flip every one of the platforms mentioned. So...if you are set on a Cat you have to allow for it, & deal with it when it does happen.
If funds are unlimited, start with a Bravo, & upgrade every 2 years. Most folk are not in that camp, so skip the Bravo. I rented one for a week once, big disappointment. Your kids are now 10 & 11, that makes 11 & 12 next summer. Only the meekest of kids will enjoy the Bravo at age 11 & up, & it is harder to sell. It is only 4' wide, & certainly will tip. The system to hold the mast is not that robust. They claim the furling main makes for "safety", but the boat is hard to sail with it furled, better to stay on shore if there is a concern with wind speed.
Personally, I would buy a used Wave, or a new one if used is not available, & sail with the kids for the first year. Once they are comfortable with dumping & righting it, they can go solo. I crossed the lake last summer, & came upon a Wave, sitting low in the water. Wind was 15, & there were 8,(yes, I counted them) kids, aging 10-12 sailing the thing. They were having a blast reaching up & down the shore. They can continue to have tons of fun right up til 16ish, when size & strength allow them to handle a Performance Cat. The Wave is always an easy sell. Furthermore they are tough as nails, & will handle the bangs & bumps the kids will subject it to. I have sailed them in Barbados, Antigua & Cuba, they really are a blast, even with yourself & 2 kids.
Your moniker suggests a tropical location? The Wave is the #1 boat at Caribbean resorts, for good reasons. It is pretty fast, & holds up to abuse.
As Andre suggested a boat with no beam or boards is perfect for starting out. I have sailed a Dart 15 & 18, they are fine boats, but even the 15 will be hard to right til the kids are older, & the Wave will tolerate being beat up on shore better.
Looking back, 4 years from now, I think you will conclude that a single Wave purchase was the best decision you ever made. As Andrew said, no solo til they have proven themselves.
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Posted: Dec 27, 2012 - 11:13 AM
Lucky you, having 2 kids begging to go sailing. I would recommend the Wave, also, for most of the reasons listed previously. My cousin has a couple at a girls summer camp, and the young teenagers enjoy sailing them, and my cousin enjoys not repairing them despite the rocky shoreline and shifty lake winds (they are durable). You can buy one and be sailing pretty much right away, whereas if you got a Prindle 16, you would probably have to do some work to get it sailing, and repairs.
Capsizing is part of sailing, and the kids will probably have fun doing it. Maybe you can convince your wife it's not dangerous (assuming they are not on their own and you know what you are doing).
Good luck. My kids have had fun hiking out, riding up on the bows, jumping off, towing in tube and on a boogie board behind our Prindle 16. Great family fun and hopefully making meaningful memories.
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John Fricker
Prindle 16
Seabrook, Texas
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Posted: Dec 27, 2012 - 11:40 AM
Thanks for all the great responses!
They would spend most of their time sailing it at Mission Bay in San Diego. It is pretty protected and San Diego doesn't really have "big wind".
The Weta is interesting. However, your choices really expand when you are looking at spending $15K or more.
Looks like the Wave or Getaway will fit the bill.
Now I just have to get their mother to sign off on the whole deal. -
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Posted: Dec 28, 2012 - 09:19 AM
Go down to the local dealer & look at them both. The Getaway is a MUCH bigger, MUCH heavier boat. Think about what you will need to do to actually get it in the water,(mast up beach storage, trailer every day). You might need a set of beach wheels for it.
The kids can drag the wave next year, YOU will be dragging the Getaway. Kids can right a Wave with just a piece of line around the base of the mast...though most waves don't even have a righting line, they just throw the jib sheet over the hull. The Getaway will not be right-able by 2 small kids
If you have mast up storage, you don't even need a trailer for a Wave. They can be cartopped,(more pain than the dealer makes it out to be), but if you move it once a year they are easy to put in the back of a truck.
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Posted: Dec 29, 2012 - 01:29 PM
You know when it comes down to it the maturity of your boys is the key not the boat you are buying. I was raised on the water and could sail a Hobie 16 when I was twelve.(Flipping was just another adaventure). On the other hand my boys are 15 and 21 and could not sail a boat in a bathtub. I am staying with my choice of a used P16.
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Posted: Dec 30, 2012 - 03:48 AM
Exactly, a used P16. easy nice boats great to have fun with. you can sail with them and they can sail it alone. you can even solo it with just a main on it upwards to 25 knots.
I'm (175 lbs) able to right the P16 against the wind solo. so your kids should be able to do that too.
But Sail with them until they show you that they can sail it alone.
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Stefan, Denmark.
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