You just aquired a Hobie 17. This boat does not
have a jib--just a mains'l. The fellow who gave it
to you compained he could not tack the boat.

What was he likely doing wrong?

What is the best way to tack the boat?

wrote:

What is the best way to tack the boat?

The rudder?

1) Get a jib. :-)
2) Don't rush the tack, since the boat will likely stall (unlike a mono).
3) Don't worry too much if it starts to back in the middle of the tack.
It'll recover, and away you'll go.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
You just aquired a Hobie 17. This boat does not
have a jib--just a mains'l. The fellow who gave it
to you compained he could not tack the boat.

What was he likely doing wrong?

What is the best way to tack the boat?

wrote:

You just aquired a Hobie 17. This boat does not
have a jib--just a mains'l. The fellow who gave it
to you compained he could not tack the boat.

What was he likely doing wrong?

Who the fark knows? Ineptitude knows no bounds. There used to be a
hobie 17 in these parts whose owners didn't know how to lower the main
sail, so they just left it up to flog 24/7.


What is the best way to tack the boat?

1. Make sure you have decent boat speed before the tack. i.e. you're not
pinching. That may mean footing off a bit if necessary

2. Easy with the tiller! You want a big wide turn, not a sharp angle. If
you stall the tiller the boat will stop. Since most cats have
signigicant weather helm, you can usually just let the tiller go slack
in your hand and the boat will round up nicely. No need to push it over.

3. Trim in the main to help the boat turn up into the wind. Once you
pass head to wind, ease it so that it doesn't fight you through the rest
of the turn.

4. Keep turning until you are on a close reach, then trim in the main
and sail off.

5. If you do get stuck in irons, center the tiller, backwind the main
(on the opposite side to where it was before you tacked) and once you
start moving backwards push the tiller *slightly* the opposite way that
you had it to tack. The boat will back around to the new tack. GOTO 4.

//Walt

Walt wrote:
.... Since most cats have
signigicant weather helm, you can usually just let the tiller go slack
in your hand and the boat will round up nicely.


I disagree with this statement. Since there are so-o
freakin' many Hobie 16s made over the years, perhaps they
tilt the majority of catamarans toward the "heavy weather
helm, tack poorly" axis. But if you look at all the
different type of catamarans, especially ones designed since
the mid-1970s, fewer and fewer have very hard weather helm.


.... Once you
pass head to wind, ease it so that it doesn't fight you through the rest
of the turn.


IMHO that's the single biggest key to tacking a multi, and
it doesn't hurt when tacking a monohull. Ease the main or
drop the traveler.

DSK

1 point for you Doug for bringing out this factor first.

What was so hard about that question? Everyone beat around
the bush and didn't cover the main point like you did Doug.

I'll give honorable mention to Walt and award one point to him
for writing a very nice summary

"DSK" wrote

IMHO that's the single biggest key to tacking a multi, and it doesn't hurt
when tacking a monohull. Ease the main or drop the traveler.

wrote
| You just aquired a Hobie 17. This boat does not
| have a jib--just a mains'l. The fellow who gave it
| to you compained he could not tack the boat.
| What was he likely doing wrong?
| What is the best way to tack the boat?



Hobies are hard to tack without getting irons. It's because they're very light for
their size. They stop before you know it when bow to the wind. You have to bear off
a little if your pinching and get your speed up. Then you can tack. But, don't dilly dally
around about it. You'll get in irons for sure. The best way to tack a Hobie is one way,
smartly.

Cheers,
Ellen