Yes, gybe instead :-) You'll never tack as gracefully in a Hobie as when you're in a Laser, although with a bit of practise you should be able to get it not too bad.
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<br>One rule of thumb to always follow (actually this is true in all boats, just espescially so in Hobies): tack from close-haul to close-haul. (If you do it right, when you're done you'll be 90 degrees from your original point of sail.) Even starting from a close-reach is too far from the wind (in my experience) to bring you all the way through and past irons, you'll stall out and then have to do that "sail backwards" thing to get out of irons.
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<br>Backwinding the jib helps a lot too.
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<br>And, of course, a bit of practise. (As if we really need an excuse to get out there more often!)
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<br>The only thing I have a real problem with when tacking on my H16 is that the jib battens almost always get stuck on their own halyard, and it is a real pain in the butt to try to snap them free. Maybe this isn't a problem in heavier winds but I haven't owned my H16 long enough to tell for sure. I noticed Hobie has a batten hinge that is supposed to help deal with this but I haven't yet tried them, might go pick up a set. I just thought I'd add this in case you were having this happen on your tacks as well.
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<br>cheers!<br><br>