I sailed and raced a Hobie 18 for years. Also solo'd it frequently. I live near Dunedin Florida. My business took me to France for the last 10 years, but I get enough time back in Fla to justify getting another cat. I will do alittle of everything: some racing, soloing, partying with friends. I have no experience with Nacra's (used to have Hobie 12 and 14, too). Any advice? Concerned with performance, ease of handling on the beach, comfort on board, and righting it. Anyone want to throw 2 cents into the discussion?

racing and soloing i'd say A-cat

partying with friends i'd say getaway....

which will you do more of?

570 does seem like a nice cat, some owners of the older 5.7 solo them on lakes and they are big enough for friends

but at 19'? they are pretty big to right in case of tip over, how heavy are you?　　

I am a lite weight...150 lbs, I figured water bag or righting pole was a necessity either way. The weight dif on the 3 boats is only 20lbs (the 17's are 340 and the 570 is 360).

I would say Nacra 500 with spin because you can single hand it and right it by yourself. The 570 you can't right with one person (easily). The F17 is also a good choice but you would need a water bag to right it.

An F16 would be a good choice but more expensive and complicated and if you aren't racing then not necessary.

I loved my FXone, but its kind of a bastard boat and there aren't many around. It sails really well, the mast sucks, but there aren't that many out there. I needed a bag to right mine, I weigh ~160lbs.

come on down to the causeway and ask around on a sat/sun morning.

My chioce would be another 18' boat but more modern than the TheMightyHobie18. With a bag you can right it, we have lots of cats here that would help in a pinch (as do the jet ski's and motorboats)

A-cat's not going to work around here, in fact any boat with long boards will be a mistake. Just too shallow in too many places. I would look at the Nacra 570 from the list you offered.

Hi Karl, What was problem with the FX1 mast? Did the "bastard" comment refer to the fact that very few are out there? Thanks to all for input.

Yes, there are very few out there.

The mast is stiff for what the boat is. But on the flip side it'd be really tough to break on the water. Great boat to learn spinnaker handling in that respect.

P.P.Dave mentioned the F16...is that the Falcon F16 made in Fla? If so it does look nice. Is it durable? It looks like the rudders are raised and lowered with lines vs the auto kickup/locking sytem on the Hobies and Nacras. Looks like the old Prindle system which was crappy (and that's kind). Any comments? I do like the lighter weight ... 240 lbs.

F16's come in many flavors.
Blades, Falcons, Vipers (austrailian), and others. It is open to anybuilder who follows the Formula design.

I hear the new f16's are as fast as the new f18's
The vipers look amazing, i want to ride one and own 3

Vipers look good but why in the world would anyone buy a boat that is 40+lbs OVER the minimum weight for the class?

Because weight is not the only reason to buy a particular boat. Why would you buy a Falcon when you can buy a Blade which is lighter yet?

Better yet, why not the Taipan, which the F16 class is based off of and it's underweight.

Mike

Given the choice would you go for a light boat or a fast one?

LOL!

Let's not start a **** storm!

I probably shouldn't have said anything myself, I was just reiterating what Karl said.

In all seriousness, they both can be fast in the right hands.

Mike

Get back on topic, guys.

How many threads have to be hijacked by the "Which F16 is lighter, better, faster, blah, blah, blah..."? Use the search engine and reread rather than "hijack and rehash" this tired topic.

Watch, I predict that the next post will be about the poor forward hull volume in the Taipan. You guys never change.

What about the original posted question?

But there is that dreaded poor forward hull volume in the Taipan.

Oh...never mind.

OK, let's keep this on topic!!!!!

First, I'll say that I have a Viper, but I have been on other F16's(Blade and Trident,home build) and think that the systems work just as well. They will kick up easier if you hit something compared to the Viper's system. I have seen someone break the arm on the Viper from it not disengaging quickly enough. They DID NOT break the rudder, just the fiberglass arm that holds it in place.

The Viper can be a little harder to lock in, but there is no mistake that they are locked in when you do it. The other, sometimes you might not get them down far enough.

Rick changed to the line system on his Taipan cause he didn't like the way the rudders would lock down/kick up easily enough.

In reality, it's what you prefer and it's all about choices!


Mike