Hi all. I'll be in Ruskin next weekend and I'm really looking forward to getting out on a beach cat. I can't seem to find a website with info on rentals.

Does anyone have any info they can share? My cat hasn't seen water for some years and I'm long overdue for some white knuckled hull flying

Regards,
Mark

Not Ruskin, but Bradenton Beach....

Coastal Watersports
1301 Gulf Dr N
Bradenton Beach, FL
(941) 778-4969

Hey thanks. They have an 18 there. How much different is the 18 compared to a 16? I spent many hours on an older hobie cat 16. I would pass on the Hobie Waves they have. I'm not sure how much fun I would have trying to fly the hull on one of those.

I'v only sailed my local lakes (which are frozen right now) and couple times in Lake Michigan. I just wasn't as interested in the smaller lakes after sailing in the big lake. I noticed the water temp in Tampa Bay was 69 degrees today. Judging by the response I got from family down there, the water is too cold. Is it cold? Is it because he spent 30 years in the Florida heat? I'm pretty hell bent on getting out on the water for a day. I'll bring my wetsuit if I must. I sure hope I'm not getting my hopes up too high for nothing.

If you really want to sail hard, check in with the local sail clubs (Dunedin, Gulfport, Davis Island, TBCS, etc) and see if anyone there is sailing while you're down there.

If I recall, the H-18 has daggarboards and the H-16 doesn't? It may have wings, too.

I can't speak for this specific rental operation, but generally speaking the equipment isn't "race ready" and they'd probably frown upon you pushing the H-18 to its limit. The settings (mast rake, jib blocks, rudder rake) will be all wrong, too. And they likely won't want you fussing with it.

If the operator/owner is a sailor, you'll see the equipment is in better shape (like the Islander).

I rented an H-16 once in Key West and there were no trapeze lines (on purpose), and the hiking strap (if you can call it that) was far from adequate.

In many cases, a flying hull would indicate the renter has no clue what's going on and it's probably going to necessitate the rental operator to go out there and get you.

The Wave, on the other hand, can be quite fun in and of itself, even if you can't really get the hull up high. If the wind is up it will scoot quite nicely (again, sails and rigging probably won't be top notch) and you can practice your beach landings at full speed.

I got chased down by the operator (again in Key West) on a Jet Ski when I got their Wave flying a hull (4 people on board, three had to sit on the low side and it was blowing 18) who thought I was going to break something

Heck, I've seen them tow the Waves to the surf line by tying a rope to a 4-wheeler and dragging the thing (makes anyone who sails a high-performance cat freak out)

Longboat isn't known for huge surf, but the chop can be steep and nasty on a NW blow.

And 69 F water temp is pretty cold but tolerable if the sun is out and the air temp is around 80 F or so. If the weather is crappy, the operator may not even be around that day.

Not sure if any of that helps, but I hope you have a great trip down to FL.

and if you really want "white knuckle" hull flying action, ask Forrest to take you out on his N20. That is one mean production machine.

In a very general sense, the only major differences between the TheMightyHobie18 and the H16 are that the 18 has dagger boards, so you have to remember to put them down and then pull them up when you come in (it shouldn't take you long to figure that one out). And the 18 is a much more stable platform. It has a lot more volume in the bows so much lower tendency to want to pitchpole. Otherwise, they are quite similar.

As mentioned above, a lot is going to depend on the condition of the boat itself. If it's an old clunker, half full of water, not rigged properly, etc, you probably won't be able to do much more than cruise around at low speed.

sm

You're on vacation, not racing, and haven't sailed in a long time.

First choice: Hook up with a local fleet, as mentioned above.

Second choice: I'd go with a Wave, and pick a windy enough day to make it fun (10+ knots). Don't go out alone, because if you flip or fall off, they are very difficult to climb back aboard.

Mike

Great info guys. Thanks very much. I'd love to get out on a N20 someday. I beat my Hobie16 pretty bad but I don't live across the street from a lake anymore and it's too much of a pain to get it there. I also don't have the right trailer so that sucks.

It's just my wife and I and she won't dare get on a cat with me after seeing me "almost flip" mine. Thats what she calls it when a hull starts coming out of the water. "You almost flipped it the whole time you were out there, your probably doing it wrong".

Anyhow all good points. Especially true about the equipment and who maintains it. Seems to come to mind every time I rent something and I shouldn't expect too much. I used to be in the water within 30 minutes after I got home from work day after day. It's all I really cared about summer after summer. I kinda want to go out to the garage and stare at it now:)

Thanks guys, I'll let ya know how it worked out.

LOL

If you were racing, she'd be right, of course...

Mike

On the 'cold water' thing, bear in mind that in August, the Gulf of Mexico water temp is usually around 92, so for a Tampa local, 69 seems absolutely frigid. If you are used to sailing in water that's 50-55, then the 69 will feel like warm bath water.

Shocking to us northerners, but people in FL actually close their pools in the winter...

Mike

Or spend crap-loads in fuel to heat them to a chilly 78

in the 40's tonight here in clearwater.. not to many people using their pool this time of year (except the lunatic we sail with who swims every day of the year in his unheated pool)

This is wet or dry suit weather. if you fall in, your gonna be very, very cold on the sail back to the beach unless you have the correct gear (and a dry set of it after you go swim)

PS you can also rent trimarans in Dunedin (just north of clearwater)
they are dryer, bullet proof and fun in good wind

I believe a cold front is rolling in this weekend, which can bring some "fun" winds... Renting a Weta or a Wave could be quite fun...

40 in Clearwater certainly would be nuts!

I had relatives in Pinellas Park and St. Pete, but only visited in spring or summer.

The coldest I remember was in the 50s one March. I raced at MWE at DIYC a few times, don't recall that being too cold.

One thing's for sure: Mother Nature doesn't like to be predictable. Up here, we're having another dry winter. The weathermen are reminding us that last winter started this way, then we got buried with record snow (for the region, over nine feet total).

Mike

Actually you just heat the hot tub not the pool.

70%chance of rain friday
highs in the upper 50's for the weekend.
water is currently below 60*
wind in the upper 20's on sat

Good weekend for a movie

For sure... I recall one Tradewinds weekend when a nasty front rolled through and it was 38 F in Key Largo Sunday morning (and blowing like stink)