Just a story I felt like sharing. I have a 10ft Dolphin and a H16. I sail the dolphin more than i'd like to due to needing a new tramp for the 16. Here's the story... Recently went to a resort in Jamaica where they had several Hobie Waves and a few Sunfish sailboats. I've never sailed on the ocean before and my new wife suggested to me that it's much different than being on a lake, to which i shrugged and helped push the sunfish into the water. I can sail the dolphin all day on it's edge, but no sooner did I get 20 yards into the water it was upside down. I was in the process of righting the boat when I noticed the rescue boat starting up . I got the boat over and sailed back to shore to lot's of applause and more laughs. Later I took out a Wave and had no such problems. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I had a similar thing happen as far as the rescue boat deal. One time we were out and it was getting really rough and windy so we decided to reef the main before comming back in (oh yeah, on an H16). In the process of scrambling around trying to get the thing lowered we got hit by a huge wave and flipped. everything was still ok though, and as it turned out we had gotten carried over a sandbar (hince the waves) so the water was only like 4 feet deep. We were going to just right it and sail back in but the coast guard came up in a jet ski. apparently some tourists on the beach had gotten a little to excited over the whole thing and called them. They made us let them tow us back in, and in the end we made the paper as "Sailors in Danger" or something like that. It was pretty embarassing. Just thought I would share.

I learned a valuable lesson the time I took three rather heavy friends on a rental H16 at a popular beach in SC.

With heavy winds the owners were reluctant to let me sail, but I assured them that I was experienced and knew exactly what I was doing. After a brief do this and don't do that, the four of us were off.

The first 15 seconds were a blast. We took off into the Atlantic at an incredible rate and not even 50 yards out and at probably 20 knots the bow submerges and we pitchpole. I watched my three beer-bellied friends slide into water while taking out the jib cleats and the jib sail. I landed on the main and after gathering the wounded and shouting orders to right the boat we were just then greeted by a jetski coming to rescue. One friend decides this is the best way back so he hops on the back of the jetski while we right the boat. It was not that big of a deal until we righted the boat and discovered the damage. The mainsail was ripped straight through from my plunge into the water. The jib was flapping along with the cleats that were once attached to the boat and my friends seemed to be in shock. After making it back to shore the rental place tries to charge me for the damages. It looked like his boat had been in a hurricane. After arguing to no avail and finally agreeing to pay, the credit card machine wouldn't work and he asked if I'd come back tomorrow.

Ha. Ofcouse I would, I said. I was 18 and didn't feel bad about lying. Lesson learned: Don't sail with three fat guys in heavy wind.

Wow, that boat must not have been in too goo of shape in the first place if you ripped through the sail. Once I was trying to keep up with a friend in his Nacra 6.0 we were doing 20 or more knots and a wave came over the fronts of the hulls and we went over forward. I landed on the sail but I didn't rip through it. In fact, for several seconds after the flip and before it sagged all the way to the water it was pretty solid, i had to walk off the edge of it and jump into the water. It kind of reminded me of those of those ninja movies where they run across the water with the cloth thing. Anyway, what i mean is. I'm pretty sure sails are supposed to be a little more durable than that.

yeah, you're right. that's why I was pissed that they wanted to charge me for damages that were obviously due to old, worn out equipment. That sail shredded like paper.

Ya, I got one like that. Was 21, trip to Hollywood, Fla and we rent a TheMightyHobie18 on the beach in Miami. I'd sailed since childhood on monos and always dreamed of cats/Hobies. My friend had never sailed before. We head out with a storm in the distant in winds probably in the 15-20 knot range. We're screaming back and forth along beach a fair way's out when the leeward hull goes under like a torpedo and I experience my first (and very violent) pitchpole. We go butt over kester and before can say "where's the righting line", we've turtled. My friend sits in the middle of the overturned tramp and decides this is the best place to stay, being a "non swimmer" and all (he now tells me). Next, I find the TheMightyHobie18 is in water only 6" shallower than the overtunred mast and with each rise and fall of the waves, the mast is banging/scraping/grinding on the coral below. Fearing I woul have to pay for just about everything on the boat, I remove the jib and main somehow and roll them up on the tramp (friend helped with the rolling). Now we see our "rescue" boat coming out - another TheMightyHobie18!!!!! Gak!. Are you kidding!!!! The young kid who rented us the boat is there, telling us the hulls are full of sand to make them heavier so the boat is harder to tip and thus impossible to right. We removed the mast/boom (underwater still) and put them on the tramp too. So now he "tows" us to shore upside down with the TheMightyHobie18 - yes, 2 hours and a few hundred yards down the shore, we hit the shore. The guy and his friend now turn over the boat in the pseudo surf and break a rudder off. Until then, I thought nothing was broken. My eyes, mind you, were blood shot beyond belief having removed the sails and all rigging in the salty water with no mask. At this point, I figured "what the hell" and just watched as they brought the boat to shore.
First thing he does is put the mast up and "GAK" it's bowed sideways more than I care to remember. At this point my mind is returning to Hobie catagues I'd looked at the in the past, trying remember how much $$$$ I was going to have to fork out. Of course, all this time, my friend is just lookin' around like this always happens when you go sailing.
Unbelievably, the beach rental guy invites us for a beer in his tent. He says he'll bend the mast back himself and we just had to pay him $90 for a new rudder. We gladly gave him the $$ despite his rather detailed instructions on how, in the close neighbourhood, we could easily go out at night and steal one!!!
Total sailing time - about 40 minutes, total time until I could begin to forget the incident - 4 1/2 hours!!!!
Geez Louise........

Wow. I've taken non-swimmers out before but they told me beforehand and I made them wear lifejackets. I can't believe the guy filled the hulls with sand. That doens't seem like the best way to go about making sure people dont flip. Also, once in my H16 we flipped it with one of the hulls totally swamped and the other one about half full and it took 4 people to do it but eventually we got it back up. Maybe in the 18 though it's different, I've never flipped one of those. I hope you didn't actually steal anyone's rudder....

Steal a rudder, are you kidding. I was thinking I was out at least $1000!!!! I had my wallet open before he had a chance to tell me it was only $90. Imagine - going for a pleasure ride and 3 hours later forking out the $$$ for a new mast!!! That would have been a disaster. I must admit though, with all the crap that day, it was a great first day in a Hobie!!!