I have a Hobie 16 and I weigh 176 lbs. I have read on the forum that a bag is needed to right the Hobie when capsized. The question is:
-Hobie have 2 different sizes of bags, one with capacity 88 lbs, the other one 250 lbs, which one do you think I need given my body weight?

Small bag should do it.

The small bag will do. I weight about the same as you and have righted my 16 with no assistance or bag.

I respectfully (but heartily) disagree with the resposes above. I, too, am about 175 lbs and have righted my Hobie 16 several times solo...without bag or assistance. But those were in ideal conditions....relatively flat water and big wind. I've also been in conditions where there's no way I could have righted it solo without the larger bag.....big waves and lighter (~8kt) wind...alone and a mile or so offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Many people will tell you that if there's enough wind to dump you then there's enough wind to right solo. However, this doesn't account for situations where a malfunction (trap unhooks or trap line breaks, for example), a lapse in judgement (aka stupidity), or even a rogue gust (that you won't see for the rest of the day) causes you to flip. Believe me (but don't ask how I know all this), when your out there alone and drifting toward the rocks on shore, you'll be glad you had the larger bag!

I got the big bag and practiced with it in NO wind....I can just barely right the boat in such conditions, but knowing it's possible is worth a lot. If you're gonna go bag...go BIG!

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi USA

P.S. to Tom: It was nice to meet you and sail with you guys at Cat Caper. Hope to see you again on the water somewhere this year!

Ill tell you what. Im about 175 lbs. I turned my 16 over a few times sailing solo. I found if I used a some of the end of the main and put a loop in the end of it and tie it to my trap seat you can use your 175 lbs to your advantage. It takes a minute but it will come up. Then you have to drop down and grab your bottom hull so it dosent go back over the other way.

I was of the school of thought that you shouldnt turn it over if there was little wind. I was wrong. My wife and I were out on a calm day. (she is terrified of the wind and turning over) So were having a nice time and I wasnt paying much attention to what little wind there was. We recieved a gust and over we went. Ice chest, magazines,sun glasses everything in the water,she was pissed. She would not help to get it back up. I couldnt do it. A frendly jet skier saw us and came to help. I tied a line to the jet ski. He wasnt sure of the outcome as the mast came toward him. But it settled down and we untied. I thanked him and had to take my wife home.

Kinda the same thing with me. The first time I had to right the boat by myself, I had a non-swimmer along who freaked out and did a death grip on a passing canoe. I got the boat up and had to peal her off the canoe. That was the first AND last time I ever took someone out who couldn't swim.

I am not a H16 sailor, but it seems as though 250 lbs should right a H16 in most conditions. If you need an additional 220 lbs of ballast to right the boat, then I would think something else is wrong. A couple of things to think about: main downhaul loosened, main sheet released, traveler released and most importantly - is the mast sealed at the top? A leaky mast head will certainly cause righting problems. Am I way off base in my assumption that this amount of weight should be sufficient?

Jerome, could this be your problem? Cat Caper was a good time. I have a new boat coming in March. If I had to pick between Slip-to-Ship or Island Hop - which should it be?

I weight about 250 lbs and sailed my H16 solo all the time. I have found that in light wind conditions I could right the boat, but it took time.

I think the best solution is to buy the big bag. That way if you need the weight you will have it. You can always decrease the amount of water in the bag as needed. The ease of this will depend on how you rig it.

i have a 120 lb. bag that works well for me, and im 160 lbs. i think its made by hobie, you could always go with the solo right system which would give you the maximum amount of leverage for your bodywieght.

Is the solo right system sufficient, or do I need the bag as well?

it seems rather sufficient, here is a link, on the 2nd page, you can see a photo montage of the thing in action, i think on the post as well there are explanations on how to use it, and even make one yourself. hope this helps... http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...ew=&sb=5&o=&fpart=2&vc=1

Excellent points, but I'm certain none of these are my problem. Perhaps it's not the weight but rather that I'm too damn short! Seriously, though, I think the key is "in most conditions". I probably could right my H-16 solo most of the time with the smaller bag. However, I sail solo in the Gulf, in winter, etc. a lot when there's no one close to help out, and I think one should be able to right solo reasonably quickly every time.....your boat or your life could possibly be at stake.



Slip To Ship....definitely! Better weather (especially if you're camping), better wind probabilities, and better turnout. It's typically much hotter for Island Hop but still a blast. I'll do my best to attend both, but won't plan on being able to camp for Island Hop. See you there!

Jerome

Good point. Release main and traveler. But the strenght of wind has a lot to do with bringing it back up. Get a little wind under the main and hear she comes.

Get the big bag (250 lbs). Even then, under "less than ideal" conditions you may be surprised how you will have to fill the bag right to the brim and really lean out and wait for a slow righting to occur.

If you have the budget, get the otional block/tackle/cleat for the bag...you won`t regret it. - I weight about 180 lbs at 5 ft 8 inches.


Dave