WOW that is some area of sail!!!! If only someone would put a set of T foil rudders on a Hobie 14 then they would really be able to use that power to it's fullest potentual.
Yeah, when going upwind and you get a puff, you tend to go over backwards. Downwind is a hoot. The unfortunate thing is that the 14 doesn't have big enough bows--now, if I could get foils on the boat, it would be amazing!
I have the boat set up like a little Hobie 18 and I had Chip make me a jib with a zipper. I can run the Hooter with the jib as well, but that would be a lot of lines on the boat and I would take a big hit for carrying the sail. I use the same attachment location for either sail--I use Oxen blocks to control the Hooter and switch out to the stock Harkens when I go Turbo.
I tried it with both sails once and it was just too much. That was on another boat where I had it rigged as a stock Turbo and I attached the Hooter blocks on the side rails.
The only way I would run Hooter and jib at the same time would be if I had a self-tacking jib, but I don't see that ever hapening..
You really don't want to ever cleat a headsail. In the light stuff, it would be OK, but in anything else, you are asking for trouble. I prefer the Oxens--mainly because I happened to have a set lying around and I got used to them. You really only need a ratcheting block that would help you hold the sheet. When I'm running the Hooter, I set the main and forget it. I sail by the Hooter sheet only, so I don't have to worry with two lines.
