Hobie Wave Provides Fun Ride for Beginning Sailors
By Thom Burns
Last
Saturday I went to a multi-hull open house sponsored by the very friendly folks
at the Lake Waconia Sailing Club. Here I ran into Brad Nelson of Hi Tempo Ski,
Bike and Sail in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Brad was demonstrating one of the
new generation of roto-molded polyethelene boats. These boats are appealing to
me because they are inexpensive and based on their kayak and canoe counterparts
are extremely durable.
Hobie Cat's "Wave," in its second year of production, is a fun little catamaran designed specifically for beginning sailors. It is attractive with built in seats on the pontoons and an optional seat backrest which Brad feels really makes the boat comfortable and is a very popular accessory.
I single-handled the "Wave" in light winds where it performed well for a simple, beginning boat. This boat should not be measured against bigger, quicker catamarans because it is a beginners boat. Its difficult to tell in light winds if the boat is very tippy, but it does come with a mast flotation device which is designed to keep the boat from turning turtle. Four adults onboard would be a crowd but, two plus a child or pet does work.
The boat comes with a host of cool options including jib, cruising type spinnaker, and a zippered reefable main sail.
The ease of assembly and trailerability really impressed me.
This is truly a 15 - 20 minute breakdown at most and set-up is just
as
quick according to Brad. He is so enthused with the ease of trailerability and
set-up that he is renting the whole rig including trailer for half days, days
and weekends. This could be an enjoyable way to spend a weekend at "the cabin."
The Hobie Cat Wave looks like a good value which will bring another generation of sailors into the catamaran ranks.
Thom Burns publishes Northern Breezes and Sailing Breezes. Hobie Cat
For further info contact: Hi Tempo Ski & Sail: 651.429.3333 - Hobie Cat: 800.462.4349 - Sailing World Inc.: 847.973.0000
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