#2

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havliii
Professional
Posts: 272
Joined: March 27th, 2011, 8:12 pm
Boat Make/Model: SuperCat 19, Modded SC20
Location: Fredericksburg Virginia

#2

Post by havliii »

Can anyone tell me? What is the second 'best selling' catamaran of all time? (this is a lead-in to a discussion of what makes a great boat?) and by 'best selling' I specifically mean 'raw numbers of boats sold.'

My GUESS, I put the emphasis on GUESS, is that it would have to be another Hobie boat, or possibly one of the Prindle series. thoughts?
GeneHacker
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Joined: October 1st, 2013, 3:06 pm
Boat Make/Model: SuperCat 20

Re: #2

Post by GeneHacker »

My guess would be either H18 or P16. I am guessing the H14 was a bit behind those two. This is just from what I see on the water and in the classified ads.
Laz
Devloping
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Joined: September 20th, 2010, 11:21 am
Boat Make/Model: SuperCat 15

Re: #2

Post by Laz »

Did the Laser Cat ever find success?

Our local sailing school had deals with both Laser and Hobie - they had the latest and greatest every season, from Waves to H16s to Laser Cats, as well as Lasers and Escapes.
"Sonja" - SC15, Havre de Grace MD (top of the Chesapeake).
Bill Roberts
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Joined: November 17th, 2003, 9:13 pm
Location: Stuart, Florida

Re: #2

Post by Bill Roberts »

First of all, what is the defination of "a great boat"? The conversation seems to be going toward the H16.
Well let me tell you about the H16. Back in the 60s and 80s I lived on a lake in West Palm Beach, Florida. There were two sailing fatilities on the lake. Both times from H16s and both times the boats pitchpoled on unsuspecting new sailors.
I use to race committee major H16 championship regattas. I noticed that the first boat to the windward mark among the top sailors was always the boat that tacked the fewest times. The boat tacks so poorly, so slowly, that you lose more in tacking than you gain on sailing on the new and better, lifted, tack. In a good breeze on a reach just as the boat begins to go fast, it pitchpoles. Hobie sailors learned to "blow the jib" as they put it to avoid pitchpole. Early Hobies came out with swept back rudders which delivered severe weather helm. It didn't take too long for the sailors to solve the problem and tell the factory what to do. Early Hobies came out with no mast stepping linkage to hold the base of the mast in or near the cup as the mast was raised. This was done by hand while another person raised the mast while standing at the aft end of the tramp. Sometimes the person holding the bottom of the mast let the mast slip between their hands and then the bottom of the mast hit them in the face and damage was done, (I won't go into details here.)
Much Hobie sailing was also done out in the ocean off Palm Beach. When a summer squall caught them out in the ocean, they could not let the mainsail down.* They couldn't walk out in front of the boat far enough to release the halyard lock. Sometimes a guy and his girlfriend turned over in the ocean and they weren't heavy enough to right the boat. If no one came to help them, they were moving up the coast at about 4 knots.
What made the H16 sell so well? Timing and cheap price and a sailing public that was ignorant about catamaran sailboats.
So, we are back to " what is the defination of a great boat"?
Bill
* Why do you think that the mainsail halyard lock was at the base of the mast on the original SCs?
havliii
Professional
Posts: 272
Joined: March 27th, 2011, 8:12 pm
Boat Make/Model: SuperCat 19, Modded SC20
Location: Fredericksburg Virginia

Re: #2

Post by havliii »

My "curiosity and the question" is really about which beach catamaran would be ranked #2 in the world in "total number sold." After the Hobie 16 the numbers fall off dramatically. The Hobie 18 might be the second "best seller", I don't know. One of the Nacra boats might also hold the title of #2. Sales figures are hard ascertain.

I am curious about who (?) actually took a chunk of the market share away from Hobie and what boat was it? Is it still in production? or did it sink with the decline in the overall demand for catamarans?
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