Cotton wrote:
How much wind do you need to have fun on something like a Hobie? I've really enjoyed sailing during vacations etc, but doubt I can get much going with one on the lakes we have in middle TN.
8-10mph of wind is when the boat really starts to come alive.
You might have a problem on a small lake not only with the amount of air but also the terrain around the lake disturbing the air causing additional wind shifts over and above the wind shifting on its own.
What this means is practicing on a small lake will make you a great sailor or simply frustrate you to no end.
Racing in light air is much more challenging than heavy air because you must be able to read the shifts an play boat speed much more carefully. Light air sailing in the context of racing changes the boredom factor drastically.
Another thing to also consider is a Hobie 16 is much harder to tack than most other sailboats. When you combine that with the amount of boat speed you can generate too small of a lake will leave you making lots of tacks. Again. This will make you a better sailor
I have never had Jetskis but I had a friend who had two. As he said, you need to have two to have fun, but, as a single guy he was surprised how expensive it was to insure the second ski. He stated that the insurance company implied that they knew he would be driving the one unit but would never really know who was driving the second unit and therefore really jacked up the insurance rates on the second unit. I am not sure if this is true but it may be worth checking out if you are single.
Since these skis will be used in Michigan, do you really want skis and the shorter season that brings? Jetskiing is a wet activity. For Northern MI, this likely means the second week of June till the second week of Sept represents the water temps that would be tolerable.
Since full size boating does not have to be a wet activity, you could get an additional 8 weeks of use (May till Oct)?
Can PWC run at night? I think they can not (I could be wrong.) Full boat can.
I love the sailing recommendations since that too is my passion. You want crazy speed? Flying Moth!!
This video shot on Detroit River and Lake St Clair
Very cool but not cheap since we are talking the lightest composite materials for everything.
Do you have enough balls to take on KiteBoarding?
With a modified board you can also do this on the winter snow/ice on the same lake.
To address the OP, if you are interested in a PWC, check out Greenhulk Forum. Lot's of great help there for most models. I picked up a Polaris SL750, and have found that the Fuji (Blue) engine is pretty robust and easy to work on. TONS of them are out there and parts are on Ebay all the time. The forum has recommended upgrades and repairs and tips. Polaris does not hold it's resale value well, so they are cheap to buy compared to other models. If you want something that is not real sexy, but simple and rugged, it will get you out on the water. Plus, a PWC can be towed behind a smaler vehicle.
If you are looking for a cheap boat, you will see a lot of 80's Bayliners out there, and the Capri in particular. They were pretty cheap to begin with compared to higher-end models, and they made a lot of sizes and styles. (Open bow, cabin cruiser, aft cabin...) I have never had one, but I have been around a lot of them. The basic open-bow in 18 foot range has a simple 4-cylinder inboard that seem to run forever with just a little maintenance. Buy the best one you can find in your price range, and you will probably be able to get on the water without too much added work or expense. Avoid any with hull issues or transom issues.
They also made a 16-foot with an inboard or outboard motor that pops up a lot. I like the outboard option: you can swap out the entire motor and drivetrain, or take it into the garage to work on it. It is rated at 6 people instead of 8, but is a bit smaller to tow as well. When the little man is older, I will probably move from PWC to a small boat so the family can go out.
The Boston Whaler is a GREAT boat, but they hold their value very well. Worth every penny, but around here (NE) they can be expensive. Maybe someplace like FL they are more reasonable.
Another option is aJetboat. These are little 3-4 person boats made by the PWC companies (mostly SeaDoo) that use the same engine and drive. I would avoid the dual-engined ones (twice the stuff to go wrong and twice the expense) For $4k, you have the fun of a PWC but you can stay dry and bring a friend or date or the kids.
