What is the optimal crew weight for a Hoot?
Chris (the designer) weighs in at about 200 lbs. Doug (the guy in most of the photos) is 180 lbs., and Carla (the petite brunette) only admits to 118 lbs. in a wetsuit. We sail in the SF Bay in pretty good winds. The boat can handle all of us. In lighter air, we’ve watched the boat just get up and go with Carla sailing. So we’re not really sure what would be ideal. The rig has huge range so lighter people will be able to hang on in higher wind, but we haven’t had enough experience racing Hoots against each other to see whether heavier or lighter people win out. The boats are very sensitive to skill. Keeping the boat flat and the rig hooked up pay enormous dividends.
