Hoot: Simply Fast
Our goal has been to build a sailboat that was Simply Fast. During the design process, if a design or rigging feature didn’t make the Hoot either easier to sail or a lot faster it was left off. No trailer, no slip fees, no “go fast” strings, gizmos or additional sails. Nothing to get in the way of heading out on the water. So you can keep your head out of the boat and your mind on tactics (or the simple joy of sailing).
The Hoot is cartoppable. It has its own wheels, so you can just grab the bow and tow it along. The 50 lb. hull can even be carried under one arm! It is simple and quick to rig so you can spend less time rigging and more time out on the water.
The Hoot is very responsive and very fast. It can plane to windward in about 7 knots — with the boatspeed at around 8 knots, and can sail upwind at 8–9 knots tacking through 90–110 degrees. We’ve clocked the Hoot routinely at 17 to 18 knots. We’ve shown some speeds in the 20 knot range — but we have seen other people go down in flames for claiming top sailing speeds in excess of 20 knots, so we’re not making that claim. It’s a rough crowd out there.
Going 17 knots in a single hander sailboat, flying above the water, is just a Hoot!