My wife and I are starting to look at trailerable sailboat. We are novice sailors and want a small boat that is stable and has a large cockpit, which the 14' seems to have as compared to a Vanguard, for example. We have read negative reviews on the Holder, specifically that it is strictly a novice's boat, slow, stiff. Is this true. Should we look elsewhere? What should a purchaser look for to be certain they are not buying a "dark repair hole?" Thanks!
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Holder Overview
The Holder-14 is an open cockpit, daggerboad day-sailor. L.O.A. 13'8" L.W.L. 12'6" Beam 6'2" Weight 265 lb. Sail Area 110 sq. ft. The hull design is a wide beam, hard chine... that is to say it's width is wider than average for it's length and the bottom transitions to the sides at a sharp corner rather than a rounding curve. This is a classic style similar to the wood hull Penguin and Point Jude sailboats. The benefit of this design is a stable, easy to sail boat. From the perspective of someone geared toward competative sailing, the Holder lacks the naked edge zip found sailing a 420 or 505. For the recreational sailor and occasional club racer the Holder provides simplicity and ease of handling. An automotive comparison would be the Volvo P-1800 to a Porsche. Pros: Easy to trailer; can be launched and sailed single-handed; simple rigging; Can be sporty, but not overwhelming for the liesure sailor; most parts are standard off-the-shelf sailboat hardware; used boats can be found for as little as $500. Cons: No longer in production so replacing major propriatary parts like the rudder assembly have to be custom... this would be rare and the cost is still no higher than the factory part would be. Similar boats to the Holder: Lido-14, Capri-14/14.2, Hunter-146 You can find detail info here - http://home.comcast.net/~vagabondsailing There's an owner's support group where you can get answers to specific questions - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HobieHolder I am interested to know where you found your reviews of the Holder.
The Holder-14 is an open cockpit, daggerboad day-sailor. L.O.A. 13'8" L.W.L. 12'6" Beam 6'2" Weight 265 lb. Sail Area 110 sq. ft. The hull design is a wide beam, hard chine... that is to say it's width is wider than average for it's length and the bottom transitions to the sides at a sharp corner rather than a rounding curve. This is a classic style similar to the wood hull Penguin and Point Jude sailboats. The benefit of this design is a stable, easy to sail boat. From the perspective of someone geared toward competative sailing, the Holder lacks the naked edge zip found sailing a 420 or 505. For the recreational sailor and occasional club racer the Holder provides simplicity and ease of handling. An automotive comparison would be the Volvo P-1800 to a Porsche. Pros: Easy to trailer; can be launched and sailed single-handed; simple rigging; Can be sporty, but not overwhelming for the liesure sailor; most parts are standard off-the-shelf sailboat hardware; used boats can be found for as little as $500. Cons: No longer in production so replacing major propriatary parts like the rudder assembly have to be custom... this would be rare and the cost is still no higher than the factory part would be. Similar boats to the Holder: Lido-14, Capri-14/14.2, Hunter-146 You can find detail info here - http://home.comcast.net/~vagabondsailing There's an owner's support group where you can get answers to specific questions - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HobieHolder I am interested to know where you found your reviews of the Holder.
I have sailed the Holder 14' among other smaller
sailboats and it is easy to sail and has a large comfortable cockpit for it's size. It will handle nicely in lighter winds but you may find yourself heading for (or staying on) shore when the wind picks up past 15 knots. I believe that the rigging for this boat is fairly simple too: 2 halyards, 2 sheets, centerboard pennant, rudder, 20' mast which one person should be able to hoist into place. I do not think this boat has stays on the mast which makes it even easier to rig prior to trailering. The Holder 14' is a fairly ideal boat for 2 people who want to do some casual sailing. Most repairs of this size boat can be done by you and thus will not cost a lot of money like they would on a larger boat with more systems. You have to determine if this is the right boat for the kind of sailing you want to do. I believe that I rented one and you should try to do this before you purchase your own. If all you want to do is enjoy some comfortable time on the water than this boat or the O'Day 17' would do nicely as they are both rigged in a minimal fashion. On the other hand, if you are a speed freak or an Alpha type personality and are competitive you might consider a boat like the Lightining 19' which are usually rigged for racing and are still being made (over 14,000 made). I bought one of these recently for a grand ($1K) with trailer and it came with 2 sets of sails and 2 spinnakers (which are not an option for most Holder 14's). The Lightning is a fast, sporty boat with a large cockpit that may seem a little cluttered compared to the Holder 14' as there are many more control lines (boom vang, mast rake, traveller, etc) you will need to become familiar with. My only complaint with the Lightning as a trailer sailor is that stepping and un-stepping the 30' (or so) mast is easiest with a crew of 4 whereas the Holder should be much easier to deal with in this regard. If you wanted to try sailing on a Lightning you might be able to get a position as crew on someone else's boat as there are several active Lightning racing fleets in Florida.
sailboats and it is easy to sail and has a large comfortable cockpit for it's size. It will handle nicely in lighter winds but you may find yourself heading for (or staying on) shore when the wind picks up past 15 knots. I believe that the rigging for this boat is fairly simple too: 2 halyards, 2 sheets, centerboard pennant, rudder, 20' mast which one person should be able to hoist into place. I do not think this boat has stays on the mast which makes it even easier to rig prior to trailering. The Holder 14' is a fairly ideal boat for 2 people who want to do some casual sailing. Most repairs of this size boat can be done by you and thus will not cost a lot of money like they would on a larger boat with more systems. You have to determine if this is the right boat for the kind of sailing you want to do. I believe that I rented one and you should try to do this before you purchase your own. If all you want to do is enjoy some comfortable time on the water than this boat or the O'Day 17' would do nicely as they are both rigged in a minimal fashion. On the other hand, if you are a speed freak or an Alpha type personality and are competitive you might consider a boat like the Lightining 19' which are usually rigged for racing and are still being made (over 14,000 made). I bought one of these recently for a grand ($1K) with trailer and it came with 2 sets of sails and 2 spinnakers (which are not an option for most Holder 14's). The Lightning is a fast, sporty boat with a large cockpit that may seem a little cluttered compared to the Holder 14' as there are many more control lines (boom vang, mast rake, traveller, etc) you will need to become familiar with. My only complaint with the Lightning as a trailer sailor is that stepping and un-stepping the 30' (or so) mast is easiest with a crew of 4 whereas the Holder should be much easier to deal with in this regard. If you wanted to try sailing on a Lightning you might be able to get a position as crew on someone else's boat as there are several active Lightning racing fleets in Florida.
Moving up fast
If you are planning to graduate from the novice class quikly and don't want to be stuck with a leisure sport boat like most of the ones mentioned earlier, get into a Finn or a Flying Junior. Both are around 14' with open cockpits. They are both true competition boats and will help you stay focused on sailing skills. Lots of fun for breaking into faster sailing.
If you are planning to graduate from the novice class quikly and don't want to be stuck with a leisure sport boat like most of the ones mentioned earlier, get into a Finn or a Flying Junior. Both are around 14' with open cockpits. They are both true competition boats and will help you stay focused on sailing skills. Lots of fun for breaking into faster sailing.
Holder 14 = Volvo 1800
I've owned a 1970 Volvo 1800E AND a 1984 Holder 14. Do I sense a pattern? The Holder is a great 1st boat. It can hold 3-4 adults with ease. As stated earlier it is easy to rig and is no racer. Perfect for light cruising with 2 adults. Recommended! ps: The Volvo was great too!
I've owned a 1970 Volvo 1800E AND a 1984 Holder 14. Do I sense a pattern? The Holder is a great 1st boat. It can hold 3-4 adults with ease. As stated earlier it is easy to rig and is no racer. Perfect for light cruising with 2 adults. Recommended! ps: The Volvo was great too!
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