Design and Construction
The Fox is an 8.5-foot-beam catamaran with a fractional sloop rig and 146 square feet of working sail. Its hand-laid-up sandwich/polyester construction sets it apart from simpler recreational cats.
The hull form is the real story. Volume is carried low in the hulls for wave-piercing performance, while flat sections amidships and aft help the boat climb onto a plane rather than plow through the water. The bows have reverse rake, and a hard knuckle marks the point where each stem meets the hull bottom. The shape looks purposeful rather than decorative.
Rig and Handling
The Fox is designed for two big men on trapezes, and its sail plan reflects that athletic brief. The rig carries a large fathead mainsail and a high-aspect-ratio jib with a 20-degree head angle. That narrow angle keeps the forward sail efficient and depowered in a breeze. An asymmetrical 269-square-foot spinnaker is optional for downwind speed.
Below the water, a high-aspect-ratio board sits well aft and uses foils developed for the F-18 Hobie Tiger. This gives the Fox a grounded, controllable foil profile rather than that of a cruising daggerboard.
Compared with the 16-foot Hobie Getaway, the Fox weighs only 29 pounds more but carries an additional 66 square feet of sail. The result is a boat that’s much quicker than the Getaway while remaining close to its smaller sibling in mass.
Accommodations
The Fox is a speedster with no pretense of cabin life. Its 20-foot length and catamaran platform are devoted to racing geometry and trapeze work, not berths or galley space.
Durability and Ownership
The Fox isn’t as durable or trouble-free as the Hobie Getaway, a difference that stems directly from its more refined and less forgiving construction and hull engineering. Its hand-laid sandwich laminate and low-volume, wave-piercing hulls require more careful ownership than the simpler Getaway.
The hard knuckle at the stem-to-hull junction is a stress concentration in a hull shape that meets waves with pierced, low profiles rather than buoyant topsides. The well-aft, high-aspect board also loads the rear hull structure in ways that a simpler cruising board wouldn’t.
The Verdict
The Hobie Fox is a focused 20-foot Formula 20 catamaran that trades the bulletproof simplicity of Hobie’s recreational cats for outright speed. Its wave-piercing hulls, flat planing sections, Tiger-derived foils, and fathead rig make it a genuine trapeze racer. That performance comes with a durability penalty compared with the Getaway, however, along with a need for attentive upkeep.
Pros
- Meets Formula 20 class requirements as a dedicated racer
- Low-volume, wave-piercing hulls and flat sections designed to promote planing
- Well-aft, high-aspect board with F-18 Hobie Tiger foils
- 66 square feet more sail than the Getaway for only 29 pounds more weight
Cons
- Less durable and trouble-free than the Hobie Getaway
- Hand-laid sandwich laminate demands careful ownership
