For the past month or two I've been really wanting to get a H16. A few days ago I went sailing with one of my dad's friends in Stuart on his 24 foot trimaran, and he was telling me stories of when he had a 16 back in the 80s and said it was a great, fun, boat, but that I should look into a "modern boat" like a Nacra. "The Hobie was designed more than 30 years ago by a surfer, not a sailor!" he said. He raved about the Inter 20 and Nacra 6.0, but these are way too big for me. I'll be sailing solo sometimes, and I want something simpler and faster to rig.

When I got back I searched this forum for anything I could find about the 5.0. I also found one from '98 selling on Chris's Miami Catamarans site for $2500, which is a near perfect price-point. I've found lots of H16's nearby (cheaper too), but they're all from the '70s or '80s and have at least a worrisome amount of delamination in the hulls.

I know a lot of people are pretty passionate about one cat company over the other, but I guess what I wanna know is, what makes you be so loyal to one brand over the other? I'd like to hear what kind of experiences I'd be having - and what I'd be missing! - if I went with a Nacra 5.0 over a Hobie 16, or vice versa.


A bit about how I plan to sail the cat: I live in Orlando, FL, and will be trailering over to the coast to sail in the indian river and in the atlantic. I've read about surfing a cat, and that sounds like lots of fun if you know what you're doing! I don't plan to race very often. I'll be a senior in high school, so I'll be sailing with a friend mainly to hang out and satisfy our apetites for speed. Not to mention, taking a few girls out too for some good high school fun (you baby boomers were there one day, right?).

We can make this thread another one of those Holy War Hobie vs. any-other-brand kind of skirmishes, or a controlled-chaos kind of debate. And yes, there's a difference between debate and war =) Most of all I'm just trying to decide on the best boat for me.

Thanks!