Hey Walter,
I bought a Prindle 18, having never sailed before and thought myself how to sail it. It is a great boat and basically pitch pole proof (even in fresh water), which is a good thing if you sail with little kids or non-extreme women.
I kind of out grew the boat after two years, but I added a spinnaker and am satisfied for a couple more. We have a member who has sailed his P18 for 10+ years and plans to sail it for many more years.
I would recommend the boat if you are going to have crew most of the time. I can right mine solo with a righting bag, but if I was solo most of the time I would probably get something more easily righted. The other guy at my club solos 90% of the time.
Were are you going to sail it?
Please ask me any questions you have I am happy to help!
Matt
A Prindle 18 is a great choice if you want a simple off the beach catamaran that requires very few adjustments once you have cleared the beach and have the rudders down. The boat is very light at 380 lb. and reaches as well as any of the 18 foot cats. Its light weight makes it easy to get up and down the beach too! The Prindle 18 sails best when the crew weight is between 260-340 lbs.
The Prindle 18 was introduced in 1978 along with the Hobie 18. The Prindle 18 is a very light boat with a large trampoline and is very similar in speed to the Hobie 18 and the NACRA 5.2. The Prindle 18 boasts a good sailing fleet and is an excellent family boat. Simple to operate rudders and no daggerboards mean this is a great off the beach catamaran for recreational use as well as racing! The boat is one of the simpler 18' catamarans to rig.
When looking at Prindle 18s you should consider the following:
• Check the mast for overall condition. It should be free of dents, corrosion, and large scratches.
• The trampoline is better if it is black rather than another color. The black trampolines last much longer in the sun.
• Look at the pigtail wire that runs from the hull inspection port to the jib block. Make sure that there are no broken wires.
• Look at the grommets located in the center of the trampoline just behind the mast. Look for wear spots.
• There is a hull plug located underneath the rear crossbar on the inside of the hull, check to see that it is there and that it is not all dried out. It measures about 3" across.
• The rudder lock down mechanism should be very positive. Go ahead and lock the rudders down a couple of times and test them with your hand by trying to pull them up from the rear of the boat after they have been locked down. Be sure to keep your hands clear of the rudder casting when dropping the rudders on dry land. The rudder should stay in a locked down position until the rudder is pulled very hard.
• Look underneath the hulls to see if there is a lot of beach wear. If you can see the hull beneath the gelcoat paint, that is okay. If you can see fiberglass coming through the brown hull resin, the boat will need a $300 bottom job soon.
• Check at the back of the boat where the rudders connect to the hull. The metal fastener housings are called gudgeons. If there is cracking around the gudgeons, the boat has probably had some problems when beaching. This can be a severe problem so look carefully at the back of the boat.
• Look for worn wires on the mast. Look at the shrouds (side wires) forestay (front wire) and the trapeze wires for broken strands. Also check the bridle wires (very front, attach to bow) for broken strands. Ask the owner when he replaced the wires last. Most manuals suggest a five year maximum life for wires even if they have not been used.
• Look for broken strands in the halyards (lines that pull up the sails).
• Look at the sails for broken battens (solid pieces of fiberglass) in sail.
• Look for tears in the sails. Especially around the batten pockets.
• Check the stiffness of the sail material. The newer the material, the stiffer the sail.
• Check the trampoline for tears or holes.
• Look for areas of discoloration in the hulls. This may indicate a repair of some type.
• Ask if the boat leaks. If so, how much in two hours. A few cups of water are okay, but half a gallon or more is unacceptable.
• Look all around the hulls for gelcoat (paint) cracks. Sometimes this is okay, but if the area around the cracks is soft, walk away and look for another boat! Press on the decks with the palm of your hand and all of your weight.
• Ask the owner of the boat to rig the boat with you the first time to make sure that all of the parts are there. Make sure that you look overhead before you stand the mast to make sure that there are no electrical or telephone wires you may hit. Actually get on the boat and pretend that you are tacking. Move the sails, the rudders, and anything else you would normally operate when sailing the boat.
• Ask the owner why he is selling the boat. How long has it been on the market? Are you the original owner? When was the last time you were sailing on this boat.
• Ask the owner what model year the boat is. Then go to the back of the boat on the right hull and look on the back of the boat. There will be a hull number that will end something like "M79L". This would indicate that the boat is a 1979 model. Make sure that the title that the owner gives to you has a VIN # (hull #) that matches the number on the boat. Make sure that the person you are speaking to owns the boat.
• They must own it outright with no "legal owner" listed. If there is a legal owner listed, you must make sure that the lien on the boat has been satisfied. Simply call the lienholder. Make sure that the person selling the boat is the singular owner and that there are not two names listed on the title. If there are two names, then the other person must also sign off and date their interest in the item. To be really sure that this boat is as it appears, contact you local DMV and County Accessors office. Have the Hull numbers for the boat and the VIN # for the trailer ready along with the owners full name and address.
• Taxes and registration. Ask the owner if he has paid his county tax on the boat for the current year. Call DMV and make sure there are no outstanding parking tickets or other citations on the trailer. If the boat and trailer are out of date on registration, it could be very expensive to get the boat and trailer back to current. The certificate of non-operation slips are much more limiting than they used to be so call DMV to confirm you will not halve to pay the additional registration fees and back penalties due.
• If the owner no longer has or has misplaced the certificate of title(s), make sure you have them provide you with a "duplicate certificate of title" along with $14 per lost title to cover DMV fees and processing fees. Do not give payment in full for the boat until the title has been cleared with DMV!
• You must also get from the owner a "BILL OF SALE" which is a standard document available at the DMV. A home made version does not do the trick. When you arrive at the DMV with the bill of sale you will be assessed State of California Sales Tax based upon the amount paid for the boat and trailer. You must get separate bills of sale for the boat and trailer showing correct hull and trailer numbers. It is payable at the time of registration.
• What additional accessories come with the boat? Beach roller, lifejackets, harnesses, wetsuits or sailing gear, spare wires, pins, shackles? Extras are nice, but add no real value to what you should pay for a boat except for a cat box and beach roller. Does the trailer have a spare tire?
• There are other things to check over and there is no way we can cover them all in this article. If you use this as a fundamental guide and some common sense, you can make a good purchase! Good luck and always wear your lifejacket!
http://www.sailingproshop.com/catamaran_guide.aspx
