Finally got my Solcat back on the water early this month and have been having a blast! My buddy (who I have sailed cats with in previous years and took out on the Solcat) couldn't stand it and is buying a late 70's vintage Nacra 5.2 this weekend. I have never sailed the 5.2 so I am wondering what to expect between the two performance wise. I have been the only Cat on the lake this year, so it will be fun to have someone to spar with. I am looking for rudder castings or suggestions to upgrade to another rudder style if any of you have any ideas. Also need a new mast bearing but the rest is in great shape.

The 5.2 should be faster

The 5.2 is rated 72.1 on the portsmouth scale while the Sol Cat is 74.3. That will make for a fun close race. In all honesty it will hardly be noticable. But the slightly more modern 5.2 might be easier to sail to that rating than the older Sol Cat. But that is purely just my guess.

Both boats should be a blast.

Thanks for mentioning the Portsmouth Scale. I didn't know about it before and enjoyed looking it over. We rigged the Nacra last night, looks like it will be a really fun boat. Hopefully some good wind today so we can see what it can do!

...the 5.2 should easily sail away from the Solcat. At least that was always our experience. They couldn't keep up with us.

Ridge_pilot

Where are you, we are talking about getting all the old Nacra 5.2's together sometime down in TX somewhere. I know of four or five that are in sailing condition.

Mine will soon have a spinnaker!

I'm near Fort Worth... I have 3 Nacras sitting in my pasture...2 are sea worthy. A 5.2 (#479) and a 5.5uni (#8). None saw water for 2 years due to the drought conditions...now there's too much water! We had a flash flood over Memorial Day weekend and the lowly 5.2 parts boat actually got to float! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well, you will have to meet up with us if we all get together and race. It is only a three hour drive from where you are to here, maybe sometime we could meet up and race the 5.2's.

Where are you and which old Nacra (hull/sail number) did your friend buy?

I am not the one asking the orginal question but I am in Norman, OK, and my hull number is #1499, she is in pretty good shape and will be better soon, I was wondering where the other guy was from!

I have a 83 nacra 5.2 and live in dallas. the sail # is 2410 [img][image]http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/3925/2149469320101263734S425x425Q85.jpg[/img][/image]

When are you coming down to Dike again?

Doug

I am not sure if you are talking to me Doug, but I am not sure, if you all were having another regatta, I would be there but that is to long a drive for just a weekend,

The 5.2 is going to be a sweet boat. I could stay with him part of the time, but the 5.2 could climb much faster than the sol18. We are still dialing it in so I think it will just get better. We are north of Redding California, so Texas is a bit far, but I will post the sail # when I get a chance.

I think I am coming down to watch the nationals, but not with the boat. The wife and I will be flying down.

airborne

Sailed the 5.2 tonight, what a blast! No wind so we were just going to mount a mast vane, just as we finished up the wind started to blow (about 6:30pm by this time) gusting 25 or so. Three of us on the boat for what started out as a dinner cruz next thing you know we are all hanging off the hull going full out. Very tight quarters for three people and a dinner basket in the turns. I had just taken the helm and was seeing how much I could push it with three hanging off the hull when the halyard broke. We climbed as much as we could with a loose main and I sailed her into the dock on the jib. It was definitely rigged for racing by a previous owner, so I will post the numbers when I get a chance and see if anybody knows the boat.

I am curious as to what makes you think it was rigged for racing. I know that my old 5.2 raced alot and I haven't seen anything that defines it as a racer.

I love my 5.2 and it is a great two person boat...not sure about 3 people on it but I guess it goes okay. My favorite way to sail the boat is solo. The boat really comes alive with only one guy on it, hulls lift earlier, and the boat accelerates insanely fast when you are alone on it. The grand plan for mine is to fit it with the spinnaker I have been talking about and to start sailing it uni-rigged with just the main and spinnaker. I sail it pretty often under just the main and it is alot of fun, the boat points like crazy with just he main.

Seller said the original owner raced it for years.

Had a great weekend at one of the nearby lakes. Took the Solcat, the Nacra, and a Hobie 16 and camped on the beach. great wind both days. I could hold the Nacra off for a bit but it always passed me eventually. Great fun running neck in neck on a 3 mile reach.

Another pic of the Nacra coming in.

The fleet.