I'm thinking of buying a catamarran again. I've owned two before. A Hobie 14 and Nacra 500. I'd like to move up to 18 or 20' this time. It'll mostly be for family recretion, but I might do some racing as well. There are times when I'll be on it alone or maybe just with the wife. Does the 20'er need 2 people to handle it even in light wind? I've never sailed a 20'er before, but I have sailed a Hobie 18 several times.

Also, is there a big difference in price between an F18 cat and a 20? I will be looking to buy brand new, but will consider used.

A guy near me sails an inter 20 alone from time to time, and he likes it but when the wind starts to pick up he doesn't sail it because it is to overpowered to sail alone, so he either has to find crew or head to shore.

I would say look in the 18 range.

Based on your description of the sailing you'd want to do, I say go with an older TheMightyHobie18, but not the newer Tiger/F18.
The Hobie TheMightyHobie18 is built tough, and good to race, while being good to take the family for rides. Especially if you find one the comes with the wings.

Where in FL are you located?
What is your budget?
Sailing two or one up?
Race two or one up?
Do you want a spinnaker rigged cat?

I'd sail the SC 20 solo til 10 or 12 knots of wind. Then there wasn't enough ballast aboard to deal with the power. Consider reef points on the main(good for family sailing as well), and/or a smaller main, and a furling jib(to reduce sail). I really liked the additional buoyancy of the 20' hulls(vs the TheMightyHobie18 Mag) when it came to more weight on board than the conditions might be calling for. Sinking the hulls on the 18 really slowed it down. The biggest downside fo the bigger boats is more weight.

Dave

Thanks for the responses!

Robi, I'm willing to spend as much as $20,000.
Recreational sailing will be wife and 2 kids (less than 15 years old).
Racing will be one and two.
Definitely a spinnaker.

You can get a really good used F18 for less than half your budget. Happy shopping! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If you're thinking about racing I think it really comes down to crew weight. The minimum weight for the F-18 and the N-20 are not very different but the weight the boat can carry through various wind ranges are very different. I happen to tip the scales around 215 to 220, If I race a f-18 I need really light crew in anything but "blowin'" conditions to be competitive. The N-20 will carry a heavier weight in lighter conditions better in my opinion. That's why I bought the N-20. Conversely if you and your crew are light go with the F-18 as the N-20 will get to be a real handful in a real blow. I have raced on both and they are both great platforms, I would look at your combined racing weight to decide. Also if you are not sure that you would have consistant crew go with the F-18 or depending on your weight look at the Blade 16. You can race it one up with main and spin or two up with main, jib, and spin.

Zander, I vary between 220 to 225. The wife is around 135.

Well your right there with me, I run about 220 and my wife is about 135. Minimum weight on the Nacra 20 is 330 (if I remember correctly). We have a real good time on the 20. We've been out in wind in the mid 20's and all I can say is downhaul is your friend. We're both trying to loose weight to get as close to minimum as possible. I need to try much harder that she does. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If you think your wife will race with you get the 20, I love mine. Tell her to get in the gym to hoist that spin. It's hard work but it's a great ride. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Zander said it best. Ive heard the I20s are having an awesome come back, which in part can be a very good thing.

With your budget you should be able to afford brand spanking new.

A quick FYI in April the Alter Cup will be held in Gulfport FL. There will be 10 F18 Capricorns for sale at a cheaper rate. Cant go wrong with picking up an alter cup boat.

Good luck with your purchase.

Actually, I was going to ask what brand you guys prefer, and why. I was thinking that the imports would be more expensive. I thought about going to the Tradewinds Regatta in Islamorada (a little over an hour's drive from my house) yesterday, but just couldn't get off my sofa. I do like the looks of the Capricorn, but haven't really seen anything up close other than Hobie, Nacra and Inter.

You can't go wrong in the F18 cat'agory.
The class is doing well and growing.

If you like to have the ooption to sail in a variety of wind conditions including the big wind days, then maybe consider one of the single hand spin boats.

There are a few too choose from. Most can easily accomodate more than one person. A couple are 1-up or 2-up sailed. A jib option is available for the 2-up saling.

Hobie FX One
F16 (various manufacturer)
Inter 17 Nacra

If your wife/family/friends that are potential crew are not intense racers or sailors one of these boats may be right for you as they are easily saied with one or two.

I own both the F18 and the FX One and I love them both. But for some one who may use the boat more recreationally you may want to consider one of these.
Easily carries the extra weight and the room on the tramp is very similar to an F18.

The Nacra 20 is the ticket for South Florida! There's lots of them around, more action than the F18 down that way as well. The 20 is seeing a nice resurgence with many boats showing up to many regattas.
They also hold their value very well. An F18 is going to drop in value rather quickly, whereas the 20's are staying fairly steady. There's nothing more fun than sailing a rocketship through some big waves. It has a lot of power and can be tough to sail in a blow, but I like a challenge. As for conditions less than 15 knots, most knowledgable sailors will have no trouble controlling her.

Pitchpole? Hhahahahaaha-forget about it.

You've never seen a I/N 20 pitchpole?

I have indeed, but it rarely happens compared to other designs.

I saw a few this weekend!

The information is very helpful, gentlemen. Thanks a million for the input. Much food for thought. I will rejoin the CABB and check out both the F18s and F20s. They race once a month. It has been 2.5 years since I last sailed a cat, so some of these brand names are foreign (no pun intended) to me. The only cats I've seen are Hobie, Nacra, Inter and Prindle.

You might want to mention that the guy is 6'-6" and weighs in at around 250lbs. 20 footers are not single handers in anything over 8 knots, if then.

I20s are never single handers cos if you capsize, you can't get them up on your own. for that matter the same goes for F18s.