Hi. Once upon a time I was a keen sailer of monohull dinghies. I aquired my RYA Levels 1,2,3, Assistant Instructor and Pre Entry Assessment (level 5 skills) but failed by instructor rating due to my teaching style.

I've not been sailing for about 12 years now but when I was, I was sailing wayfairers, enterprises, toppers, lasers, comets, sea stars. I crewed and helmed in a number of handicap races at club level and have a little experience on the wire on Wayfairers and Laser 2s. This sailing was split between inland resevoirs in SE England and Coastal sailing on the Solent.

Now I live by the sea and have 2 great sailing lakes within an hours drive (Bala and Vyrnwy). I fancy the world of cat sailing for a change but I have no idea what boat to aim for. My budget is very low as I'm just paying for my wedding, so say 1500 GBP. Wat are my options and what would you recomend/avoid for someone of my experience.

Not sure what's commonly available in your area in the UK, but if you do a search on this forum for "which cat", "best cat", etc., you'll find lots of information where others have gone before.

That being said, one critical issue is whether you plan to sail solo or with crew (how many?) as a rule. That will basically answer the question of bigger/smaller. Other than that, I would start scouting what's available in your area that fits your budget and then do a search on this forum for those particular boats you encounter.

Agreed,

we need a little more info.

1500GBP is not a vast amount, but you could get a Sprint 15 (Dart 15) for that or a Dart 18; neither are hi-tech or fast, but they are solid boats.

Do you plan to sail single handed or 2 up.

Sorry, I should have said!

I will probably be sailing single handed, but want the option to have 1 crew if I can persuade the other half or friends to join me on the water. So a 2 man cat with the ability to sail single handed. I'm fairly heavy at 200 pounds/92Kg if that helps. I had seen the Dart 18 and it looked like a contender. I'll do a little searching on the site too. Thanks

If you click back through the first 10 pages or so ... you will find several threads that discuss first time catamaran purchase suggestions.. With much discussion about pros and cons of several cats.... please keep us posted with your decision and post purchase experiences...

For 1500 quid and as you want to sail with others at times, you are really talking about a Dart 18. Yes, you will be a bit heavy, but you'll still have some fun.

I know, I know, it's frowned upon, but hey: I'm trying to buy a F16, and my Nacra 5.2 with spinnaker is up for sale. Old, but in your price range, can be sailed solo or duo. pm me if you're interested.

I have to say that I nearly added "or any other odds and sods like the smaller Nacra's would also fit the bill".


A 5.2, assuming it is in sensible nick (no offence intended Pepin), would also be a good option.

There is a good cat club at Bala. get in touch with them and visit the club. Plenty of good advice/ideas will come from those guys. you might even get a sail

I know of a Nacra 5.8 for sale at my Club - Dee SC (on the Wirral). It would probably be within your budget, and should be as big a boat as you'd want to sail single handed, with the option to go two-up. Email me at simon dot stannard at lineone dot net for more info if you're interested. There's also a Dart 15 and Dart 18 for sale at the club - see http://www.dee-sc.co.uk/notices.php#sale

Tresaith Mariners are down your way - but I'm not sure how you'd conatct them. Bala also have a For Sale page - but nothing immediately relevant right now. A few bargains crop up on eBay as well from time to time!

i'm having a lot of fun soloing my nacra 5.2 on a small inland lake
at 75kg i'm a bit too light to right it without aids but as i'm not in the open ocean a flip should never be a life threatening situation
flipping a 5.8 at sea solo would be a bit of a gamble in my book......

for soloing at sea 17foot, 5.2 meters should probably be your limit
in that price range boat condition is likely to be more important than boat make or type

continue to do as much research as you can look but basically buy the best overall condition boat that seems to meet your needs
otherwise you will only get a little sailing on it before needing to spend large sums on things like sails, blocks, hull repairs etc.

Get down to Bala Cat Club on 3rd,4th,5th May for the cat open. Plenty of activity and advice there plus a chance to see various cats in action.

http://www.balacatamaranclub.org.uk/new_page_7.htm

Cheshirecatman

I should have mentioned www.catamaran.co.uk as well. It's not a commercial site - but it does have a decent For Sale page - with Prindle 16s, etc. I'll also be at Bala if you fancy a chat - Shadow 067.

You could try contacting 'local' sailing clubs too, such as Penmaenmawr, Llandudno and Llanfairfechan.