Greetings all,
Long time lurker just joined the boards.

A little about me, grew up in Southern California and cut my teeth crewing on H16s in Long Beach B fleet.

Havent sailed much since then but have off and on, want to get back into seriously now. Would like to race too.

Anyway, currently looking at a used 1980s Nacra 5.2 and have some questions. Its in generally decent shape and has some pluses and minuses:

Has 2 sets of sails one new (plus).

Has a 6x4inch hole repair in one of the hulls (minus). The owner states the repair is over 7 yrs old and doesnt leak.

Tramp needs to be replaced (minus) but not this season necessarily(minus).

The guy wants 1200.00 USD for it and trailer.

Any thoughts? Too much or good deal?

Should I trailer it level or at an angle (somewhat upwards at the front).

Thanks for any suggestions or input-
Don

hi

i bought a 5.2 last year and have been loving it

this is the best place on the web for info about them, so start searching;o)

compared to the hobie 16 it has a lot more fore/aft stability with much more hull volume fore/aft of the beams

it will pitchpole but you can push it far more than the hobie

it's also slightly bigger all round but with about the same weight. however like the hobie16 you can't guarantee that you'll right it solo with just a righting line

as pretty much a dedicated racer when it came out in 1975 it has many more sail controls than the 16

a) mast rotation control
b) jib luff tension
c) full sized jib
d) diamond wires

but the biggest performance gain would be the big daggers which allow much better upwind angles. don't forget to get them up before running up the beach, or it could be very expensive...

there were quite a few changes over it's 10? year production until it was eventually phased out by the nacra 5.5, which was slightly bigger all round again but LIGHTER

about 1984 it changed to swept spreaders and in about 1985 to foam cored hulls. hull number should tell you what year it is

$1200 seems a good price for a good boat on a trailer

mods to mine so far are rudder hold up cleats, so i can drag it backwards up onto the beach and fixed joints to stop the rudder crossbar rotating around and binding at some angles

over the winter i will reroute the jib block wires under the tramp and cuts slots in the tramp so the wire only comes above the tramp where it needs to be for the blocks

post some pics if you can

Good Deal
New sails will cost over a grand. Trailer is worth a couple hundred.

Sounds good to me too! Check the hulls for softness (use all your weight on the palms of your hands) and knock on the bows while listening (ear to hull) for any grinding noises from any delaminated stringers.
I have one and love it. A very forgiving boat to sail in my experience, and lots of trimming arrangements.
I trailered it level. I don't see why the bows should be upward? (you can actually point them down while sailing because the transoms tend to drag)

Dennis

look for spider cracking of the hulls on the corners just in front of the main beam. This is a potential area for a catastrophic failure.

If you're still in So Cal there is a nice one in Ventura - guy is asking $1,000.00 and is anxious to sell it. It's on Craig's List. http://ventura.craigslist.org/boa/761632614.html

Good Luck

Thanks for the pointers!

I know pretty much what to look for on a used H16 so Ill take that and the info here with me when I go to pick up the nacra this weekend.

Im in the Midwest right now and planning to go to Texas next summer, so the boat in SoCal is out of the question b ut thanks for the tip!

Ok I bought this boat.

Its all glass construction and the hulls seem solid. I pressed and knocked just about every sqaure inch. The seller and I stepped the mast and went through the rigging and all seems good. He states he replaced most of it within the past 5-6 yrs and has the older stuff to show for it.

Ill need to reinstall the traps as he removed them for rerigging.

It has 2 sets of sails as mentioned earlier, 1 set a new never been used main and jib made by Skip Elliot. They appear to be the exact same shape but stitched a little heavier.

The tramp will need to be replaced but its in working condition. It has the pole down the middle which I like.

It took 4 hours to drive home with it so the trailer past the test. The only problem was at or above 60mph it developed a cyclic vibration that will last approx 10 seconds then go away for about 6 seconds only to start the cycle over again. I stopped and checked the tie downs and tires/wheels and all seemed good to go. I moved the mast back on the trailer thinking wind might have been an issue but that didnt improve things much. Any suggestions? How fast do you guys tow?

Anyway, Im very happy overall. The wife is nervous as its much more boat than our previous H16! Pics will be in order soon-
Don

Congrats on the purchase..

I personally would probably not drive at or above 60 mph. Those little trailer tires are rotating at 1milion revs per minute at that speed to keep up with your car tires.

Tire balance will cause that. You are getting a harmonic between the two wheels that are out of balance and it's peaking every 10 seconds or so. I've got the same thing with my A-cat trailer that is getting fixed this week (new tires and paying for balancing).

You can do a driveway "static" balance on the wheels yourself - it's not that hard to get it really close. You need some sticky-back wheel weights (automotive store like NAPA), chalk, and a jack. Jack up the trailer so the tire and wheel are suspended off the ground. spin the wheel lightly and let it come to a complete stop. Make a mental note of if and how badly it backed up before coming to a stop. Start adding weights to the top side temporarily sticking them in place with masking tape until you get the wheel to go around and stop on it's own in completely random positions. Now peel off the backing and apply the sticky weights where you had them taped.