i ran over a laser in a mixed fleet practice race yesterday (H16)and my crew said 'never in that situation again' so i am thinking singlehander. i have a H14 but we dont handicap and i like to finish at the front so whats the best singlehander- low maintenance, fast, easy to sail.???

Depends a great deal on your budget, but a well-sailed Nacra 5.O will occasionally beat 16's boat for boat. Portsmouth rating is within 15 seconds/hour or so. For a faster-rated boat that can or should be singlehanded, look at the Nacra 5.2, the Inter 17R, the A-class, and the 18 Square Meter class.

sail fast

Yeah, but a 5.2 has pretty square bows compared to a H16 and chances are that next time you'll run THROUGH (instead of over) the laser.

Fast Single handers (with class) available in the USA.

Hobie FX-one
Inter 17R
A-cats (Waterrat, Bimare, Boyer, Flyer)
Nacra 5.5 uni
Taipan 4.9
F16's (Taipan 4.9 spi, Stealth, Javelin 16)
18 sq.
Hobie 17
Hobie 14

And than we have a whole bunch of design that can be sailed singlehanded.

Nacra 5.2
Nacra 5.0
Prindle 16
Prindle 15
and so on and so ...

It all depends on what you really want and how much you are willing to pay for it.

If you want to be in the front of the fleet then your only options are (No particular order)

18 sq.
A-cats (Waterrat, Bimare, Boyer, Flyer)
F16's (Taipan 4.9 spi, Stealth, Javelin 16)
Inter 17R
Taipan 4.9
Hobie FX-one
Nacra 5.5 uni


Wouter

I disagree with Wouter, he forgot one. Supercat 17 is another strong choice, does well single or double.

Jeff W
SC17
Smokin'

How about predictions for the next most popular one-design single-hander?

At our club all the monohull skippers who used to be Thistle hotshots (crewed) are now MC Scow hotshots (single). I'm envious of their one-design fun. Their fleet is always real close together on the course, and highly competitive. But we multihull single-handers, who are on H16s, H18s, and an occasional Taipan 4.9, are usually spread all over the lake.

Will any of the unis we see now emerge as a popular one-design class?

How about a Mystere 4.3? Seems like a lot of them are being sold lately?
http://www.mystere.ca/mystere/4-3_an.htm

Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, OH

I sail an Isotope 16' cat. It's very fast and easy to set up and launch by one person. IFG is the manufacturer. They also have a 14' cat (the Cheshire). Either one of these would be a good choice.

How about the DART 18 ?
Or the Nacra 570 ?

Not the Nacra 570! I used to sail the 5.7 and it is HUGE.

In my experience, it was very difficult to balance the boat uni-rigged and it was very difficult to right with a crew and almost impossible alone.

I actually sold my 5.7 (and I did love the boat) to get a Nacra 5.2 to sail solo.

In my opinion, the Hobie 17, the Isotope and the Nacra 5.2 would all make great singlehanded boats and the Fx-one, Inter17 and the A-Class are singlehandled "dreamboats".

I also heard great things about the Dart18, it was designed to be both a crew boat and a singlehandled boat. Personnally, I still think that a boardless boat is more difficult to right up after a capsize so I would suggest to look at small cats with boards.

Charles Leblanc
Nacra 5.2

I see an awful lot of advice, but no one asking the important questions.
1. What is your budget? Prices for those boats range from $1,500 used to $12,000 new.
2. What is your physical condition(how heavy a boat can you handle)? Those boats range in weight from about 165lbs to 350lbs.
3. How much do you weigh? Some of the boats are weight sensitive.
4. Will you sail or race with crew? How much do they weigh?
5. Where do you race/sail(lake, bay, river, ocean)? Some of the boats are better in waves.
6. Are you interested in expanding your racing by travelling?
You are located in Hobie Division 9.
There are regattas in Charleston(bay), Myrtle Beach(ocean), North Myrtle Beach(ocean), Columbia(Lake Murray), and Hartsville(Lake Robinson).

I agree it is hard to right the N5.7 N570 alone but not impossible, one or two times it not the issue but when you have to right it more than two times a hour it becomes harder.
It also depends on your weight with my 90KG it is not much of a problem.

This is a no-brainer: Hobie 17

Fron my experience:

I started on a H-16 (1978) with my wife. When she didn't want to race anymore, I started looking for a single-handed boat (1985). I tried the H-14 and H-14T, but with me at 200#, I didn't like them. I bought a Nacra 18 Square (stock) and raced it for the next 6 years. This boat was a dream to sail, but it was a pain to assemble/disassemble for every time I went sailing (it is 11' wide). By 1991, our club (CRAM) had gone through a fleet of H-17s and they were mostly sold or traded-in for the Nacra 5.5 Uni. This is an 8.5' wide version of my 18 Square with a smaller mainsail. I sold the 18 Sq. and bought a Uni, a class I stayed in until the release of the Inter 17R in 2000. The Uni is a Great boat...it always made me look forward to rounding "C" Mark and going back upwind. The Inter 17R goes upwind like the Uni but with a balanced helm. This boat is really easy to over control. Any input to steering and it goes immediately...like the difference between driving my motorhome (Nacra) and a go kart (Inter)! I really prefer the go kart! The biggest difference is that now I really look forward to rounding "A" Mark and putting up the spinnaker for that ride downwind! WAY MORE FUN THAN ANY CAT SAILING HAS BEEN BEFORE!!!!

In the end, I wouldn't trade my Inter 17R for any boat on the market, whether racing or just sailing for fun! I tried the A-Boat (broke the mast the first time I went over), and H-17 (talk about a truck, it had more weather helm than the Nacra!), and the Super Cat 18 (I liked the Nacra 18 Sq. better), and owned many of the others. The two people I talked to about the Hobie FX One had sailed it and the I-17R. They said they both preferred the Inter 17R, "no contest". I have Cat Trax and handle the I-17R by myself on the beach. It is the best of the best, IMO.

As final note, CRAM's first regatta was this weekend, and there were more Unis than any other class. There were 4 I-20s, 2 Nacra F-18s, an I-18, a Tiger, 4 I-17Rs, 3 N5.8NAs, 5 N5.5Us, 3 H-16s, a H-18, a H-17 and an A-Boat(WaterRat). Great fun and lots of sun!

I've had my FX-One for almost a year...and like it very much..its all what you prefer ,,I've been on an I-17,,and didnt like it ...too heavy and didnt respond very well.here in the caribbean with sometimes seas 4-6 ft the bows on the FX cut right through them where as the I-17 has to go over and slam down or bury....so it just depends on where you are and what you like..

How about the Nacra Blast Race ?
Or is this one only available for Europe ?

See www.jandeboer.com

Sparky...A novice sailor reading your post might conclude that weather helm is inherant in the boats design. ie 5.5 uni's have some, H-17's have a lot and I17R's dont have any. Of course, the degree of weather helm on any of these boats is a matter of preference and is adjusted for...Dan

Les,

Do you want a real 'point buster'.......put your smaller mast on the I-17 ( smaller by 1 foot 4 inches),....which means a little less sail at the top,...same size spinnaker,......and take the rating change ( Ports or Texel) and probaly take a 'R' in most conditions.......

Yo Harper,

tsk,...tsk,...tsk,....anytime,..any place,...any condition buddy........my I-17 against your FX-1..

..anytime..


Bruce
I-17 Euro
St. Croix

Why don't you just single-hand your H16? I started sailing at age 15 and about 135lbs and a H16 was my first boat. I spent most of my time sailing it solo. Plus you already own the boat!

I'm 22 now and 145lbs and I usually solo a G-Cat 5.7M. It weighs in around 400lbs with gear. I'm working on a righting pole for it (using the bottom half of a windsurfer mast) to make righting solo easier. It's old and heavy in comparison to the hot new boats today but it's everything I want in a boat.

Oh my God ! We've created a monster (joke)

But then again Brobu had a whole support team coaching him into higher speeds. !
Regards,

Wouter