ok, im a power boater by love.. i all of a sudden have this erge to feel the rush of sailing a cat plus i really really wanna race. i live in south fl right on the water easy axcess to river and ocean.. what kind of boat should i buy i only wanna purchase used. and really dont wanna break the bank i have set a max out of pocket expense of 2000 on this new toy it must have a trailer...... now i am looking for a popular sailing class... im leaning towards the hobie 16 or the f-20 serious i like to be extremly competive.. i loe extreme sports and i think sailing this kind of vessel hit the pocket. any help is asked what kinda of boat should i get i wanna be able to sail with the wife as a team.

Need more info... like the skipper weight,

Single or double handed sailing?

max/min size boat?

A used Nacra 5.2 would fit the bill, however I'd be wary of taking it into the open ocean. (so says the dude that bangs his H17 through breakers for fun)

limiting your self to 2k will greatly limit what you get......for that, you could probably get a nacra 5.8......t

I think you are right on the money with the Hobie 16 as long as you and your wife aren't too heavy. The H-16 is relatively inexpensive, there are plenty of them to race against and most regattas even have separate starts for novices to get you going. These are strong boats that you can thrash around on, repairs are easy and there are plenty of parts available on ebay. You can launch and run this boat by yourself when crew is not available. Good Luck & Have Fun!

Ryan,

I am sure we all can appreciate your enthusiasm and we all certainly want to welcome into the sport another cat sailor. It is a great sport and you and your wife will find a great bunch of people participating. You will also find many catsailor addicts here on this site. Being that you haven't owned a cat before, you have to start somewhere. You have set a budget of $2K, and there are plenty of entry-level boats out there in that range. To me, for what needs that you have described, the Hobie 16 is the most obvious. All prejudices set aside and addressing your needs, this is a good starting point. There are plenty of used ones out there, the parts are readily available, and the boat is somewhat bullet proof and forgiving for a newbie. No daggerboards, no mast rotator, learn the basics first. Plus, you have indicated the desire to race, and there are usually plenty of 16s around racing. If you and your wife are under 325# combined weight, you should do fine. Keep in mind, $2K will get you a decent boat, but you may want to add a new set of sails shortly, and that would run another $800 or so for a Hobie 16. That's not bad for a new set of sails, all things considered.

There are lots of other boats out there that are just as good or better than the Hobie 16, and you should definitely look. But, what you have described, the above sure seems like a good fit.

Whatever you buy, we all welcome you to the sport and I am sure you'll find a place to race whatever you select.

Just my 2 cents.

If you like extreme sports, you've come to the right place.

Scroll through other posts on this forum or do a search and you'll find several extensive discussions on the pros/cons of various boats. You've got quite a list of good options, especially being in Florida.

2K is enough to get started, but if you are, in fact, very competitive you're going to get sucked in more than 2K, guaranteed...As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. But the world of cat sailing offers far more speed per dollar than any other category of sailing

Good Luck!

This looks like a real performer...Looks like the frame parts can be replaced by any good chain link fence supplier.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2455178219&category=31281

Two points though!!!

Ohhh man....Who came up with that name!? Sure is appropriate. Looks like a cat that threw up (Catyak)

I've seen catyak used as a generic term to describe twin hulled Kayaks. catamaran + kayak = catyak

I believe these plastic Catyaks were made by Dayton Marine in the '70's, Salty Dog Marine still lists a tramp for them. If anyone has any of the original literature or specs, I'd like to see them.

I see that this thread is pretty old! I just found it when I googled Catyak.

Damon, did you ever get any literature or specs for the Catyak? We have one up north and were having a heck of a time trying to figure out the rigging... I'd love to see the literature too!

i have found, no matter what boat you get... as long as you dont destroy it... most 10-15 +year old cats have depreciated most of their excess value.. meaning you should be able to get back most your original investment when you are ready to upgrade.