Hi, does anyone have any tips on which boat should I buy? I have an offer for a Nacra 5.7 and another for a Hobie 18 Pacific. The Nacra is 30% cheaper, but I am not sure.

Holy cow, if the njacra is cheaper I would zdeffinately recomend it. Make sure its in good shape. I htink that perhaps yoru hobie owner is a little too proud of his boat. It does of course depend on what your looking for, but that nacra will be more stable, and deffinately faster. If your a bran-new sailor it may be a little overpowering if you have no one to teach you. The 5.7 is a great boat, and with no daggers, it really is stripped to its most simple. Like I said I will leave that hobie 18 like it is standing still.

Nacra 5.7, go for it!

The current Porstmouth Numbers are as follows:

Hobie 18 71.4 76.9 73.5 69.6 66.8
Nacra 5.7 72.3 75.5 74.9 72.2 68.6

This implies that the Hobie is faster in almost all conditions, except very light air. When I had my 5.7, it was rated DPN=70.5. Racing several years against other well-sailed Hobie 18's (rated 72.0 at the time) in the Area B Alter Cup Eliminations, I always felt they were euqal overall- the Hobie 18 was faster upwind and the Nacra 5.7 faster off the wind. On a reach the 5.7 was significantly faster. In races that had a reaching leg, we could take the Hobie 18's over the line, but not on handicap. In straight windward-leewards they were just about equal.

The 5.7 is lighter and simpler and definitely smoother through the waves. The Hobie is a sold boat with a recognized class with many more boats throughout the nation.

I suggest taking a sail on each. Buy the one you like better.

Steve
Hobie FX-1, Sail# 211

Thank you all for your feedback. Interestingly enough here in Spain Nacra are not very popular and, I guess, not very well known, that , and the fact that the Nacra is 12 years old (whereas the HC is only 4) may explain the differences in price

ahh yes, incedentilly, I had no idea the 5.7 and the hobie 18 were supposed to be so close. there aren't alot of hobbies in our area, and to myu knowledge my freind has the only 5.7 (not alot of cats in the immediate vecintity al all actually) At anyrate, the only few hobies we raced against, i nearly lapped with my 5.2 in a longer course, and the 5.7 is at least as fast, if not(and I won't admit this to the owner) a little faster. Perhaps the hobies were just poorly sailed. And I guess my 5.2 does enjoy a couple mods(self tacker and 5.8 jib) that help it along a little. But I never would have guessed they were so close.