Hello to All!
I'd like to get my first beach cat and want some advise from a few seasoned players...
I'm 42 years old, 175 lbs, in good shape and want a cat that I can sail solo or take my wife and two young daughters out in. When I was a kid I did a little sailing in a kit that my Dad built (a Folboat) and can handle a sunfish without any problems. My kids are 10 and 8 years old so I'd like to teach them to sail on this boat. My older daughter is a little more adventuresome than my wife and younger daughter, so I think she'll pick sailing up quickly and will want to try to make it move, possibly on her own sooner than later. I was very close to picking up a 1988 Prindle 16 yesterday but the deal fell apart when the mast for the boat was stolen before I could pick up the boat(I drove 930 miles in my wifes car in 1 day!). I'd like to spend less than $2k to get my feet wet (I don't live on the water so I don't anticipate sailing every weekend).
My questions are:
-Is a Prindle 16 a good choice? If not, why not?
-There are a lot of used Prindle 18's for sale, could I "right" this boat on my own? Would this be a good choice?
-I like the "slick" look of the Nacra's but not the older Hobie's...Which of the Nacra's would work well for me?
-I've read alot of post's on this site as well as Phil Bermans' "Cat sailing, Start to Finish" book. Is there any other "required reading" before I jump in?
-Any other words of wisdom would be great!

Thanks,
TRowe

In your price range you are looking at a fairly desent hobie 16, or an older Nacra 5.2. Both boats are good for what you want to do. Good luck

I don't think a Hobie 16 is the right boat for a family of 5. The Prindle 18 and the Hobie 18 sound like better options when you are looking at older boats. The Prindle 16 could probably handle it, too, weightwise, but it might be a little crowded with all of you aboard.

I think a good starter boat for you and your family might be a Hobie 18 with wings. A roller furling jib would allow you to easily de-power to sail it alone if main and jib prove to be more than you can handle alone. The wings will make it more comfortable for your family and you should be able to find one for a reasonable price. My first boat was a P16 but I think it's a bad choice for 2 or 3 crew due to space on the tramp and the weight making the bows plow thru the water. Greg

I'm going to throw in the Nacra 5.7 (see attached photo). Plenty of room on the tramp. Boomless. very stable. As easy as any to set-up. No dagger boards. Good boat for kids on board. I'm quite sure your not going to right it by yourself though.

Regards,
Mike

I just bought a 1984 Nacra 5.2 a few weeks ago and it works well with my wife and two kids. Well, actually my wife hasn't got on it yet because of the third youngest boy. I take my 7 year old daughter and my 5 year old son on it all the time. We went out today and it was blowing between 10 and 15 mph. It was a little more wind than I would have liked with the kids so I sailed with just the main. My daughter is special needs and is usually just along to enjoy the water. My son however is very handy when someone needs to go to the leeward side to raise or lower the daggerboard or the rudder. The boat got powered up a couple a times and I accidentally flew a hull. I don't like doing that too much with the kids on. It is a very stable boat compared to the H16. I turned the tiller over to my son so that I could go forward to take some pictures. He got too busy hamming it up for the camera that he pulled us into an accidental jybe. I had to drop the camera and do some serious scampering, but the boat never even lifted the hull. Thank God for water proof cameras and safety halyards. The Nacra is very forgiving... so far. There are a lot of lines and trim points on the Nacras, but most can be locked out or you can use them all to fine tune the sails. It is IMHO the most well rounded boat I have sailed so far. My experience is limited though to the Hobie 14, Hobie 16, Apollo 16, and the Nacra 5.2. I don't recommend the H16 because with a second adult onboard, it will want to PP anytime you get your speed up downwind. I weigh 150 pounds wet, so I wouldn't be able to right it solo, but I wouldn't be able to right an H16 either, so I went with the better boat. I could right the H14, but that is not enough floatation for two adults. I plan on installing a soloright pole eventually. For now I will just sail it on the light/moderate days. I hope you find a good boat for a great price. Be patient... your boat is out there somewhere.
-Rob

I used to own a Nacra 5.7 and it is a wonderfull beach cat for cruising and for drag racing

It is also very save, no daggerboards like the TheMightyHobie18 and a boomless main. The cat is very resistant tom pitchpole as well and it has alot of buoyancy.

Drawback: Very difficult to right. It has a long and heavy mast like most of the cats of that era but since it's boardless, there is almost no leverage.
Also is is more difficult to tack but you will get the hang for it.

If you go with a Nacra 5.7, you should buy a righting kit like a waterbag or a righting bar.

I also sailed with a Hobie16 and they are very practical catamaran. They are a breeze to set up, much faster to set up than other cats. They will not handle the extra weight that well but they will handle it anyways. I remember this crazy sailing session in the OBX where we had over 450lbs on the wire and over 600lbs on board. The boat was so wet that we had to wear googles to see where we were heading.

Charles Leblanc
Nacra 5.2

Thanks to everyone that replied for your good words of advise. I have a feeling that many of you know how difficult patience becomes while waiting for your boat to find you! I'll continue looking for a mast for the Prindle 16 until something else comes along. If anyone out there knows of a good, straight P-16 mast for a reasonable price (under $500) please let me know.

The Nacra 5.2 sounds like a very viable option and I intend to keep a watchful eye in the classified's.

Can anyone shed any light on the handling and "single-handed rightability" of a Hobie 17 sport with wings? I can't find any info on a good combined crew weight for it. If this is a wise choice, I might be willing to stretch the budget a little ! As you can probably tell, I expect to do a fair amount of solo sailing as well as family time on this boat.

Gracias,
TRowe

The Hobie 17 does not have as much buoyancy (load-carrying capacity) as most of the boats that have been suggested. It was designed primarily as a singlehander.

Actually I think the Prindle 16 would be a good boat for you (as well as nacra 5.0 /nacra 500 and Hobie 16). Experience is that family and friends will want to go onto the boat together ones or so and then you'll end up signlehanding or sailing with one other that has gotten the bug after the first test sail.

I wouldn't buy a large 18 or 19 foot boat just to be able to take all out at one. Mostly this doesn't happen anyway and if it does only ones. Get a good boat for singlehanding and doublehanded sailing without overpowering you in weight and sailarea.

The Prindle 16 and other 16's are good in this respect. Maybe Nacra 570 and Prindle 18 but there I would draw the line.

Wouter

I concur with your comments on the Nacra 5.7. It is a fun, safe cat that I can set up in about 30 minutes from trailer to water. I am a newbie to sailing and cats, but the boat is fast.

I am 6’2”, 230lbs and could not right the catamaran without another body on the hiking strap. That being said, the 5.7 is so buoyant (specifically in the hulls), I don’t think you can knock it over unless you are trying to or are really not paying attention.

I am 71 years old and have been sailing my Hobie 16 for 20 years. I single hand it often but also carry up to 4, including myself with reasonable comfort. The tramp on the Hobie 18 has less room than the 16 because the jib sheet blocks and the dagger boards on the 18 interfere. I have no experience with the Nacras but have been told that the hulls are thinner and more prone to be damaged than the Hobies. The 16 has a tendency to pitchpole by burying a bow but you learn to keep the crew positioned in those conditions. There also is an accessory tab some people install on the bow to help deflect it up. I asked someone with them who said they work but haven't bothered to get them myself. I bought my Hobie 20 years ago and in that time have had very little maintenance to do. I have replaced rudder cams, shrouds (at most twice), and one jam cleat. The boat has been heavily used all this time. I also own and sail an 18' monohull, a Cape Cod Catboat but when the wind is up I prefer the Hobie.

Howard

I think the Nacra 5.5 Uni (or Sloop) would be ideal for what you describe. The Uni has only a mainsail and is designed for single-handed sailing. The Sloop has a shorter mast and a relatively large jib, and was designed to be sailed 2-up. Both Uni and Sloop have the same hulls and easily support the weight of your family. When the Nacra 5.5 came out, one of the families in our club bought both the Sloop and Uni rigs so he could race when no one in the family wanted to race with him. There were others that bought the Sloop but just removed the jib and raced single handed with main only. They didn't have as much power as the taller Uni rigs, but the boat handled and sailed beautifully, just like the Uni does. I raced the Uni for 9 years and found it to be a delightful boat. The local dealer is offering the Uni sailors an opportunity to trade in their Uni if they want to purchase a new F17, so he may have some available that could fit your price range (cathouse1.com). Of all the boats proposed, I think this is the best. Very similar to the Nacra 5.2 hulls, just lengthened another foot. It has daggerboards (like the Hobie 18) and will sail closer to the wind than the boats without the daggerboards. It is boomless, and therefore, is a little safer for all onboard.

Thanks again to everyone that offered their advice and opinions. I think I've managed to find a new Prindle 16 mast and intend to make the drive to get the original boat again.
Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to meet some of you out on the water some day! Look for me on Lake Champlain in the summer and in Southeast PA in the Spring and fall!
Cheers,
TRowe

I think it will be a perfect boat for you and your family. You're going to have a lot of fun with it.

Well,,,,the Prindle 16 and mast continue to elude me so I'm back to my search again....
Would anybody care to share their experiences with a Hobie 17 sport? I've got my eye on one and would appreciate some insights!
Thanks,
TRowe

The H17 is a good cat, although primarily solo-sailed. There is not a lot of volume in the hulls and doesn't handle a lot of weight well. Do a search on Hobie 17 in the forums, you will find a lot of information on them.

I too started my boating career in a Folboat my dad built, then a Sunfish, a Hobie 14, and am now on my second Hobie 17 Sport Conversion. While I love the 17, and consider it a great boat, it doesn't have the hull volume to carry large loads. The 16 actually does better with it's raised tramp, and I think might be a better boat for your purposes. The 17 is a great solo boat, and with the jib can take a little added weight. It is also a little more complicated to rig, and you have to be very careful about not letting water freeze in the wing wells in the winter. I have had chronic problems with gravel jamming up my centerboards. On the bright side, you should be able to right it! Let me know if you get it. Brian