Hello i am interested in buying a cat. i found a 1983 prindle 16 w/trailer for 900. what should i look for when test sailing it with the owner and when its out of the water, also he said it the hulls get about a gallon of water an hour and he said it was normal, is it? he aslo said i should look at other sail boats to actually notice how good of a deal i was getting. is this prindle worth 900?
thanks is advance
ben

A gallon an hour is quite a lot.

buyer beware. I've never owned a P16 so I don't know the "hot spots" to cover, but basic things include checking for soft spots on the hulls, no frayed or broken standing rigging, straight mast, sails in good condition, foils in operational order....

I agree, a gal/hr is way too much. Definitly look at other boats. I think you will find many more beach cats for around $1000 that don't take on any where near as much water.

Good luck hunting!

I recently found a prindle 16 for a freind that might actually be in better condition than the one you described, she paid $350 for it. I think she did some minor sowing on the tramp to get it right, but has been sailing on it.

It's possible that you can find an obvious chip in the hull or around the gudgeon that could be the source of the water. The only real way to test it is to hook up a very low volume air pump to it and walk around it with soapy water.

Most importantly, as mentioned before, check for any soft spots anywhere and find out if it was stored inside. We hear about sailors finding unused boats in very good conditions, but very dirty for around $500. Your check of the sails should be another sign of care and treatment.

Wyatt

900 sounds like a lot and 1 gallon an hour is NOT normal. Think about do a distance race that last 5-6 hours, that is 10-12 gallons in the hulls. even if you don't race that should demonstrate the issue. I got a 1984 prindle for 400 a couple years ago and it worked well although the sails were pathetic. Skip this one, keep looking.

First time I sailed my Nacra I took in about 2 cups of water over 4 hours - and I freaked out! But helpful posters on catsailor and the folks at SidSports told me not to worry; that was probably a slow leak in the drain gasket.

The Prindles don't have daggerboards so well leaks aren't a problem. And if the fiberglass appears strong, it could be just a gasket leak. That can be fixed pretty easily; and depending on where you live $900 might be perfectly good for the boat, especially if the sails and tramp are in good condition. Here in Utah cats are sufficiently rare that $1500 is a decent price for a mid-80's model in good condition.

But our fellow posters (with more experience than I) are right. At the very least, the owner should get that leak fixed before selling. Unless you can be guaranteed the hulls will last, keep looking.

Where are you based?

I live in san diego. the sails are pretty crisp. how much water is normal to be in the hulls after a couple hours say 3 hours. what exatly is a soft spot. how much is a 1983 prindle 16 w/trailer worth in good condition.
Ben

i attached three pictures

last picture

looks in much better shape than the prindle I had, and trailer looks ok too. Sails are better also. Look really closely at the hulls and the hull/deck joints to see if there is a gross defect and pound on the hulls lightly and you will be able to tell if there is significant rot. A gallon an hour is a lot (in my opinion) and would be coming through a place you would notice. I just got done building up the centerboard wells on my 6.0. I was going to do the vaccuum test but then just figured if water is getting in, then it will get out also- so I filled the hull up with a little water and found it leaking out of the centerboard well at a crack. Might be worthwhile to try this with the prindle you are looking at. Now that there are pictures I thiink 900$ sounds pretty good (given the sails and general appearance).

If the hulls seem intact (no rot, weakness) then it is most likely a fitting which is easily dealt with- if you want to deal with it.

Benni,

That 16 doesn't look too bad for $900. However as said lots of times before, a gallon of water an hour is a lot for a boat to leak. Is that in both hulls or just one? Have you seen this for yourself? As the Prindle doesn't have a platecase (and in the abscence of any hull cracks or damage) the leak(s) has to be at a fitting or the hull to deck join. This will be fixable in all cases, if you can find it (and want to fix it).

In your position I'd go for the boat but get someone who genuinely knows about boats to look it over to make sure the hulls really are sound and that we're only dealing with a dodgy fitting or similar.

Contact Mark Michaelson of Sailing Pro Shop. I live on the "Right" coast and he has provided excellent advice and service. He has a cat buyers guide somewhere on his website or at least he did at one time. He may know the specific boat you are considering. I know he knows that model and could help you understand where to specifically look for the leak.

That’s a lot of water. Either the person selling it doesn’t know how much a gallon is or is being really honest. Over what time period does that gallon get in there? A 2-hour sail, 4-hour or 14-hour sail? I doubt given where you live that it could condensate that much in between uses. If we leave the plugs in and the inspection port caps on, in one week the hulls will each condensate about two cups each.

The first race on our then 7-year-old 6.0 in winds above 20 and sometimes in the low 30 was for 4 hours and we took on ¼ cup. The bows were routinely submerged up to the beam in the 4-6 swells.

Maybe you guys have forgotten about buying used boats...cheap. The easily visible parts that will cost too much to replace if they’re crap are the tramp and the sails. A quick look at them in your P16 photos seems pretty good but you gotta be there and touch and look. The next thing is the hull hardness, especially the deck forward of the front beam. Press on it HARD and if it squishes or crackles, find another boat. The photos make the hulls look sharp and clean so maybe its been stored inside or at least covered.

Little things can bleed you financially to REPLACE so make sure it’s all there. Rudders(2)? Tiller extension that still extends? The photos make this boat look pretty complete. Count parts. Better yet, take it for a spin.

What about the water in the hulls? If the other things are good and the hulls don't squish, you can fix fiberglass cheap. No dagger wells on a P16. Come on now, it could just be the drain plug o-rings! A split rubber o-ring will fill a hull in an hour! 25 cents at Home Depot.

The trailer is important. Yours has a $500 box on it! Your trailer is painted (bad) but if there's not too much crud and rust it's worth most of your $900 right there. Does it roll?

I always tell people, “Look at the doughnut, not the hole.” A P16 is a GREAT boat, tough as nails if not squishy-hulled and flies higher than anything but a GCat. Offer $800, find some fiberglass junkies to teach you repairs, and GO SAILING right away. Cut out the "analysis paralysis".

Do it today before you blame the approaching winter for another dry day. Do it…. DO IT!

Here’s a picture of my old P16 doing what it does best. It cost me $250 plus a tramp. What a steal!

Actually, not much water should be expected. In my Hobie 18, I expect nothing unless I'm in strong wind conditions for the better part of the day when I'll have the leeward hull under the water a lot. I think the water actually comes through the inspection ports on top of the deck. At best, I may get one quart in each. On days with winds under 10k, it's not unusual to open the drain plugs and hear a shhhhhh....; as if opening a can of coffee.

On my daughter's Hobie 16, she gets a little bit more, but we suspect that that's from the inspection ports we put on top of the decks. I happen to believe in them for older boats (not brand new racing boats) because I think they aid in drying and extending the life of the boat.

Each year when we get the boats ready for storage (around middle of October) we have a boat repair weekend (four upside down boats in my backyard) and fill in all the scratches and cracks using West System. We inspect the caulk at the top of the posts on the Hobie 16; buff and polish the hulls and loosen the tramps. I prefer to remove my Hobie 18m tramps off my boat and place it in a warm, dry place for winter storage. Always the boats are stored in a covered location to keep the snow and sun off them.

We have a beautiful Hobie 16 here in this area (late 80s) with a new tramp, furling jib (not my cup of tea), and trailer that will probably sell for about $2,500. I found my daughter's 1989 Hobie 16 on a lakefront property in this area for $900, and after about forty hours of work and another $400, it's a beautiful boat on a Trailex trailer that's perfect for her use.

Have fun in looking but don't depend on Marinas, Ads, etc. Sometimes someone in a Sailing Fleet nearby sees one sitting in a backyard and you can walk up and make an offer; some people just physically can't do it anymore.

Wyatt

man, that guy certainly doesn't look like it woudl leak a gallon. On thing i have noticed is that people do tend to think there is more water than there really is. I've come back from sailing and taken out the plugs to let some water drain and had my crew(usually a newer to sailing person) go "Holy cow id leaks gallons" when its really only a cup or too. Its looks like more as its comes out. Just check everything thats already been mentioned, re-pack the bearing on the trailer and make an offer. Lowball, you never know how long they have been trying to sell. Sometimes boats just don't move and the owner will dang near take anything.(Of course as an owner recently trying to sell an older cat i have had no experience with this ;-)

I little update, i have seen it before it looked really nice he said it was his first sail but and just never wanted it to go, now he has a bigger and nicer one and more bills and he never uses it anymore. i have looked at it. the tramp has some new stitching on the ends and some custom tie downs where it meets the hull so its more flush, he said it cost like $350. today around 12 we are going out to test sail it. and i'll give you an update on the actual water it takes on if any. he seems like a real laid back guy not too pushy. i mean he told me "Go check out other boats first, before you buy this one so you can appriciate this one." there aren't too many for sail right now so i am just going to look at some sitting on the sand in the bay. i'll also take some picture up close of this one.

once again this guy has told me we are going to test sail it and backed out, the reason was he showing someone else and on the way one rudder dropped and broke(he has a lifted truck that creates too much angle) anyway he has wasted my time twice and i dont want to buy from a guy that...
thanks for all you help though
Ben

Hey Ben:

Don't give up! Are there any sailing fleets in your area? Why not start with a visit to them? If you were here in NY, we'd start by giving you a free beer to make friends.

W