Shopping for a beach cat after 20 years away!

Anxious to get back to sailing after 20 years away; getting married, starting a business, and raising kids. I've owned and raced a Hobie 16 and later a Nacra 5.2 and various monohulls to 35 feet. I even had a Hobie 12, anyone else remember these rigid cats, more of a toy than catamaran IMHO!

My kids are now 12 and 14 and I am looking for a boat to teach my them the beauty and responsibility of life under sail and the thrill of flying a hull.

We will sail 90% of the time off the beach in North Florida, I'm 220#, wife 140#, two kids 110# ea. I could see the majority of time sailing with one or both kids, occasionally all four out for a cruise. I'd like the option to solo sail and right a boat myself, I doubt we will race. I'd rather not deal with daggerboards or lock down rudders like my Nacra had sailing off the beach. From my research reading this wonderful forum, I think I have settled on either a Prindle 18 classic, 18-2 or 19. Budget $2-3,000, maybe a bit more for a great boat.

Am I on the right track? Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Same old problem. You want to carry 2/3 people and right it singlehanded - you are going to have to compromise somewhere

p18 or n570 are good
places to start

Ditto!

Ditto plus one.

Can't go wrong with a Prindle 18 or the 18-2.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/boa/1874749402.html

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/boa/1890304994.html

http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/1829208428.html

http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/boa/1884589918.html

http://panamacity.craigslist.org/boa/1827059737.html

1989 Dart 20 -- Tornado main sail & furling jib. Cat Trax beach wheels, Aluminum Sail Box. Trailex Aluminum trailer with new tires, springs, & SS Buddy bearings. Back-up second set of complete rudders. Boat is ready to sail, add water & wind. $2800.00 Might be worth a trip south;)
Steve Fisherkeller 727-458-5405 catsailor33781@gmail.com (FL)()Aug)

Sounds like you need a Nacra F17. Easily rightable sole and if you want to load it up with the family and cruise it can do that too.
Id look for a boat with the least amount of stuff on the tramp if you plan on taking it out with 4 people on it. Jib sheeting to front beam will be great for all the crew.

GCat 5.7 is a good option, especially with front tramp and no boards

Many thanks for the info guys!

I had contacted many of the Craigslist boats, but rarely get reply from the owners (like is the mast straight?). I guess they are looking for someone to drive up a buy the boat immediately. I tend to research. No internet when I bought my last boat! What a valuable tool, otherwise I would have gone out and bought another Hobie 16. Was great boat, just need more options now.
I think the cat forum advertisements are probably better kept boats and were I will concentrate my efforts.
Steve, very nice boat, I will consider it.
Thanks Turbo for the suggestions to keep the tramp clean, that is more important to me than infinite trimming options. Just the kind of practical advise I was looking for. I'll check out the Nacra F17.
Dave, I will also research the GCat, I have not seen one.
Thanks again, back to shopping.....

Whatever boat you choose, add a righting pole to aid singlehanded righting.

Hey, want a 5.2?

C

I think craigslist, ebay, local papers are all very good sources... you can find gems or jerks at any source. Don't discount those other places to look..

also if there is a local sailing scene, club, stores or shores.. those are good places to visit... talk with the natives, ask around about cats for sale (or go for test rides) look for postings, etc.

Have you looked at our CLassifieds? Just click on "Classifieds" in the masthead on this page.

In about the same situation I went with the Hobie 20-bullet proof and not a lot of $$(5K).You can sail it with three, but I do not think single handing is do-able. Parts are easily had as are good lightly used sails. If you have the $$ I would pony up for a F-18(10K).

weta trimaran could do all but fly on the edge

at 14' the kids will sooner grow into soloing it

and as you get older you'll appreciate it's lower weight

performance a touch down on the 5.2 and H16

but as a mixed family boat user friendliness is a few clicks up

lots of youtube videos to find out if further research is warranted

Capttony,

From the sounds of it you want a boat that will perform but not be too fragile or twitchie/edgy

The P18 is a very durable boat ... but I could always stomp on them w/ my TheMightyHobie18 ... (and I do me "stomp" as the P18 doesn't point very well)

The P18-2 is a great boat .... but is sized for a crew wieght much lighter then you and your wife together ...
(approx 275lbs) .....

The P19 is another great boat ... sized for a crew weight of 325-350lbs and performs very well ... maybe too well for what you are seeking. I have one myself and do enjoy the heck out of it ..... but I also "race" most of the time I'm sailing .....

Most of the boats that will perform well at the crew wieghts you will be sailing at are boats w/ "boards" .... the most "forgiving" durable catamaran that is availible cheap is ..... the H18Magnum.

The TheMightyHobie18 does everything well including launching/landing through surf on exposed beaches ...

You may wish to look at a Mystere5.5, or Nacra5.5 ...

Good luck w/ your reseach
Harry

Thanks again for all the great suggestions!

After alot of reading/researching I think I'd like to concentrate on finding a Nacra 5.8, and have placed an ad to try and find one. I loved the way my Nacra 5.2 sailed, and have learned to deal with boards and the beach. I would appreciate a more performance oriented cat.
Thanks for the insights, Harry, I'll also look at the Hobie18s, however the "comp tip" mast concerns me. I'd rather have an all alluminum mast. I'd also perfer clear anodizing versus black aluminum.
The Nacra F18 is very intriguing, and a beauty is currently advertised, however 18 hour round trip is not in the cards. Anyone driving from Chicago to Florida and want to earn a couple hundred bucks?
Thanks again for the warm welcome and suggestions. I will remain patient until the right boat comes along. Hopefully, as it may be close to the end of the season there will be more boats comming available.

Price?

About $15000 Aussie dollars and in my experience the Weta doesn't perform around a race course anything like the cats mentioned.
Nacra 5.8 is a top choice, you could use one of the old small jibs so the kids can pull it on

This may fit the bill: www.wingzsailboats.com

Hey CatFighter, why don't you buy an AD in the magazine. Best coverage you can get. Otherwise your methods seem CHEAP and underhanded. Cutting too many corners to save money will turn the buyer away. ADVERTISE HERE like a real business.

I'm just sayin...

Clayton,

If you bothered to check, you would see there is a paid ad for the boat on this site.

Sheesh!

Righting the 5.8 solo could be a problem. A righting pole should do it especially if you have waves and wind (which is probably why you would capsize) as the waves go under the mast they lift the tip of the mast out of the water starting the righting process. I was able to right mine without my crews assistance in 5ft waves.

I can right my 5.8 solo with the aid of a Solo~Right by hobiegary. But I don't think Gary makes them anymore.

how is gary's different that ricks?

Ricks is a pole attached to the front cross beam at the dolphin striker - permanently rigged on the boat.

Gary's design was a lever (modified, reinforced oar with a tab fastened to the end) you insterted into a dagger board well on the lower hull and had lines that clipped to the front and rear cross beams on the upper hull (upper and lower refer to the boat on it's side on the water). You walked up the lever, using the lines for balance.

I tried both once upon a time - and rated neither highly. The pole was a bit long and tended to drag in the water on a Hobie 18. The solo right (Gary's device) was a pain to store on the boat and more work to rig. Water bags seems easier to rig and store than either of these two options.

Chris.

You need to go back to marketing 101. Your ad doesn't give much info. Didn't catch my attention... not that it matters any.

Like Chris says, the pole will stick out the back due to the length of the lever needed to right a 5.8 solo
I worked out how far I needed to be out on the pole to right my Stingray solo then cut the rest off but it still stuck out the back a fair way. The advantage of the pole is it self stows after you use it.

Now, Clayton.

The ad is what is referred to as a "teaser". It's sole purpose is to get a prospective customer to visit the website. By the way, thanks for the visit!

The site has been active for a week now and one of the 21' catamarans has already been sold. The buyer is a regular visitor to this site and saw the ad.

You may not like the ad we placed or the boat. No sweat. Thankfully, you are a minority.

By the way, we are having banner ads built now and should have them to Rick shortly. We have another client that advertises here as well: Kelly-Hanson Sails.

Wonder why it is so hard for people today to admit they were wrong and just continue attacking. Nature of the internet? It is sad day when folks beat up on a new company when they haven't even had the chance to see their product.

Keep flaming away. All it does is keep the thread at the top of the list and more folks view the site.

Sorry to all for the temporary hijacking of this thread.

Ok, you win. Not sure why, there is no flaming or attacking going on.

You make a lot of assumptions, don't do that. You don't know me. Good on you with the banner ads, I hope that sells a lot of boats.

One point I'd like to make, its just an opinion so don't get your panties in a wad. When you sell boats 1 at a time, 1 person is not a minority...

Good luck, I hope you do well.

Clayton

BTW- Credibility goes a long way if you have a real name. I'm just sayin. I'm probably wrong, so I'll apologize in advance... sorry!

The G-Cat 5.0 (~16') fits exactly what you are looking for. It sails well, but has no boards to deal with. It is built tough, has three crossbeams and two trampolines so it has the space for all 4 people (plus, it has the buoyancy to HOLD all 4 people), and it is small enough for one big guy to right solo. It is very simply rigged. It is at least as fast as a Hobie 16.

There is one for sale near me in Palmetto, check the Sarasota-Bradenton craigslist.
<-- clicky

I'm currently restoring a 5.7 (~18'), and wishing I had a 5.0. I solo a lot and I can't right the 5.7 by myself so I must be very careful. I'm thinking about making a telescoping righting pole to assist solo-righting...