nacra 5.2 vs Hobie 16 Solo

i was wondering which is better/easier for soloing. I am pretty light, so I will probably set up a roller furler if i get the 5.2, but wouldn't on the hobie cause of the battens. just wondering what everyone thinks.

i have been happily sailing a 5.2 solo for a few years now

on a small lake with gusty winds, learning to use the trapeze makes it much less stressful when trying to go fast

both are too much for me to right solo on our lake, part of this is due to having no waves or consistent wind to help the righting

i originally wanted a h16 but none were available locally

when both were new the nacra cost about 50% more, you can see it in the quality of the traveller etc.

was out coaching a guy on his h16 the other day and even though i was watching the leeward bow like a hawk and hand holding the mainsheet it still pitchpoled on us as i was too used to the forgiving nature of the long buoyant 5.2 bows

have never pitchpoled the 5.2, it might be possible if you try but so far i've been able to bury it to the main beam several times and have it just pop out if main is released

sailing without the jib is an easy depower on the 5.2 for solo, but you need to start tacking by releasing the traveller and not just the mainsheet

http://vimeo.com/5075989

I have been sailing a 5.2 solo as well the last three years and I really love the boat! I got a second hand roller furler off this list which works well. There are a couple of small jib leech battens that stick out a bit but they don't bother me at all.

I bury the bows for fun sometimes, like Erice, the control is just incredible! I will even head down from a beam reach or even higher to scare the pants off my incidental crew from time to time. Do it right and they get green water in their face for about two seconds (don't do this when on the wire BTW). I usually warn them by saying something like "Here's one thing you are used to doing on your mono, which is not such a good idea on a cat...Hang on!"

The boat is easy to control, even in big waves and F7 with full main and jib. F7 is the current limit to my Nacra 5.2 experience, but I'm confident she will never let me down. I can always roll up the jib and bending the mast takes out a lot of the drive, especially in combination with a little traveler slack.

I weigh 95Kg That's 200# or thereabouts and I can right the boat solo even with almost no wind. It was darn difficult to pull the boat over in no wind! But I had to find out. I will stand on the end of the dagger board and it takes about three seconds to come up from that moment. I did have to loosen all sheets and point the mast and bows at 45 degrees into the (general direction of the) wind.

I have no hesitation recommending the 5.2, but you may like the H16 better if there's a racing fleet of them nearby.

Whatever you get, make sure you can right it solo! Otherwise rig a righting pole or a righting bag (you can order them both from this site.)

Sailing H16 since 19992 for 95% solo I can only speak for this cat. Given remarks make sence for sure:

no way to sail without the jib because of the battens and because it is almost impossible to sail H16 with main sail only.
with enough wind righting is not a problem. too less wind? I use a modified shopping bag which can contain approx 40 liters of water sufficient to do the trick - even with no wind at all
H16 has much sail area which can not really be trimmed like modern sails/cats can. Sailing alone makes the most fun when "on the edge" thus having always 2 hands short..Nose diving is always a risk on a 16
few advantages: H16 are almost indestructable - you can still sail (6-7 Bft- waves !!!) ) when most (if not all) other cats leave the water for which however you need a good crew and shallow waters / beach landings are no problem

And whatever you choose it's the fun that counts !

I owned a H16 and still own a 5.2 (which is for sale incidentally). Some remarks:

The 5.2 is faster. Until the wind gets nuts in which case the H16 can still sail while the 5.2 stays ashore.

The 5.2 is more stable. H16 are pitchpoling machines. They need taming! One you tame them they are a heap of fun to drive at the limit...

The 5.2 will support more weight on board.

The 5.2 will tack not matter what the wind or sea state. The H16 will do the same as long as you know what you are doing: weight placement is paramount on the H16, less of an issue on the 5.2

It is way easier to climb aboard a H16 than a 5.2 after a capsize recovery.

Contrary to what flying_dutchman said I've sailed my H16 solo without a jib, and it works just fine, you just have to reduce the rake quite a bit. I've also sailed the 5.2 in the same configuration (the overlapping jib interferes quite a bit with the spi I had installed) and it works okay.

OK Thanks guys, so which do you think is easier to solo for a pretty light guy like me? It seems to me it would be the Hobie (less sail area) Am I right or wrong? Thanks

NACRA 5.2......sail and be able to look around and enjoy the scenery.

Hobie 16...........sail and stare at the leeward bow most of the time while sailing (to avoid the pitchpole).

This was humor in case someone didn't know.

I had a NACRA 18sq once upon a time and really enjoyed taking Hobie drivers for a ride on a windy day and bury the leeward hull up to the fwd beam. Boat kept on driving fwd. Called fun.

the nacra 5.2 has about 2% more sail than the h16...

but the nacra can be sailed easier without the jib, and removing that is subtracting about 20% of the total sail area...

so in theory i would say the 5.2 is the better solo boat, unless you are beach launching or sailing in shallow waters where the nacra's daggers can be a handful at best and destroy the boat at worst...

so general advise would be to buy the boat in the best condition that you can afford, don't get locked into a wreck that hasn't been sailed for 5 years and has parts missing over a good sailing boat on a good trailer

Had a superb sailing weekend on our Hobie 16 especially on Sunday. Wind in general exceeding 24 Kn and some serious gusts as well. Had to help a crew with an old Hobie 17 but got our share as well .
Sailing is not really an issue but jibing / tacking sure is. With extreme short steep waves and much mast rake tacking is tricky (flipped over backwards more than once !!) but jibing is not easy neither !!! (tilted frontwards as well)
Had a lot of fun and salt water. Must humbly admit we still have a lot to learn / experience.

You might as well choose the Nacra - we got our challenge !!