what is a good 1st beachcat to buy for the beginning racer?

I would like to buy a beachcat for the purpose of racing it in CRAW (Catamaran racing association of Wisconsin) events. They run a handicap system so basically any beachcat would work. I have been racing sailboats all of my life - I started with optis, moved on to scows, and keelboats. Then I bought a Gougeon 32 catamaran 3 years ago. I have been racing the cat against monohulls in mixed fleet racing, and I realized that I haven't improved much in the last couple of years. I still have a long long way to go to be competitive with the G32 in a multihull fleet. So, my plan is to buy a beachcat and race other beachcats with the hope I would improve more quickly as a multihull racer. I weigh about 170lbs, and would like a cat that I could race solo, but could also race with a crew if I could find someone interested. What type of cat should I look for?

CRAW has a regatta August 2-3 in Green Bay. Check out the various types of boats being sailed. I sail a F16 and at 175 like the ability to single hand as well as have crew if I want.

Capt. Chaos
CRAW member

The best piece of advice that I have to offer is to get a boat that is actively being raced in your area in a sizable fleet. I raced as an x-boat (the odd boat) for several years and it wasn't until I bought a boat and assimilated with one of the more active fleets in our area that I really started to learn and improve at a rapid rate.

You have a lot of options at 170lbs.

+1

If you own a boat that has a nice fleet nearby it improves your skills faster and a lot cheaper than having to travel extensively to find regattas with boats of your type.

Buying a boat you can "grow into" is another good idea. Of course, almost any boat fits this category since they are all easy to learn but difficult to master.

X2 on Jake

I did the handicap thing on an i20 for a couple years, it's not so great after a while IMO. Our race results suffered some after moving to an F18, but we have certainly become better sailors from it.

What kind of experience do you have? That's the biggest question I think. If you are really green and just getting into sailing, the more complicated the boat the more likely you are to be turned off by the sport. Not to scare you off, but the modern boats power quickly too, and if you don't know how to manage that power they are a handful at best. Most everyone on here started with a H16, they're durable, cheap used, and easy to unload if you want to move onto something different. BUT, if you're coming from another spinnaker boat, then the transition wouldn't be all that hard.

CRAW is made up mostly of F16's and F18's. It's a pretty even split with a few other boats here and there. They race on handicap, but the difference between the two main classes is pretty minimal. It's basically boat for boat. No matter what kind of catamaran, CRAW would welcome you. Don't think they'd turn you away if you showed up with a Hobie 14 or something.

I have a 2012 Viper I would like to sell if you are interested.

Here you go Chris: http://www.formula16.net/

Thanks for the replies. I'm planning to visit the green bay regatta in august, so I can see f16s and f18s in action. I have spinnaker experience with the G32, and was hoping to step into a boat with a spinnaker right away.

Buy a very well set up boat with a very good spinnaker and you will master it a lot quicker

Chris, I can try and get you out on the water Friday if you like.

karl,
That would be great! My email is laser28 at mac dot com. I can send you my cell number once I hear from you.

whats your budget?

Budget depends on what I would need to spend in order to get a "club competitive" cat that is for the most part squared away. I have a feeling I will be at the back of the pack for a while, and I would like my first cat to be good enough to win races if a good sailor was sailing it. Basically I don't want the boat to be the reason I finish last A new NacraF20c or a new flying phantom are out of bounds, but a F16 or F18 that's a couple of years old looks doable.

You have the right attitude, grasshopper. Get the boat out of the equation. If you don't, you'll blame it (instead of the real reason for being slow) every time.

Probably more F18's on the market than F16. You'll need a regular crew for the 18 though.

that's a great place to be able to start from. Many if not most are limited with a low starting budget.

That being the case, F16 sounds like the right boat. mostly because it is a 1 or 2 person cat/racer

I'm getting rid of my 2013 boat to make space for the new one. PM sent.