Hello
I have been in the market for a cat for about a year now and found many offers to purchase a Hobie 16. I recently recived a great deal on a Prindle 16 but i am not too familiar with them. I just have a few questions regarding both boats and wich one would be right for me.
-I currently weigh 165 lbs and will be doing alot of the sailing solo
-I am concerned about the pitch pole factor but have not heard too much about the prindle 16
-Are Prindles still made today?? and how hard are spare parts to find? (Just worried about buying a headach if something goes wrong and i need new parts. sails, spars, etc.)
-Does the hobie 16 sit higher off the water than the prindle?
Thank you

The Prindle is, in my opinion, the better boat. It's likely heavier, but it has "full-size" hulls. That is to say, the hulls have a lot of volume and go all the way up to the trampoline. The rudder system is more problematic, but that can be fixed or swapped out.

If you can't find a G-Cat 5.0, I would definately go with the Prindle 16. Whichever boat you buy, be sure to check the hulls and hardware thoroughly for signs of abuse.

I've owned a P-16 and two P-18's (and a Hobie 14 Turbo and a Laser!)

Both the Hobie and the Prindle are very good boats. Some folks lean towards Hobie, some to other makes.

The H-16 tends to hobby-horse a bit more than the Prindle with a somewhat greater tendency towards pitchpoling. As stated above, the Prindle hulls have more volume so they don't dig in quite as quickly. I've always liked that benefit!

That said, you will learn the boat you are sailing. The PP factor by itself should not be the overriding concern.

As to parts, I've never had a problem finding anything I needed for the Prindle. Fortunately, I've never had to replace anything dramatic. Most of the rigging, sails, and hardware can be easily found. You might have more of an issue if you were trying to find a mast or hull.

The Prindle tramp is bound to the hull, while the Hobie is on a frame. Actual height is similiar, I imagine.

It will be tough to right either boat alone. Consider a bag, bar or Solo~Right.

If you plan on racing, Hobie likely has more class events.

The Prindle 16 is no longer in production, as far as I know but Performance Sailcraft is still building other Prindles.

See if you can test sail both then choose the one you like the best! If you can get a very good deal on one, then I would be comfortable saying "go for it".

Sheldon

I've owned and still own a Prindle 16 and have sailed often on Hobie 16's in the past both in races and recreationally. I'm located in Europe.

I've sailed the Prindle 16 alot solo and even raced it in my club championships as a super sloop (main AND jib). I weight 180 lbs. I found the Prindle 16 to be better suited to mixed solo and doublehanded sailing. I can right the Prindle 16 solo (with some skill) but not the Hobie 16. Don't ask me why.

Pitch pole factor; As somebody wrote earlier you learn to sail the boat that you own so there is not that much in there. Personally I found the P16 to be better balanced and not susceptable to the backward capsize. The P16 hulls do have more volume in total and especially so in the bows. Having said this; the P16 is also pitchpole sensitive than more modern cats like the nacra 500.

>Are Prindles still made today?

-No

>And how hard are spare parts to find?

I used Hobie 16 parts for the blocks and other small fittings and only the castings and rudders are Prindle specific but these are still produced and sold where I live. Sail can still be ordered at any sailmaker. Online stores like Murrays still offer Prindle 16 parts.

>>Does the hobie 16 sit higher off the water than the prindle?

That is what is often said but it is not true. Most definately not in the sense that it is significant.

I found that a well setup Prindle 16 will go to weather (upwind sailing) slightly better than a Hobie 16. On a P16 you can outpoint H16's. I also found that Hobie 16's will run better (sailing downwind or broad reaching) than a prindle 16. Around the course the two are pretty evenly match with something like 1 or 2 % difference in performance overall. Don't look yourself blind on yardsticks as these are skewed by the depth of sailors and related skills in the H16 class. The H16 class has an very active following the Prindle 16 does not.

Weakpoints of the P16 are : The ruddercastings (they break easily) and the rudderlock down mechanisme (These need to be well maintained)

The strong points of the P16 are : beams fitted directly to the hulls and therefor stiffer overall. More forgiving sail characteristic, better running gear (ballbaring travellers and blocks)

Wouter

When I first got into beach cats in 1985 I asked myself these same questions regarding the P16 vs Hobie 16. Nacra was new and relatively untested as far as I knew at this time. My reasons for choosing the Prindle over the Hobie were justified the more I sailed the boat. It is stiffer, and has more buoyancy in the bows. I have rebuilt two older P16s recently. As long as there isn't a lot of fiberglass work to do you can get them up and running for not too much time or money. Most of the time spent has been on stitching the trampolines and installing brass grommets on the edges because the loops used to make the tramp taught on the sides don't last. As some of the other sailors said-the rudder mechanisms are a poor design that take some care, patience, and understanding. Since I was in the learning stages I pitchpoled my P16 many, many times before I learned to ease the jib on a screaming reach. I've also pitchpoled backwards a few times but that was due to having a few too many people on board while tacking. On a minor note I found the inspection ports worked well for storing extra clothing, food, tools and spare parts. You'll need water proof bags for everything. There aren't any bulkheads to keep your stuff from getting jammed up in the bow after pitchpoling so you'll want to devise a method to keep them within arms reach. Murrays Marine has lots of parts.

I also sail a P-16 and agree the rudders need special care. Would it be possible to retrofit a H-16 rudder system to the Prindle?

I don't see why not. My friend put TheMightyHobie18 rudders on his P18-2