Hobie 16 / 18 vs Nacra 5.2

Formula 17?....Have I missed something? I understand that Performance is making a a boat called F17 but is there an Formula 17 class?

I am very comfortable roll tacking the H16. I learned to do this on my Apollo 16 and it is a lot easier to do on the H16. The crew I usually sail with insists on backing the jib to pull the bows through the wind. I hate it because:
#1 we lose all our momentum and don't carry any forward motion into the next tack.
#2 I have seen it done properly and it is very efficient.

My main problem with the H16 is that with a combined crew weight of around 330 pounds, in a fresh breeze, we were constantly backing off to keep the lee bow from digging in. That is with me on the back rail and the crew on the wire at the rear corner casting. It sucked dumping wind. I might have the same problem on the N5.2, but from what I have read, it can be pushed quite a bit harder. I'm loving this thread... thanks to everyone for the input.
-Rob

When is the movie coming out? I wish there was this kind of momentum behind some of the other old classes. Maybe we can have an old boat of the week club. Skippers from around the globe can compile an updated view of older models that are being refurbished either with stock or recent innovations to keep it competative. This could also be a forum of its own....

If there was one...the the Nacra 5.2 would be the very first hands down. By the standards when it came out, it was a powerfull 2up catamaran. By today's standards, it's the perfect single hander with the ability to handle additional weight.

Im currently looking into either the Hobie 16 and the Nacra 5.2, is it possible to learn to sail on the Nacra? and I think one of the coolest things about the hobie is getting one of the hulls clean outta the water, is this possible and easy to do in the Nacra like the Hobie?

Oh Heck yeah!

do the thinner hulls make it easier to roll? and how much harder is it to learn on a Nacra than a hobie?

Flounder:

Nice, simple explanation. I agree with you on all points.

Wyatt

The 5.2 is a little more powerful than the Hobie 16 and probably has a slightly steeper learning curve. You have to deal with daggerboards on the 5.2 - raising and lowering them for beaching and sailing - but the upwind performance is a little better because of the boards. Outside of that, the sail systems are very similar. Parts for either boat are pretty easy to come by but there are more Hobie 16s around if you are looking for specific advise.

Borrowed from Frank who took my old Nacra 5.2 and created the first "Frankenboat 5.2"...Now does this look like fun or what!? :

There's that "BOW SIZZLE" we were talking about ! Now the boat has a nice I-17 spin pole up front! BTW, that picture was taken at the Daytona Summer Sizzler shortly after getting the boat.
P.S. somehow I feel violated having my picture spread around for other's enjoyment!

I just bought a Nacra 5.2. I'm still rigging it up but I should have it on the water this weekend. I've only sailed on monohulls and H16s, so I can give you a good review after this weekend of what the Nacra newbie thought.

Newbie review: The Nacra 5.2 kicks H16 butt. Winds were forcast for around 10 knots but ended up petering out to about 5-8 knots. The Nacra accelerated about as well as the H16 but seemed to hold it's speed better between gusts. The Nacra also points WAY higher than the H16. I would lose pressure and look up at the telltales and I would be footing really hard. It took a little getting used to being able to point so high. I wasn't able to really test it's downwind potential since the wind was so light, but it was very stable on a reach. It feels much stabler than an H16 also. That could be my mind playing tricks on me though since I know it has an extra 6" of beam. We'll see how it does when the wind is at least moderate. I'm not quite ready for the heavy air test yet.
-Rob
Panama City
Nacra 5.2