On July 3 a strong thunderstorm and derecho passing through Northwest Pennsylvania split a large Cherry tree and tossed it from stern to bow over my N-5.7. It appears to be a total loss except perhaps some lines, rigging, rudders. The damage (I have not seen) appears to be terminal for both hulls, mast, both crossbars, rudder cross member, beach wheels, and trailer. I've owned this boat since 1985, raised my kids on it and sailed from the Atlantic to Pacific, Lakes Erie, Michigan and inland from Pymatuning to Tahoe. It's a great sentimental loss.
I am aware of a 2016 NACRA 570 that would be a considerable upgrade to the 1984, but at age 72, I wonder how many years of cat sailing realistically remain. It's been a long time since the trapeze was a place I wanted to hang out. Anyway, it's a thought. For now, I'm kind of in mourning.
Oh Tom.... I'm feelin' your pain!
Seventy-two years young?! I say "let's go!"
Of course I'm just a punk at only 63 yrs young, so there's that.
Strive for what you love to do. You'll find a way to get your body to come along for the ride.
Our little sailing club has quite a few members who are over 76 yrs young who are racing at every race, teaching sailing, giving kids introductory rides on their boats, etc. The secret, they all say, is that they all work-out. Strength training, walking, running, etc., at least three times a week. I work-out at least four times a week for the past five years or so. Even just 15-30 minutes a workout will help.
I'm not quite at your age, but when thinking about the next boat, or next adventure, if I start pondering my age and (im)possible future health issues, I know it might deter me... so I ignore those little nagging thoughts.
"Just do it!" and be happy.
@tominpa
That is just awful!
They always say that "anything fiberglass can be fixed" but maybe not. Your 5.7 has served you well for a long time.
I hope you are able to get a replacement and keep sailing as well as passing your knowledge on to the next generation.
If you don't find a replacement that works out on the classifieds
You could post a free "wanted to buy" ad in the classifieds.
https://thebeachcats.com/classifieds/all-wanted-to-buy-list/
Or contact Hardy Peters at East Coast Sailboats to see if he has leads on used or demo 570's.
https://www.eastcoastsailboats.com/category/multihulls/
Daemon, the 570 is listed here and I have been in contact with the owner. Two issues. I’m in Florida and the boat is in Maine. Maine is a no title state, so I have been researching what I need to legally title and register in FL. I think the ask of $4800 is probably fair, but if anyone has thoughts on that they are welcome.
Additional photos of the boat shoe the boat collapsed into the rollers and the trailer crossbars are folded to the ground. The hulls basically folded in Lala lengthwise between the crossbars. I have done some repairs in the past but I’m resigned to salvage what I can. The 7:1 sheet tackle and jib blocks may be the best of what remains.
I pulled the trigger on a Nacra 570 lists on TheBeachCats classifieds. I may not be done yet.
https://thebeachcats.com/classified-ad-1386269/nacra-570/
That’s painful, hate to see one of the greatest recreational Cats made come to such an end. My 5.7 is at a neighbors, it was deposited on his lawn, but no damage.
We experienced such a storm on July 1. Airport winds were 96kph,(60mph), with torrential horizontal rain. Could barely see the end of my dock from the back door. It tore the snaps & covers off the 20’ Stinray, & lifted my Dart 15, which was strapped to a Seadoo lift, out of the lake & deposited it on its side against the rock break wall.
Throwing caution to the wind, (no pun intended), we cut the tie downs, wrested the Cat back on its feet & secured it to the dock with a Y bridal. Seems only suffered some small cosmetic damage.
My neighbors H18 didn’t fare so well. It was torn off its lift, rolled a few times, suffered some holes in the hulls. The video doesn’t show the true force of the wind, it was taken from a protected door cam. The wind was mostly parallel to the shore, but still some waves were ripped inland.
Thanks Ed. The tree has been removed and things are clear in terms of damage. The front crossbar, Dolphin striker down-rod, beach wheels axle, stub hull, and mast (bent) are toast. The trailer support arms are all folded to the ground. The port hull could be repaired, but not worth it. All running rig and hardware, the rear beam, traveler. Righting system, rudders and tiller are unaffected. I am trying to source a new axle/beam for the beach wheels to save that investment. I have a mast raising system and all the sheets and blocks and sails that were stored safely and are unaffected. I have made a deal to buy a 2016 570, so my sailing life can continue as long as I can, and maybe the newer boat will have some Easter eggs to make the change worthwhile.
Time for an update and a more forward-looking post on plans. I am going to travel from Florida to Maine to pick up my 2016 Nacra 570 Sport MK1 in the last week of July. I'm getting over the disaster of my lovingly cared for 1984 5.7 and am looking forward to a boat 32 years newer with two mylar mainsails, mylar jib and lots of upgrades compared to the old boat. I still want to rescue my Cat Trax wheels and need a new axle beam. I may stop off at East Coast Sailboats in Duck NC on the way up to pick up a replacement. The new cat has possibilities I only dreamed about as I renovated and refinished the old 5.7 which had the decals and hydroturf deck of the newer boats. New to me will be the spinnaker and related rigging. I'd still like to get furling gear for the jib and spin. I'll try to add some photos from my phone later. Current plans are to bring it back to Florida and do some sailing this winter off Dunedin, but I'm open to anything along the west coast near Tampa. I am still looking for storage options, and so far have a place in Plant City as a fall-back, but would appreciate any recommendations.