MN3 wrote: Meh
What does 'meh' mean?
tominpa wrote: I would not touch a H14, or for that matter an H16 as an adult or especially large adult. Lots of better choices.
I am 150lb.
So...What are the better choices?
The 14 is most suitable to youth and small sailors, and at 150 lbs you qualify. Any catamaran with taller hulls is going to be more stable, especially downwind, but on all points of sail and in rougher water. I don't find a H-16 to be particularly easy to upright without help or a water bag. I'm too large for a H-14 and that is part of my prejudice, but it's way to easy to bury a hull on those boats, and it's all over when you do.
Better choices? There are a lot of Prindle 16 cats around that are inexpensive, amazingly light, easy to move around on the beach and more stable and faster on the water. Nacra 5.0 is a light, fast skeg hull that will grow with your skills.
Better choice ... F16 of whatever manufacturer you can get your hands on. Yes it has boards but they are very light and easy to handle. Don't confuse them with Nacra 6.0 or H18 boards. You can rig it like a H14 without jib, without spinnaker and it is lighter, easier to move around. Even main only, it will out sail a lot of the boats discussed. Best part is you'll never have to buy a new boat as it will grow with you as you gain more experience.
MN3 wrote: Nothing wrong starting and learning on 90's sail plan - esp if you have basic sailing skills to start with
I don't know if I have the basic skills yet. Maybe I'll get there on my Sunfish.
dssaak wrote: There isn't a whole lot of bouancy in those H14 hulls.
I have beenn watching some videos and started to understand what you mean with that. Maybe, I shouldn't be obsessed with the H14.
Edited by sun on Dec 07, 2022 - 03:08 PM.
tominpa wrote: There are a lot of Prindle 16 cats around that are inexpensive, amazingly light, easy to move around on the beach and more stable and faster on the water. Nacra 5.0 is a light, fast skeg hull that will grow with your skills.
I have been hearing about Prindle 16 a lot. I will get into that. Nacra 5.0, I will have to check it out.
dssaak wrote: Better choice ... F16 of whatever manufacturer you can get your hands on. Yes it has boards but they are very light and easy to handle. Don't confuse them with Nacra 6.0 or H18 boards. You can rig it like a H14 without jib, without spinnaker and it is lighter, easier to move around. Even main only, it will out sail a lot of the boats discussed. Best part is you'll never have to buy a new boat as it will grow with you as you gain more experience.
You mean that one that Nacra has? The semifoiling one? I don't think I can handle that anytime soon.
I have owned mine for 35 years. Basically, I am keeping it for the grandkids. The only time I take it out to sail is if it is blowing 20-30 mph.
I sold my F18 Tiger because the F16 not only is a great solo boat, we found that 2 up performance doesn't drop off much even without the jib.
dssaak wrote: I have owned mine for 35 years. Basically, I am keeping it for the grandkids. The only time I take it out to sail is if it is blowing 20-30 mph.
I sold my F18 Tiger because the F16 not only is a great solo boat, we found that 2 up performance doesn't drop off much even without the jib.
https://falconmarineusa.com/racing-sailboats/
?
Well, thanks for all the help. Eventually, these are the cats, and I'll have to pick one. I really want to rent a Wave and see how it feels before any decision. Seems like in windy conditions, Wave is not bad at all. I can add a jib on a used one.
Yes, the Falcon is the next generation to my Blade. There is also the Viper ( https://www.goodalldesign.com.au › pages › viper). Nacra makes an F16 as well.
We now have three F16s at my club and are hoping to build a larger fleet.
dssaak wrote: Yes, the Falcon is the next generation to my Blade. There is also the Viper ( https://www.goodalldesign.com.au › pages › viper). Nacra makes an F16 as well.
We now have three F16s at my club and are hoping to build a larger fleet.
So, F16 is the class, and there are multiple manufacturers building for that.
Correct.
sun wrote: So, F16 is the class, and there are multiple manufacturers building for that.
That's right. The Taipan was one of the early representatives of the class as well. That's the boat I owned. It's a high performance boat, so the SA/D ratio is quite high, even with just the main.
The SA/D of a Taipan is 49.1, Topaz 14CX is 29.2, RS Cat 14 XL is 27.8, and Wave is 31.8 (these calculations are with Main only and include a single 150# crew.)
This thread has gotten to long to re-read. If they haven't been mentioned, there are two boat criterial that are very near the top of my list. Buy a boat you don't have to repair; free boats are never cheap. Find out what they are sailing where you will do most of your sailing. Having the fastest boat it isn't much fun when you are waiting for everyone else all the time. It is really no fun being the slow boat in the pack and everyone has to wait for you. That is the main reason why the Tiger became my main boat over the Hobie 14 initially.