Time to buy or keep looking?

What should I buy, what to stay away from? I learned to sail on a 14 & 16? Hobie. Lived on a Cal 33 from Superior to the Keys. After that I spent years on a windsurfer & custom variants. Now I?m 51 and although I still love to strap into the harness and fly, I can?t take my 4 boys with me. Nor can I stay with it for hours on end.

Automatically I assumed the H16 was the way to go, but after some research I wasn?t sure. My main interests?
* A boat that I can place my 200 lbs plus one or two boys @ 80 Lbs each.
* As much as I used to love submarining as a kid, I don?t want to scare off the boys.
* I want a boat I can sail by myself (like the H16) when no one will come with.
* I can keep it at a lake however I expect to trailer a lot.
* Although a very handy guy I don?t want to spend a bunch of time keeping the boat going.
* All my sailing will be done on Midwest lakes, no surf, just boat wakes and thick shoreline milfoil.
* I had back surgery and thought the wing capable boats might keep me sailing longer.
* Single person mast stepping
* Prefer staying somewhat dry in order to keep my wife and kids interested

Are Prindles and some of the other boats too much work? Do I stay away from a daggerboards? Does the H16 have enough displacement for the old fat guy?

Based on what I read so far, it sounds like a Nacra 5.7 is the perfect boat, however a 5.0, 5.5, H16 or P16 are all good choices.

I found a late 80?s P16 in good shape.
Sails = great color, low wear, all battens
Hulls = no major visual issues. Bottoms w/ new fiberglass. Did not detect any softspots
Rudders = pins worn, boards need to be touched up, mechanism slightly binding.
Harken gear = all there, appears to work
Price = $1000

Prindle 16 ? Time to buy or keep looking?

You guys have the experience, what?s a guy to do?

Sounds like a good boat at a good price. You could always pick it up, sail it this year and next and then decide if there is a more "ideal" boat out there for you, and sell it for about what you paid for it.

But a P16 sounds like it fits most of your needs. Wings are nice, but those boats are typically heavier and single handing is tougher, especially if you want to raise the mast by yourself after back surgery.

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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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Harry Sheets

I agree with Scott, the Prindle is a great Cat, huge volume to the hulls carry more weight, easy to rig and sail either solo or with crew, easy to trailer. Parts can be obtained at Murrays.com or even here on this website. A full harness will help with the back problems and if you look under Tech Help Gallery, there is a posting on how to build your own solo mast step system. The price is great, remember the learning curve, no matter how long we've been sailing there's always something new to learn, ask the current owner to rig the boat, there is a Prindle Manual here on this website, again under Tech Help Gallery, download and get familiar with all rigging. You will always get your money back when you resell, these cats keep their value as long as there are no major issues with the boat.

Where are you located? I'm in the MidWest, in central Missouri and do all my sailing here on lakes, Thomas Hill Lake, Longbranch Lake and Mark Twain Lake.



edited by: turbohobo, May 27, 2009 - 02:31 PM

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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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Harry,

I solo a Nacra 5.5 most of my time on the water and occasionally have between 1 and 3 crew. No problem with the Nacra and I believe the Prindle 16 is a similar high volume design so you should be good.

I had back surgery (bi-lateral discectomy L3-4) 2 years ago and can step the mast (carbon makes it easy) and sail with a full harness with no pain. Moving the boat (340 lbs rigged) around the beach is also pretty easy.

I own both a H16 and P16. Both are fun and fast.

The P16 is easy on the back with the tramp being flush with the hulls. The volume will allow your crew to grow.
My kids are scared of the H16, but not the P16.
I've never submarined or flipped my P16 (knock on wood). It is a very forgiving boat.

The P16 you're looking at sounds like a good price.
On the rudders, check the lock bolt for wear/cracks. Also check the springs. The rudders have a tendency to kick up at speed. You should replace them it worn.

As for maintenance, the H16 and P16 are basically the same.

Have you checked out a Dart? One of the guys in my club used to sail one. I've never been on it but it seemed to perform well.

I agree if the P16 is in as good a shape as you say it will work good for what you need. Hull volume will help lot. I have a P18 and I outweigh your entire crew by myself and I can still sail on it with others.

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Thanks for the help!

I plan on purchasing this boat today. I will post more after I pick it up and have a chance to ask a number of rigging and maintainence questions. I am sailing out of Minnesota. I appreciate all your comments.

Harry

Darts are supurb boats but need alot of wind to sail. they have little sail area (the jib is no bigger than a tissue) and are very light.. but designed to sail in the north sea!

Quarath

I agree if the P16 is in as good a shape as you say it will work good for what you need. Hull volume will help lot. I have a P18 and I outweigh your entire crew by myself and I can still sail on it with others.

New to the site, not sure how to use it but giving it a shout. I have a Prindle 18.2 and find raising and lowering the mast challenging. I am open for any suggestions and would greatly appreciate anyone with experience with this to post.
Thank-you

dlyons

Quarath

I agree if the P16 is in as good a shape as you say it will work good for what you need. Hull volume will help lot. I have a P18 and I outweigh your entire crew by myself and I can still sail on it with others.

New to the site, not sure how to use it but giving it a shout. I have a Prindle 18.2 and find raising and lowering the mast challenging. I am open for any suggestions and would greatly appreciate anyone with experience with this to post.
Thank-you

I can't say how different the 18.2 as far as the mast setup goes but I agree It can be a scary task I have bent the step hinge on mine multiple times. Are you raising alone? Or with help. What particular problems have you had?

Raising on even ground to help avoid side to side sway will help. Again not sure if yours will work the same but I use a bit of rope and tie my front trap lines to my front crossbeam on either side to help control sway as well. This gives more support all the way up instead of just at the end by creating a broader fulcrum point that is in the same place as the mast.

I still use my family to help. Could probably manage 2 in a pinch but my oldest walks the mas and jumps on the tramp and leans on it till it gets pinned in. My wife usually runs the winch. A hand cranked winch mounted on my mast support on the trailer attached to my forstay to pull it up. The winch can do all the work once you get the mast high enough which is maybe about 30 degrees or so. The winch can be slow so it's kinda scarier in a way if you have a cross breeze, but holds all the weight all you have to do is control the mast sway, rotation, and connecting up the forestay.

You could do the same with a rope that goes through a block on the mast rack. You could maybe even pull from the tramp or tie another block to the front of the boat and pull a dual on the mast rack to increase the ratio but you still need someone up front to connect the bridle wires to the forestay

Fyi you might get more answers on this if you start a new post for it I don't how many will notice it here.



edited by: Quarath, Jun 14, 2009 - 12:42 AM

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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