Hey there. My wife and I used to windsurf a lot. But nowadays it turns out to be mostly just me on the water because she gets bored sailing by herself. After sailing hobie 16s and a wave in St. Lucia and Key West, she thinks selling off some of the windsurfers and moving to a cat would be a good idea. We live only 15 min from a bunch of beaches/bay hear in Miami, so a little cat could be fun. I'm looking for a relatively lightweight, fast cat that is in our price range (1-2k). After reading the reviews, it seems like the Nacra 5.2 might be a good fit.

I've sailed FJs and 420s, but only sailed cats about 10 times. Most of our wind is in the 8-15 knot range...except for huricanes...when I get the shortboard out! But I would only rate my sailing range as beginer-intermediate.

your in a great spot for cat sailing. There is a rental place by the biscane bay bridge and you could try a h16 or wave again (if you want to sail again before you buy).

I think the 5.2 is probably fine, but i seem to recall they have daggar boards and that makes it a bit more work and you need to be very alert to shallows when beaching.

I would probably suggest the 5.0 skeg (no boards) or another 16' (hobie, prindel, etc) as the optimal first cat (IMHO) but i am sure you would do fine with another.

good luck, keep us posted on your decisions.

FWIW, I just got my first cat (sailed hobies a few times in the past, like yourself) about 3 months ago, a Nacra 5.0 (without daggerboards) and LOVE IT. It's in your price range, and I believe very similar to a 5.2 just without the boards.

To me, the slight gain I would get from the boards are easily outweighed by the negatives. From what I've gathered, slightly easier tacking, a little better upwind angle, and maybe a tad more speed are the only real advantages.

The disadvantages seem to be the chance of breaking them, and just one more thing for a beginning sailor to fiddle with.

Now, for me as a lake sailor, the first disadvantage is a very real one, less so for you I guess being down south. However, why have another thing to have to mess with? That just makes it less enjoyable in my opinion. The 5.0 is more of a boat than either one of us are sailors, I would imagine.

I got a 5.2 as my first cat and love it! That being said if you can find one, a 5.0 would be a better starter boat.

Both are easy to sail and very forgiving even singlehanded. The advantages of the 5.0 is no dagger boards and no boom to worry about. The disadvantage... well there really are no disadvantages that I can think of the 5.0 and 5.2 are really comparable performance wise.

Another option is the 5.7, which is almost 19 feet long but has the same advantages as the 5.0, but a little more difficult to single hand and probably nearly impossible to right by yourself.

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

Forgot about booms on the 5.2/ Which is a PERFECT reason to go with the 5.0. The boomless sail was a nice touch vs. the hobie's I've sailed. Less chance of getting "knocked the #$)( out" and easier setup.

Booms aren't too much of a deterent. The wife is a decent sailor and has sailed fjs as well. Another factor is length, because it needs to be able to fit in the garage. 17 ft is about the max. A 5.0 might make more sense for that fact. How is the straightline speed difference between the 5.0 and 5.2?

They are essentially the same speed wise.
Slightly less total sail area (220sqft versus 201 sqft) but the 5.0 is a little lighter (364 lbs verus 320 lbs). Handicaps are as follows:

Nacra 5.0 1.128
Nacra 5.2 1.065
Hobie 16 1.152
So the 5.2 is a little faster than the 5.0 and both are faster than a Hobie 16.

The 5.2 points a little better, the 5.0 is a slightly more modern design. I think the lack of a boom is a real advantage here, the 5.2 boom is pretty big and lies pretty low on the trampoline.

One other thing to consider is the stock jib system for the 5.2 is attached to the rear beam, where the 5.0 is attache to a track on the hull. The 5.0 system makes for a less cluttered tramp.

All that being said you cannot go wrong with either boat. They are both a BLAST and you wont regret getting one.

Regards,
Dave



edited by: Wolfman, Oct 20, 2009 - 10:56 PM

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

you say the 5.0 has a track on the hull for the jib, but mine isn't that way. (not sure if its supposed to be or not!?) mine is just an eye hook on the inner side of the hull, no adjustment at all.

i've found the 5.2 to be an excellent 1st cat

if you know of a good one at a cheap price it's hard to see how you would go wrong

5.2's are generally more plentiful and cheaper than 5.0's

cats are generally poor at pointing and tacking, so get the best pointing and tacking cat you can and save yourself a lot of grief



edited by: erice, Oct 21, 2009 - 06:45 AM

There is also a Prindle 16 in decent shape for a bit cheaper...well like 700 cheaper! Also a decent boat right?

Thanks for all the help.

bought a p 16 this summer for 500 bucks. made a few glass repairs, tweeked the rudders, and sailed it about 20 times so far. love it. its easy to rig(20 mins mast up w/sails ready to go), easy to sail(tacking on cats takes some practice). only thing i don't like is jib blocks on tramp but its not that bad. great "bang for buck" first cat. was thinking about upgrading this winter but have decided to keep her(it's cheaper to keep her!).

--
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
--

There is also an AMF (windrush) 14 in Tampa..which is light and would fit in the garage easier, but can't find too much on performance. Guessing the smaller hull hurts it. But I really don't know anything!

if you go with something like an AMF 14, you may have troubles finding parts for it., i would stick with a major brand personally (unless money isn't a factor, and then you can have custom fabricated parts and sails)

anything less than 16' is much slower with 2 people. my buddy bought a p 15 and its amazing how much less boat it is than my p 16. great for solo, not good for socializing. i've had 3 ladies on my boat with me with no problems and it didn't suck at all!

--
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
--

The ability to carry the ladies is important!

We do want the ability to take friends out one and a while.

Couple ?s: Looks like we might have to seperate the hulls to store it in the garage. How difficult is it to seperate on the prindle 16? Also is the mast one piece? Sorry for all the noob questions.

It is defiantly possible to disassemble and store in a garage and it's typically only 2 bolts per attachment point to take off the beams.

I have been spraying "Blaster" rust remover on my bolts for months as they will not turn easily and i FEAR breaking a bolt off if i ever need to remove my beam.

but this isn't typically done for storage unless you live up north where snow weight (excess weight can damage your cat on a trailer) / extreme cold (any moisture can explode a hull or mast) / fear from critters moving in.


Masts are typically 1 piece on beach cats (with the major exception of Hobie's that are modified with a plastic top to reduce chances of electrocution, called a comp top)

You can separate the hulls on a P16 but I would only suggest doing so for long term storage (as Andrew said, I live up north and put my boat away for 6-7 months a year). It is a real pain to have to put your boat and trampoline together from scratch when you have to take it out, probably would add 2+ hours to the setup time.

D.

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

coastrat

i've had 3 ladies on my boat with me with no problems and it didn't suck at all!

There's a joke in there somewhere. :)

Looks like the prindle 16 is it. Going to pick it up tomorrow!

Great news! That is a very nice boat.

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

Turned out to be a big fiasco. Went to check the boat in Dania Beach Saturday and as soon as I put my hand on the hull I got bitten by 5 fire ants. My hand turned into a balloon and I was really distracted when checking over the boat. He said the hull was tight and no delamination/damage. All the rigging was good and sails were in great shape. Took the boat out Sunday and took an hour to rig it following the prindle manual. Got it out on the water and had a great first tack. Boat felt great...lots of power. Then we tacked and noticed the starboard hull sat lower, so we sailed it in. There was about two inches of water in the hull, so we took it out for another run and noticed no aditional water.

Then we noticed the hull flexing with each passing wave and heard a "thunking noise". Got the boat back to shore and realized how soft the hull was Back onto the trailer.

Called the seller and had a little chat (luckily we paid 2/3 by check, the rest in cash) He wasn't very happy that we wanted to return the boat, but agreed to the next morning.

We drove the boat back up to his house in Dania Beach and he checked everything over with a fine toothed comb. Then he tried to tell us that the hull was perfectly fine and that he was in the boat business for 50 years and knew a good hull. My hand wasn't so swollen today and I could feel the two layers seperarated on the inside portion of the hull. He backed the boat into his car port and then parked his car in front of it.

Then he told us to call him tomorrow about returning the money....

Luckily we put a hold on the check today. He wasn't very happy about that and refused to return the cash portion or give us the boat. He told us to wait an hour outside while he ate dinner with his family so we sat in the Jeep and waited. Then he called us after an hour and told us he couldn't get the money tonight. We of course didn't want to leave without the boat or money. Eventually we got him to go to an ATM and withdrawal money. He only returned with 200 instead of 335 because he said that was what all the inconvience was worth to him. He admitted to being a d!$k and that he wasn't happy with us (not so politely) and told us to leave. So we got off his property and called the cops. There was nothing the cops could do of course and suggested we take him to court (for $135).

We at least we don't have an unsafe cat and we can begin to look for a new one. This time we'll avoid the fire ants and the bad hulls! At least I sold some of my windsurfing gear and made up $300 toward a cat purchase.

Sorry for the rant, just had to vent the bad situation.

Wow, that is a really bad experience!! I think that is why most people on this site recommend that you get the owner to take you out for a sail before you buy just to learn the basics of rigging and sailing the boat. It's a real pain in the butt but likely really worth it.

This guys sounds like he knew what he doing and was trying to dump a bad boat and knew it.

I myself had an interesting experience when I bought my Nacra. It turned out OK but could have been bad if the fellow was a jerk. I bought it from a fellow who manufactures agriculural tarps for a living and redoes catamarans as a sideline. Unfortunately for me he didn't know a single thing about Nacras and didn't really want to find out (he does Hobies almost exclusively).

So the boat came rigged wrong (but with all the correct parts except for a couple of shackles once I found the correct manual). He made a mainsail and jib for the boat but they are very flat and the main clew grommet ripped first time out. This is mostly becuase he didn't have a lot of sailmaking knowledge.

Fortunately he is a REALLY nice guy and had a top notch fibreglass person redo the hulls. He repaired the mainsail no questions asked and it works fine but maybe could be faster. Overall I ended up being really happy with the boat but it took some patience on my part and could have been bad.

Just goes to show you how things can go. Hope your next experience is much better!

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

If the boat was listed on craigs list, put another listing with a reference to that boat and describe it as it really is and if it is truly a beater boat let the boat buying public know. He deserves much worse but at least this much.

Nick1224

Turned out to be a big fiasco. Went to check the boat in Dania Beach Saturday and as soon as I put my hand on the hull I got bitten by 5 fire ants. My hand turned into a balloon and I was really distracted when checking over the boat. He said the hull was tight and no delamination/damage. All the rigging was good and sails were in great shape. Took the boat out Sunday and took an hour to rig it following the prindle manual. Got it out on the water and had a great first tack. Boat felt great...lots of power. Then we tacked and noticed the starboard hull sat lower, so we sailed it in. There was about two inches of water in the hull, so we took it out for another run and noticed no aditional water.

Then we noticed the hull flexing with each passing wave and heard a "thunking noise". Got the boat back to shore and realized how soft the hull was Back onto the trailer.

Called the seller and had a little chat (luckily we paid 2/3 by check, the rest in cash) He wasn't very happy that we wanted to return the boat, but agreed to the next morning.

We drove the boat back up to his house in Dania Beach and he checked everything over with a fine toothed comb. Then he tried to tell us that the hull was perfectly fine and that he was in the boat business for 50 years and knew a good hull. My hand wasn't so swollen today and I could feel the two layers seperarated on the inside portion of the hull. He backed the boat into his car port and then parked his car in front of it.

Then he told us to call him tomorrow about returning the money....

Luckily we put a hold on the check today. He wasn't very happy about that and refused to return the cash portion or give us the boat. He told us to wait an hour outside while he ate dinner with his family so we sat in the Jeep and waited. Then he called us after an hour and told us he couldn't get the money tonight. We of course didn't want to leave without the boat or money. Eventually we got him to go to an ATM and withdrawal money. He only returned with 200 instead of 335 because he said that was what all the inconvience was worth to him. He admitted to being a d!$k and that he wasn't happy with us (not so politely) and told us to leave. So we got off his property and called the cops. There was nothing the cops could do of course and suggested we take him to court (for $135).

We at least we don't have an unsafe cat and we can begin to look for a new one. This time we'll avoid the fire ants and the bad hulls! At least I sold some of my windsurfing gear and made up $300 toward a cat purchase.

Sorry for the rant, just had to vent the bad situation.

too bad about the scumbag who tried to rip you off, he'll get his back in spades believe me. when i bought mine it was the same story, everything supposed to be good. upon further review(after first inspection) i had a delam spot the size of a paper plate and a couple of smaller ones on one hull. this introduced me to hull delam repairs which is'nt nearly as hard as you think. only paid 500 bucks for the boat so i didn't complain. one hull was white and one was yellow so i already looked like the clampets out there. plan on spraying new gelcoat this winter and definitely keeping the boat. moral to the story is if the price is right, a LITTLE hull repair is cool(no clunking noises). good luck your boat is waiting! bill.

--
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
--

Thanks. Even his neighbor came out and said "please don't judge the neighborhood by him, we're really very nice."

I would have been cool with a little repair like you said....but this sucker was a couple feet long (4' after tapping it out). I feel stupid for not recognizing it on land. One thing that caught my attention as we were pulling away the day we bought it was his brother patting him on the back and said "glad you got rid of it". I thought he was just happy to sell it, but now.....

Well, onto a happier note. Going to look at two this weekend on the west coast. We're going out to autoX!