I am considering a purchase of a Prindle 19. I have not sailed one. My favorite previous cat was a Hobie 18. I will often sail alone, but want the ability to bring a friend along. I weigh 275 and sail Lake Michigan. No racing intended; just fun. Does anyone have thoughts or experience?
Is a P-19 more boat than an H-18. Better with wind and weight? Are parts readily available? Thanks in advance!

Prindle parts are readily available from Murrays and other vendors. I regularly run into Prindle parts for sale here and on Ebay too. I have a P-18, can't comment on the P-19, I have never even seen one. P-18s are solid as rocks.

P19's were designed and built as a pure racing machine.
While they can be a fun boat, thay are a handful.
If pleasure cat-fast sailing is what your looking
for I would go with a P18, H18 w/wings or a H20/21SE.

I think the P-19 is a great boat, 6" wider than a NACRA 5.8 and a little lighter. This is Will Lockridge's P-19 with wings. This was his first sailboat of any kind.

Portsmouth #
P-19----66.4
H-18----71.4
N5.8na--66.5
The lower the number the faster the boat is supposed to be.

More photos
http://www.thebeachcats.c…pictures&g2_itemId=17413

Great boat, especially for a person of your size. I have owned 2 in my time and have single handed them often, I presently have a nacra 60 and sail it by myself as well. Some sailors are just a little intimidated by a larger cat. The truth is a larger cat is normally more forgiving than a smaller one. They have more depowering devices than a smaller cat. For example: more downhaul purchase, mast rotation control, 4 way jib lead, better out haul, barber hauler. You can really depower the boat, lots of down haul, full mast rotation, jib leads outboard and aft, barber hauler and traveler out and sheet in tight for a really flat sail. You can also add a roller furler for the jib if you like. This is a true race machine, but like all good race boats they truly can be depowered when needed.

ButchG

P19's were designed and built as a pure racing machine.
. . .
If pleasure cat-fast sailing is what your looking
for I would go with a . . . H20.

Huh?


--
Philip
--

mummp

ButchG

P19's were designed and built as a pure racing machine.
. . .
If pleasure cat-fast sailing is what your looking
for I would go with a . . . H20.

Huh?

here we go again :)

If youve sailed and owned a H18 in the past i see no reason a P19 would be too much boat for you. Ditch the 4 way jib set up if your not racing and the tramp will have alot more room. The sheeting angle on the jib wont be that great but if your not racing who cares. Remove all the 4 way stuff and attach the jib blocks to the cars that the 4way is currently hooked up to.


ButchG no offense but,
I dont understand why anyone would say to get a H20 for pleasure sailing and a P19 for racing. The boats are VERY similar and if memory serves me correctly the designer of the P19 also designed the H20 in his later days? I think i read that somewhere at some point in time. I may be confusing boats though. may of been relation between tornado, P19 and H20 which are all very similar shaped and rigged boats. The H20 is no slouch so im just not seeing the sense in that statement. I sail a P19 and would love to say its a superior faster race boat than the H20 but im not sold on that being the case.

Get it, sail it and report back with your adventures!

Hey Butch,
U still running that spin i sold ya? If so shoot me a PM on here or CS and let me know how it performed. Im thinking of running a F18 kite on the P19 and would like your feedback. It should go higher to windward than a T or N20 kite i would think.

Hey Turbo

Nope, sold it before I put it on. Sold it to the guy that
runs PreSailedPartsStore. I came upon a Spin designed by
Smythe for the P19 so I bought that one and a hoop and bag
from a N20. Put it all together with a spin pole I built up
from scratch. The spin was old school (very full for deep
DW runs) and Judy and I never could get it to work right.
Over the winter I found out why . . . I made the spin pole
almost three feet too short. Live and learn.
Will be redoing the pole and standing rigging very shortly
getting ready for this season.

Your right, I think, about the F18 Spin bein the right one.
I'll let you know when I get mine next month :)

As for the H20 thang. . .soon as I wrote that I knew I goofed ;)
H20 IS a speed machine. I was thinking more along the lines
of the H21SE with wings.




edited by: ButchG, Mar 18, 2010 - 06:27 PM

I think P19 would be perfect for you. I have a h20 and solo it often but you have to be on your game. with P19 pinhead top at your size you can take it into pretty good wind if you put in mast prebend and crank the downhaul.
At 6'4" 230 on the hobie the upper wind limit for me is 10-15 but the prindle is far less twitchy. Havent dumped it yet but its only a matter of time.

Crewed on them in the early 90s nd pulled me to the dark side away from monos so I thank them for that.

PS i sailed a F18 chute on my mystere 5.5 at first. it was fine to learn on but i am VERY happy i upgraded to a tornado spin.

you probably can reach a little higher with a f18 spin (actually depends on the cut more than anything) but i would run a long pole and bag incase you wish to get a bigger spin. you can have it cut to be a reaching spin

Butch

Oh ok it all came back to me now. I sold you the spin that was designed as a deep spin. That chute was designed for a local TX race and was quite the secret weapon! I was thinking i sold ya the White F18 spin. I had a feeling you meant hobie21. Ill report back on the "Tell me about the P19" thread on the other board and let you know what i find with the chutes. I have a F18 and a Tornado chute im gonna try out.

I reinforced the bows a bit but nothing too crazy...I didnt want to add too much rigidity in one spot and throw off the flex characteristics of the boat. Hopefully my bow stays put and doesnt snap off!



edited by: TurboCat, Mar 19, 2010 - 07:56 PM

BUY the P-19 You will never have a bad day sailing with it & it will never let you down .. Its a work horse & a power house with a very stable platform. The hulls are strong & buoyant. I like the retractable boards for beach landings. I get very nervous solo sailing @ 185lbs in winds over 15.( even though it can be de-powered ) I can't right the boat(475lbs ) when solo so I sail very conservatively . I put a roller furling jib on it & when soloing I furl when the wind gets to strong . On days when I sail solo I use a smaller main sail . I sail most of the time with 1 crew on the ocean with winds 10-20 all summer . We have a ball & so will you ! Bill , Brooklyn NY

Thanks For all of your input! I went to check out the boat and it has quite a few issues; too many for me. I did find a very nice Prindle 18. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!

I love my Prindle 18. It is easy to solo sail, very well built, and easy to get parts for.

Does it do well with "real" weight?

fassailor

Does it do well with "real" weight?

My P18 has been sailing with in excess of #800 mobile but not especially thrilling in 5 knot winds. I have also consistently flown a hull with #600 sitting on the hull hanging on for dear life. Haven;t tried trapping out yet but I have no doubt it will fly with at least #300 full out on the wire.

A p18 is a sturdy cat and would handle up to your weight (275) no problem in med air and 2 larger people in med to heavy air..

But... its a heavy boat, heavy dacon sails, and older design

400+ lbs in very light air.. would be... slowwwwww

I have often sailed with 500 pounds plus. Two big guys (about 230 pounders) and two little kids (70 pounders). The P18 has a pretty big trampoline and you can spread out to help with the trim.

Possible better "large load" handling than a Hobie 18.

i think the 2 boats are about equal in almost every way (except hull shape due to lack of boards on the P)

but weight limits and speed are about the same
the P has a lower portsmith rating but i would guess this is due to its lack of boards (tacks slower, doesn't point as well)...


PS i would argue "spread out weight" is slower than weight in the correct placement (on any/every boat) :) i suggest you experiment (with a gps) :)

If I am reading Portsmouth right, P-18 is 74.8 and H-18 is 71.4. I assume the Hobie would point higher and tack better.It is a bit heavier, though.

I think there is a lot more volume in a P18s hulls than the H18. The H18s that I have seen all have dagger boards and probably will point higher. The better skipper wins the race.



edited by: kgatesman, Mar 22, 2010 - 04:08 PM

Quote

I think there is a lot more volume in a P18s hulls than the H18.

I wouldn't say a LOT... maybe a little.. .here is my old h18 in front and my friends p18 in the background...

it would be interesting to learn the actual volume, but one is curved one is straight so it doesn't mean all that much



ps we were not going anywhere till the tide came in :)

Quote

The H18s that I have seen all have dagger boards and probably will point higher. The better skipper wins the race.

I agree



edited by: andrewscott, Mar 22, 2010 - 05:27 PM

A lot or not it is hard to say, I park next to a H18 at Wilmette. My thinking is at the bow and stern, they seem to have about the same dimensions. Between the cross bars however, the P18 hulls are just as wide and a lot taller. I think we need to fill a couple up with ping pong balls and start counting.

"taller" may be a result in more beer in one boats cooler :)

how many ping pong balls you got?

Clearly since the Prindle has ports, the cat bag equipped P18 trumps the H18 for beer hauling.

H18 has ports as well. They are the 6" Viking ports I think and do fit the cat bags also.

The P18 does look to have taller hulls, but the H18 hulls are fairly rounded at the bottom instead of pointed which would increase volume.



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

Scott are you still at Wilmette, I hope to meet you this year. I am in B-9.

fassailor

Does it do well with "real" weight?

I sailed my P18 w/ 400lbs on the trapeze flying a hull in medium wind.

--
Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
--

Quote

Scott are you still at Wilmette, I hope to meet you this year. I am in B-9.

Yes I am still there, will have to track you down. I am at Q-15. At the end of the service road near the water plant.

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

Quote

Clearly since the Prindle has ports, the cat bag equipped P18 trumps the H18 for beer hauling.

My hobie came with a wet-bar and Capt. Morgan dispenser tastes great, less filling (than beer)

Quote

I sailed my P18 w/ 400lbs on the trapeze flying a hull in medium wind.

If have seen masts break with that much weight on the wire (plus a skipper inboard) in heavy air

Sailor Jerry...92 proof, try it!

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

Quote

Sailor Jerry...92 proof, try it!

i don't want to burn out my valves with high test, as it is i am running a little hot! :)

Pimp my ride style...

Quote

My hobie came with a wet-bar and Capt. Morgan dispenser tastes great, less filling (than beer)

andrewscott

Quote

I sailed my P18 w/ 400lbs on the trapeze flying a hull in medium wind.

If have seen masts break with that much weight on the wire (plus a skipper inboard) in heavy air

I just had myself and crew on the trap. I'm sure adding another person, or another anything with substantial weight, would change things.

--
Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
--

Quote

Quote
I sailed my P18 w/ 400lbs on the trapeze flying a hull in medium wind.
If have seen masts break with that much weight on the wire (plus a skipper inboard) in heavy air

--

Question for Andrew: 400 to 500 pounds is two big men, are you saying it is ok to have this much on the trapeze, if there is no man inboard, or are you saying two large men are pushing the limit of the double trap under any scenario? Thanks for clarification.

I am no engineer, nor have i been "around" cats all that long, but it is my understanding that these cats are built for 2 adults, in strong winds and anything more is putting stresses on these frames are not built for.

I have seen (pictures of) a brand new f16 crumble in 1/2 with 2 lighter adults, i know of masts breaking with 3 adults onboard in heavy air (6 meter cats) ...

I think if you push the limits.. something will give...

I read somewhere that every 7mph increase doubles the stresses on your rigging



edited by: andrewscott, Mar 23, 2010 - 10:49 PM

I should have my P19 up and running soon, was thinking about singlehanding it on lighter days with just the MX square-top main, no jib. I'm about 185lb - your thoughts?

if you have a furler, bring the jib. if overpowered furl it :)

there are many other ways to de-power as well..

you may find that the boat does not operates as well without the jib...