New to cats.I recently purchased p16 from phoenix for 1400$to sail at my local lake in flagstaff.After reading some articles here at TheBeachcats.com it seems that I bought a lemon.both hulls have a wavy apearance when you look down the length of them "inboard",the starboard hull has a ovalshaped soft spot"with 3 hand size blisters raised about half an inch on the inside,no hairline cracks in gel coat though"all this is located on the inboard side of hull below the tramp.Ive done some non marine glass repair to my snowmobile hood after hittng a sign post hidden in the snow,so im confident about fixn soft spot but the waves Im not so sure about, is it a lost cause?will more of these "soft spots" appear as I try to rite a tipped over cat? I weigh 230 &plan mostly solo trips to lake.Rigging, sails ect.are in nice shape.The plastic bearings in jib blocks look dry rotted some just plain gone.As far as I can tell its the cats complete.Do I bother to try out this cat or part it out cut my losses &look for a diff cat?The previous owner seems to think the info I ve gotten from TBeachcats is b.s.he swears up&down this cat is sail worthy.Some help,input&advise would be greatly appreciated.
new sailor Bill



edited by: nitrodub, May 11, 2010 - 12:30 AM

hard to tell without putting our hands on it, but doesn't sound so great.

even if it splits in 1/2 during use, as long as it doesn't sink you can still part it out, so i say use it till it explodes.

Bill,

Do you know what year the P16 was built? The soft spots you are describing are repairable. There are several helpfull articles and posts on this site that can talk you through the repairs. It's most likely that these soft spots are a result of age and use. It sounds like they are were you would stand on the inboard side of the hull when attempting to right the boat after a flip. I'm sure that if there aren't any on the other hull they will soon appear.

It would help if you could post a pic of this "wave" you are describing. It's not too uncommon for variations in hull shape to be present. Some of the older Prindle molds were a bit sloppy. Is the wave or bulge solid. Look inside the hull through the topside port and make a visual inspection if you can. Let everyone know what you see. Are the cross bars still tightly affixed to the hulls?

I wouldn't want to be on any cat if it broke apart during sailing. A 27' tall mast falling on you would make for a really bad day.

Good luck and keep in touch. There are lots of well experienced members on this forum who can help. And if someone tries to give you a load of BS on this site I'm sure they will be quickly called out.

don't give up without a fight! soft spot repairs are simple and effective. search the site under soft spot and hull repair. check out my album in the members albums titled prindle 16 paint and hull repair. the jib blocks with there bad bearings could be a problem though but you never know til you try them. just make sure to give a good safety inspection before you sail her. rig it in the yard and make sure everything is there. my boat was a heap when i started but now its ready to rock! good luck and hollar back.

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bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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Thanks to all for some quick instite.It would be nice if the waves are a result of a sloppy mold,they appear pretty solid except for the soft de-lam area.I was told the cat was built in 85.Crossbar beams are solid& firmly affixed so far.coastrat Ill check out members album for further info.Martin its not just a wave but a 6foot long series of ripples, like when you toss a pebble in to still water.Ill try to get some pics loaded I just need to figure out where to put.



edited by: nitrodub, May 11, 2010 - 09:35 AM

posted some pics on members page "bills prindle 16".I can get to the soft spot in starboard hull thru access hole,the blisters are on the inside.do I inject them w/epoxy?or carefully grind them away trying not to grind thru gell coat & then add layers of woven fiberglass?there are three blisters all within arms reach about the size of a lrge hand raised about 1 inch from gellcoat they feel spongy & sound crunchie.
coastrat yur cat came out sweet nice work!Iremember my old winnie 1970 she was nice.59 panel is sweet too.
ufgator the ripples feel pretty solid ifyou press hard w/your thumb you can hear some glass but hull does not oilcan like the soft spot on starboard hull does. well thats all for now.
Bill



edited by: nitrodub, May 11, 2010 - 11:13 AM

I would attempt the repair but keep an eye out for possible replacement hulls from another parts boat. we have one listed here http://www.thebeachcats.c….php/product/10420/cat/4 for one hull and maybe others as well http://www.thebeachcats.c…ifieds/showcat.php?cat=4

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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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