Hi Everyone,
I just purchased the factory Nacra Wings that used to be on Bill Cash's P19, Badabing! for my 5.2. They are reputedly a really nice system and add to the comfort of the boat. I'm thinking that I will want to use them mostly for cruising and pull them off when I want to do some serious hull flying and trapezing. They are pricey but they always were and are extremely rare so I had to do it.

So you all hobie 17 and 18 sailors (and others) who have used these things before, give me the scoop on sailing with wings. Pros/Cons am I crazy for investing in them? Did I just make the best decision of my life?

I need some extra information/ammunition because the wife is absolutely, positively going to kill me when she finds out.

D.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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I love wings, they vastly increase the "space" on board and act as a security fence that makes non-sailor guests much more comfortable.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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I had my Hobie 21SE since it was new in 1989.The wings make this boat probable the most comfortable boat I have ever sailed.I am not a "racer" but a cruiser so I want a stable fun ride that I can solo or take out some folks.One 4th of July weekend,I had six adults and thirteen kids night sailing and watching the fire works.There wasn't room to spare but the boat moved along pretty good.
You will feel luck you have wings once to get use to them.I won't want to own a catamaran without wings today.
Bill 404 21SE

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Bill 404 21SE
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dang-it . . beat me to'em

Sorry, I was pretty much first out the gate. Couldn't pass them up even though I probably should have (given the wifely consequences I'm sure to recieve).



Edited by Wolfman on Apr 29, 2011 - 05:53 PM.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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ooooh . . . wiffely consequences (shudder)

You will love having wings on your boat. I love them on my boat. They are great for cruising, but are also a lot of fun while on the wire and flying a hull. Not sure on the Nacra wing design, but being on the wire 2-3 feet off the water before flying a hull makes hull flying that much more exciting.

One down side is you can't fly a hull as high since the leeward wing hits the water. Another is the added weight of the wings, but to me they are worth every lbs they add. Being on the wire on a wing can also be a little more tricky, since if you slip you have a longer fall, you also run out of real estate quickly if you bury a hull. Kind of like a H16, except with a H16 it is a short stop from the tramp to the hull.

enjoy the wings and make sure to get the wife on the boat as soon as possible so she can see the benefits of them. My wife loves them. In addition to comfort while sailing, when there isn't much wind they give her a great place to sunbath while on the water.

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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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Not a fan. I had a hobie 17 years ago and never quite felt comfortable trapping off them. Hopefully yours are covered in mesh. Mine were of the older canvas variety which made righting the boat virtually impossible.

Yeah, I think they will be awesome for cruising. I'm not really planning on using them when trapezing. My boat being a 1981 I'm not convinced it would handle the extra stress (even though I do double trap on occasion). Also I can just see too many oppotunities for busting your jewels if you lose your footing! Not that that is a huge deal since I probably won't be using them for the foreseeable future because I made this purchase. :) Still slipping and swinging in gives me the shivers. Nice thing about this design is that they are made to be installed and uninstalled quickly.

D.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Hey guys, do any of you know if 5.2 wings will work on my 5.8? I have an opportunity to pick some up cheap, but it seems like the length would be different for the 2 models. Thanks.

yep they should work, but the 5.8 is a bit longer so you will probably have to pick up a couple of pieces of aluminum tube to replace teh cross bars. The main thing is that the beam plugs (rubber), the end pieces and the tramps are there. The cross pieces can be picked up from almost any metal supplier.

If you can get them cheap go for it. they are super rare and pricey, you can probably unload them for a profit if you can't make them work.



Edited by Wolfman on May 02, 2011 - 10:10 PM.

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