So since joining a few days ago I was able to pick up a Prindle cat for Free! Now I know nothing of it other than Its a Prindle and possibly a 16 with a broken rudder casting. It's from a friend of a friend and apparently has been in his backyard for some time

I'm working on time to arrange a meeting to take a look at it and before I walk into a free boat that will cost me 2K to repair (which i know won't be worth it) I want to be sure that I'm not missing anything from my checklist of what to look for in order of importance.

- straight mast
-check hulls for soft spots / drag marks/stiffness /dryness
-sails - stiff and no mice holes right?
-blocks / rigging - I assume I should replace running / standing if its been sitting for a while
- tramp - hopefully it's not on the cat and is inside
-Trailer -

Hopefully this guy who I believe is a sailor and stopped sailing this boat with his sons properly stored everything and its a gem. If its a money pit I'm going to walk away.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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Sometimes worn rigging is a good thing, just not to the point that the lines are fraying. For your broken rudder casting, I had the same problem. There was a large crack from top-to-bottom of the top of the loop, I bought a pair of new castings - EXPENSIVE MISTAKE and very tedious to replace them, avoid having to replace them completely - if you can find an aluminum welder, have them weld the cracked parts together (if it's just a crack)

If it's a prindle 16 the tramp will be led into the crossbars in the front and back, check the sturdiness of the hiking strap stitching, because you will put a lot of pull on those when you hike out. The are stitched in the front, leading back they are stitched to the tramp again about halfway (for 2 people to use side-by-side I guess) and then they are tied in the back (lines leading through the tramp)

A soft spot here or there may not be deal-breakers, considering the age of these boats, but large cracks will require legitimate repair.

The sail will usually say P16 or P## whatever length it is. it's smart to take a look at that and the battens condition within the main sail.

Good luck! A good boat is worth the wait.

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Redondo Beach, CA
'80 Prindle 16.
(Got it for free!)
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free boat!...you could part it out and make a few bucks at worst. set a budget, the boats sell in good shape from 800$-1500$. sails are a big ticket item(used set 400-600); tramp new-300; used rudder casting(pbeagle"prindle pete" got 'em) ~100$; new standing rigging set 150$; fresh lines everywhere120$; west system for glass repairs 70$; misc trailor parts, tag, title, life jackets, trap wires, etc.

boat probably doesn't need all this stuff now, go from a priority down to wants. i have spent an average of 500$ a year on my old p16 getting it nice over the past 3 years. sail it first and fix what breaks the first year(besides the obvious). hold off on the cosmetic stuff till it's structurally and functionaly sound. any old boat needs work and new boats are expensive!

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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Don't matter if it is Free take it, see you can work it if not keep looking for another P16 and keep it for parts for that. or part it out to fund the purchase of the other boat.

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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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Good news, I picked up the P16 today and was very happy with the overall condition of the cat. Both hulls were very solid with the exception of port from the rear crossmember to the rudder. My main concern with the hulls is the wear on the keels from being dragged on the beach. they are definatly low, like see the weave low, and what looks like dock damage. The tramp is 10 years old but used for a season so its not too faded and very supple. There is a small hole on the starboard side; I think it can be patched.

Running rigging is being repourosed as scrap rope. Standing rigging looks sound no noticable kinks. The main halyard eye has broken stands so I'll ned to replace that. I haven't rigged it up when I took the boat is was a birdsnest of wires. I got them all untangled and off the mast and coiled for the winter. I'll be doing an inventory of parts so I have all winter to track down what I need. The forestay/Jib halyard will be the hardest since I have no idea how that was rigged..... So RTFM

Sails are Lt blue purple red yellow lt yellow. Jib needs a qucik wash but looks intact. I need more inspection of the zipper system. The main had a few spider eggs but came with all the battens and was very crisp. It spent the last 10 years rolled in the garage. It's got a set of reef points but needs some attention to the boltrope at the foot. The sail cloth ripped along one side.

Trailer-solid tires no lights steel functional rollers. I can't tell if its galvanized sinnce it has been painted white then blue both are peeling off.... No Rust. I'll check / change the bearings over the next few weekends. Can one person roll the cat off the back of the trailer and back on?

Rudders...Ugh I need a casting since its cracked in 4 spots and 3 pieces and I'm missing one so unless the wleder can fab up a patch I'm calling Pete. Blades are worn at the tips, one has some delam at the trailing edge along with the typical knicks and scratches.

Mast - perfect but needs new sheaves.

Tomorrow I'll upload some before and after the first wash pictures. For a Free boat Im all

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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congrads!!!....your sailing...you would be adressing these things even if you paid for it. you have plenty of offseason time to get after it too! check into sail care for your sail repairs/restoration, i'm really pleased with my 30 something year old sails and the job they did. some fresh line, fresh wires, used castings, a little keel glass/gelcoat and your like new. your gonna have a great ratio(total investment/trips on boat) which =BANG FOR BUCK!

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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Bob, Do not discount all the lines until you put them in washing machine with plenty of soap. You'll be amazed at what comes out (after you sort out the tangled mess). Silicone spray the jib zipper & if it's a rusted metal zipper car, replace at sail maker with plastic car when you take main in for repair. And yes one person can load/unload P-16 from trailer IF it's attached to vehicle (to prevent trailer from moving). Get a quart of West Epoxy (with pumps) & 2" fiberglas cloth, flip hulls upside down (two people can do it) & apply 3-5 layers cloth with throw-away 2" brush. Takes 40 minutes. Sand next day & put top coat resin on. Use same epoxy (with microballoons) to fix hole. I have the forestay/jib halyard if you need. I'm headed to tip of Baja in three weeks, back in late March. Pete

Quick Jib rigging question. Since the manual is clear as mud

Is this correct?

From the mast there is a shackle then the Pigtail wires. The longest wire has a D shackle to the forestay which attached to the birdle (SP). At the base of the longest pigtail is the stainless ring. The halyard has the S hook w/ the hoop where one end of the halyard was attacehed.

The halyard was a total mess and is is as far as I got. I assume the Halyard loops around the short end of the pigtail. Should there be a block up there? Is the halyard 1 length of line? if so where do you store the extra line? or is there some type of shackle or loop that gets disconnected after you hook the S into the ring?

Is there a more comprehensive rigging guide around that gives line lenths and diamaters? I'm trying to figure out all the missing pieces before I bring it all in for the winter. Besides missing pieces make great chrismas gifts

The guy I got the boat from said there was a problem w/ the Jib rigging but didn't remember what it was.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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From the bottom, the jib halyard goes thru the ring, up to the short pigtail & back down thru the ring. Then tie them together at the bridle. When you raise the jib, attach halyard shackle (with S hook just above it) & start closing the zipper WITH THE JIB HALYARD INSIDE THE CLOSURE. Nearing the top, a couple up & downs will allow hook to catch on ring. Quickly run jib downhaul (a short 1' line) under bridle & up to white cleat on tack of jib. Jib is now secure, and you have 20' of halyard lying on ground. Ah, but before you close zipper entirely, you'll see a pair of very small stainless pieces (the sister clips) the size of a thumbnail. Disconect the sisters & close the zipper. Stow the 1/4" thick 1/2 halyard on the boat or leave on shore. This wonderful advancement over the old Prindle system & H-16 system makes the boat .01% faster by hanging the jib on a tight forestay & befuddles everyone trying to do it with two hands. Pete

read previous post on this subject........http://www.thebeachcats.c…ms/viewtopic/topic/12634

explains everything

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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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I just got the folder w/ the title and some other stuff. An original manual from 83, the september 1999 owners magazine and some other assorted old factory parts lists and pricing. Im not sure if any of it is woth scanning in but its cool to have.

Also the trailer had 2 mast caddies on it, Combined I was able to make one full one. Since they aren't made anymore does anyone need parts? I've got 3/4 of the mast bracket. everythin else is trash so if you need that let me know.

Lastly, really no block at the top of the jib halyard? Not having rigged one up bear with me.. Rather than sister clips has anyone though of one continuions halyard with a block at the pigtail and one at the bridle? I figure you can make the knot at the S hook and use the downhaul normally unless the jib sits that close to the bridle.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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no block needed...sail pulls up fine w/out. make sure to face "s" of the s hook to the stern when raising the sail, other wise it doesn't hook on the pigtail ring. the sister clips work fine...i keep the extra line on the boat in one of the tramp pockets and have used the extra as a makeshift forestay when we demasted one time. when raising the jib, do it 18-24" at a time, pull the halyard keeping it close to the forestay, zip, and repeat...you can do it by yourself with some practice.

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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Maybe this will help, I'm just throwing it out there -

I got sick of raising the jib that way, always seemed to be looking into the sun trying to hook that ring. Plus who needs that extra line to tie off? Now after trial & error, I've come up with something that works. Before I raise the mast (after it's connected to the mast-step hinge and just about ready to be raised), I zip the jib all the way up the forestay and shackle it to the ring at the top. (Remove all the jib halyard stuff) Then I roll the jib up really tight and valcrow it to keep it from flapping in the wind once raised with 2 valcrow straps (the piece of valcrow that will be too high to reach once I raise the mast has a long (10') piece of string knotted and running through it, so I can just pull it loose when I'm ready to let the jib unfurl).
Now, when I raise the mast, the (tightly rolled up) jib swings foreward on the forestay, without creating any fuss. Call it a cheap roller furling. The best part is that when I launch my boat I can raise the main first, then lean over the front and pull on that long string to undo the higher valcrow, and reach for the lower valcrow to undo that. Now the Jib is flapping for a moment before I connect the jib sheets to it, then I'm ready to sail.
Additionally, after doing that many times, I started to think, "It would reeeeaaallly suck if I lost the shackle pin for my jib sheets in the water. So I bought a $30 Swivel Shackle from West Marine and connect that to the jib clew and the jib sheet shackle up in the parking lot before launching the boat in the water. The swivel is necessary because the jib (when rolled tightly) will likely rotate/spin when it comes unrolled, which otherwise would tangle the L and R jib sheets (that's the ERROR part of my trial and error)

I wonder if anyone else thought of these techniques, it seems to shorten the time between setting up and sailing, and eliminate a jib halyard from getting in the way on the boat.

Any objections to this method?

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Redondo Beach, CA
'80 Prindle 16.
(Got it for free!)
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Quote

Any objections to this method?

your just a few parts away from roller furl! keep the jib on the forestay and just hook it to the mast before raising..

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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i miss the coal spammer...

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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Finally this weekend I was able to get these pics online. Consider these the before pictures, with the changing weather the after pics will have to wait until April/May since I'm garage less for the winter.

Sorry for the link but there are a bunch of pics

http://www.flickr.com/pho…/sets/72157628075156970/

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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Just checked out the pictures, looks like you've done a great job cleaning it up. As the more necessary projects are completed (ie: your rudder castings), I would suggest some convenient thinks like a mast carrier for the rear cross bar or the rear of your trailer to make trailering easier. All the movement transferred from road to trailer to hulls to mast creats a ton of vibration and stress and loosening of however you tie everything down. I personally have experienced my mast rolling off the mast-carrier on the neck of the trailer and it damaging the roof of my truck. Fixed that, then the mast on the rear crossbar rubbed too much and wore out some of the groove for the traveller. Fixed that by making a master carrier that is detachable from the trailer. Now, the boat is tied down separately from the mast. The boat and mast no longer affect each other with they swaying and bouncing, it seems much better for trailering.

We have the same sail colors! My numbers are 6232, however they are not the original sails.

What have you done for your rudder castings?

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Redondo Beach, CA
'80 Prindle 16.
(Got it for free!)
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Philz,

I'm one step ahead of you. When I trailerd the cat home I didn't like the way the back of the mast was resting on the rear crossbar and really low to the street. I used a rolled up blanket to protect the metal on metal for the trip home. Going forward I took the broken mast caddy off the mast crutch in the front and was able to combine its parts with the broken mast caddy in the rear to make 1 working caddy which is attached to the rear cross-member of the trailer. It's on a removable pole and keeps the mast 18 inches off the rear crossbar of the cat. Hopefully high enough that people can't miss the red flag hanging from it. They were actually the first 2 things that I redid on the trailer, just no pics. On the mast crutch I have a simple line through existing holes in either side of the "V" at the top; stopper knot on one side, line goes over the mast through the other hole and down to a cleat I added on the other side. I'd also like to add an eye bolt and rig up a solo mast step but haven't gotten that far yet.

Come Spring the rest of the trailer gets a sand and a paint job since its 3 colors of blue one shade of white and rust depending on where you look. After the paint comes bearings and wiring, I just ran out of warm weather to work on the cat.

While I'm working on the trailer I'll be working on the glass / epoxy work since the cat will be in the yard. Once the glass is done and the trailer is roadworthy I'll bring it down to my parent's garage and paint it in there My goal is to be done by late April / early May.

Fingers crossed for an early spring.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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Oh yeah sails, I can't tell if they are original but the hull / sail number don't match.

The casting I got from Pete along with some other odds and ends.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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