I am looking for a used 16’ – 18’ catamaran. Here in southern California there are lots of them for sale, but which should I get?

1. The boat will be used mostly in sheltered coastal (Pacific) waters. However, when the weather is good, I will sometimes take it out into the ocean (which means some waves & swells.)

2. The most important criterion is good single-handed sailing characteristics. It will be sailed solo about 80% of the time. (Because the water is deep, daggerboards are not a problem, especially if they improve upwind pointing.)

3. Lastly (only IF the first two requirements are well met) is the boat big/buoyant enough to carry a second crewman (or two children) on occasion?

Recently I have seen the following catamarans for sale: A Class, Hobie 16/17/18/18 Magnum, NACRA 5.0/5.2/5.5/5.7, Prindle 15/16/ 18/18-2, Trac 16, Sol Cat 18, SuperCat 17. I have not seen any G-Cats or Mysteres. Are they worth looking for?

Which of these (or any other Cats) will work the best for the purposes noted above?

Thanks,
Richard

You can't go wrong with a Hobie 18. They can be sailed solo and will handle crew also.

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Mike Conway
H16
Hilton, NY
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You haven't mentioned your level of sailing experience which is an important factor. Bigger boats can carry more weight, but can also be more challenging to sail single-handed.

While I am biased toward the H18 (since I have one), it can be a handful sailing it single-handed in more than 10-12kts wind - especially if its gusty. Beware that you cannot self-right unless you have a proper righting pole or bucket. That being said, I sail mine single-handed quite often and enjoy the challenge. However I take proper precautions so my day doesn't end up as a bobbing misadventure.

When deciding between brands, look at the level of parts availability and support available. I think Hobie has done very well in this regard.

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Jeff R
'88 H18 "Jolly Mon"
'10 C2 USA1193
NE IN / SE MI
cramsailing.com
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Something else to be aware of: If you ever plan on racing your cat or participating in fleet activities, see what the fleet participation is like in your area. It's less common now for local sailing clubs to be boat-specific, but some races are fleet-only races and aren't open to other boats. If you never plan to race ever, this isn't a big deciding factor. But if this is lurking in the back of your mind, picking up an obscure boat with no fleet presence may wind up biting you in the butt later on. (OR you can use it as an excuse to pick up more than one boat so you can race in AAALLLLLL the races!)

Tom

P.S. I don't actually race.

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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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I recently went through the same issue with several of the same factors you require. I ended up finding a Nacra 5.7 about 7 hours away. Boomless, boardless, and it has a roller furling jib... simple is a key when solo. Downside? It is a 25 year old boat. They are still making 570s if you want something newer. Enjoy your quest grasshopper.

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Mooched Beachcats in the past
Time to try ownership with Nacra 5.7
Port Clinton, Lake Erie Islands, Ohio
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