Ok I am thinking about jumping in and getting my first cat and I am looking to the group for advice. So here is some information about me and my usage for the cat at least initially. I am 6’5” and 210 pounds. I am 61 but I am in good shape. The boat will be located in Marina del Rey (in the mast up section) and I plan to do a significant amount of solo sailing. I don’t plan to race rather just get out, go fast and have fun. When I do have crew it will mostly be my daughter who is 150 pounds although I can envision other heavier crew also. I do have a good amount of sailing experience however it was as crew on a 45 foot C&C so I suspect it doesn’t translate very well to cats. There are several boats in the area for sale that I am considering. These are a Hobie 18 (1985), a Nacra 5.7 (1986) , a Prindle 18, a Prindle 16 and a Nacra 5.5sl (this one is listed in the classified section). I am leaning toward the Nacra 5.5sl. Any and all help is appreciated.

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Gary
Stevenson Ranch, CA
Nacra 5.5sl
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No matter how much experience one has sailing mono-hulls, it is quite the new ball game sailing catamarans. Sure the basics are the same with how the wind acts on the sail to generate propulsion......

http://static.hobiecat.co…tal_assets/sailguide.pdf

......but that is where similarities end, you will have a learning curve all over again, but you have many advantages, the greatest being mast-up storage. You also have access to many boats, not many of us cat sailors enjoy that luxury, so here's my suggestion, start out with the Prindle 16, easy to rig, high volume hulls, built like a tank and very quick when sailed properly. You will not regret this choice, once you have become quite comfortable sailing the P16, you sell it for what you paid and move up to something a little bigger. My reasons for the P16 as 1st choice:-

good boat to sail solo
high volume hulls will allow you to sail with your daughter and even double trap
you will be able to "right" the boat with little assistance at 210 lbs
easy rigging allows you to concentrate on sailing rather than on the rigging
parts are easy to obtain
re-sale value

Hope This Helps (HTH)
R



Edited by the-renovator on Apr 03, 2013 - 09:43 PM.

I'd have said the 5.7 before you listed it, so def take a hard look at the 5.7. Make no mistake, though, it will be a beast that you have to tame.

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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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the 5.5sl (listed here) looks like a great boat.............just don't take any rigging or sailing advice from the seller, the boat looks improperly rigged and the 'on water' photos display complete ineptitude. if you are truly fit you shouldn't have any trouble righting this boat solo. the prindle 18 is also a great boat for a 210 lb solo sailor.

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'life is too short to drink cheap beer'
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If you're solo on a 5.5SL at 210, you should have a righting bag with you. At 200, it was often all I could do to get mine righted while using the bag (I literally had to top it off with handfuls of water a few times to get enough weight, and that was a slow, slow process.)

Obviously the wind can help, but err on the safe side until you don't need my advice.

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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Where do you sail? what is the wind like?
The 5.5 can be a handful, but if you are a skilled sailor, it may be a fine choice.

I typically recommend 16's and 18's to start with for most. you can always upgrade / invest next season.

typically 16's and 18's (excluding f16s & f18's) are simpler boats to manage and learn on.
they can have less rigging, less spars, & adjustments to worry about so you can focus more on how to helm, reverse your boat, tack, heel, jybe, fly a hull, trap out, enjoy, etc

at those weights.. you will need a h18 or p18
they are similar boats, with the same features and rigging
both are great, but heavy and 70's design

I love my 5.7. Simple rig, no boom to worry about, no daggerboards to worry about, huge clean tramp, very fast and relatively light. You can almost right it by yourself but with your daughter and/or a righting bag it won't be a problem. I don't think you would see much difference in performance between the 5.5 and 5.7 except the 5.5 will point a little higher.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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The 5.5 sl can be quite a boat single handed when the wind comes up and is really a double handed boat. It is quit balanced as a Uni, with out the jib, when solo but not so much with crew especially in heavy air and waves. As for performance, looking at the Portsmouth numbers, the difference between the 5.7 and 5.5sl is like the difference between the H16 and H18. The 5.5sl , properly sailed, will leave the 5.7 in it's wake.

One thing to look for on the 5.5 or any Nacra with boards is where the daggerboard well meets the bottom of the hull, the wells are very thin and the daggerboard has a tendency to wear thru that area causing leakage. Fixed with a little epoxy.

Also, check the connection between the tiller crossbar and the tillers, if it is a U with a bolt, it will spin and lock the crossbar causing no steering, this happens because the weld breaks, replace this part with the prindle part that is back to back U's. Cheap to fix.

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Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi
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Well a lot of input and things to think about. I do want to thank all that have taken the time to post. It is very much appreciate. My impression so far is for the Nacra 5.5sl. My concerns would be that this may be higher performance cat than my experience could handle. The particular cat i am looking at does have a furling jib so would starting out sailing the 5.5sl as a uni negate this concern? This cat also has a Murray righting system so would concerns about being able to handle righting the cat solo be realistic given my 210 weight. Last would be concerns about the 5.5sl being able to handle crew. I could easily see a combined crew weight of 400 pounds or more. Is this more than this cat can handle.

Next seemed to be the Nacra 5.7. Similar concerns about experience and being able to right it solo and less about combined crew weight. Would one of the righting systems be advised when sailing solo?

The input on the prindle 16 is well taken and is one of the cats under consideration. Would a prindle 18 be more appropriate for someone of my size and when sailing with crew?

Btw the conditions in Marina del Rey are pretty consistent from what I have seen. Wind seems to be between 6 and 10 knots in the afternoon (it can get up to 14 though) and calm in the morning. If the wind kicks up it isn't far to get back to the ramp from just about anywhere in the marina. It seems like a pretty protected environment to learn in.

Again thank you for the help and I do hope others will weigh in.

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Gary
Stevenson Ranch, CA
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Gary
Stevenson Ranch, CA
Nacra 5.5sl
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Quote

Would one of the righting systems be advised when sailing solo?

Always, most cats wont right with out 2 people or 1 persona and a bag/righting pole

Quote

The input on the prindle 16 is well taken and is one of the cats under consideration. Would a prindle 18 be more appropriate for someone of my size and when sailing with crew?

you can make a 16 work, but you would pay for the weight (slow, harder to tack, not a lot of room on the tramp)
I dont think the P18 has more tramp room but the H18 will have more surface area (the h16 tramp is elivated above the hulls, the 18 utilized the hulls as deck space

Not familiar with your area, do you sail in shallow, or reef infested waters?
The 5.7 is boardless, no worries about hanging a board on kelp, mud or reefs.
That was the first Cat I bought, if you are in decent physical shape you can handle it. It is also simple to rig,(boomless) & 1 less thing to deal with if you have shallow water.
The newer style boarded boats will point a bit higher, but don't get hung up on the speed thing. It's not like the 5.7 will go 21 mph, & a boarded 5.5 will do 27. If you intend to race with some seriousness, you will not find very many 5.7's to go head to head with. If you life will be recreational sailing, you will love the 5.7. The large uncluttered tramp alone is worth something.
At 210, you can solo right it,(I do with 15+ wind) BUT, that assumes you can hike in a "plank" position, just off the water. I carry a bag, as I can't right it solo if the wind is light. With even a kid along, the two of you will pull it right up.
I have clocked mine on the GPS at a hair over 21mph, both solo, & 3 up(2 on the wire, myself sitting on the windward hull). It is fine to solo, especially around 15mph wind, but you have to be pretty careful at greater winds, 30mph is pointing to get to the nearest shore.
Not as many parts as say a Hobie 16, but they are available, & many parts interchange with some of the other more common Nacras.
Ron's tip on the steering locking up does happen. It is easy to prevent by wrapping some lockwire around the "U" fitting, securing it to the tiller, so that it cannot rotate. Once you see the actual setup, you will see what we mean, & that the fix is 50 cents, & 5 minutes work.
One last thing, if you drive the boat up on the sand under power, Hobie & Prindle have tough hulls. I wouldn't run either of my Nacras onto the beach on a regular basis.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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A lot of good advice has been offered here. You will be balancing simplicity, ease of solo sailing, lighter weight, and easier righting, against the better performance and greater load carrying capacity of the larger boats. With your weight and any crew you might bring, smaller boats are going to pressed pretty deeply into the water, costing some performance. You're also in a predominantly light air venue, so you may find more enjoyment with higher performance/larger sailplan boats. So I think you'll want to evaluate how often you'll be sailing solo, as that might be the deciding factor in the larger/smaller issue.

I just scored a pair of Supercat 20s, one of which I'll be listing here soon. If you think you'd be interested in a boat that big, you can call me. They have a shroud extending system that makes righting this 12' beam boat feasible.

Dave Farmer
509 276 6355

A P18 would be an excellent choice for getting started. Cheap, durable, easy, buoyant.

A 5.5 isn't going to love 400 lbs, but it's not that big of a deal. I've had a good time on a 5.2 w/ that much, but I'm glad I learned (ie had 'learning experiences) on a P18 first.

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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Have a Prindle 18-2 (1990) in very good condition, brand new tramp, Smyth square top main, new jib with roller furler, faired rudders & CENTERBOARDS (swing into the hulls), very solid trailer with 4 cradles for hulls, large tires with buddy bearings & a large storage box. Hulls are immaculate & newly waxed. Excellent boat for carrying load yet can single hand with roller furler as tacks easier than sister P-18. See ad here in next few minutes. Pete Big Bear Lake, Ca.