Greetings Collective;

First off I really like this forum and have learned a great deal from all your knowledge, wisdom and wit. It's a pleasure to read from so many cat sailors and the openness of sharing opinions and ideas even when not in accord it's all good info.
S
I was fortunate to have owned a H18 magnum for 12 years and did more things on that boat than I care to remember. Sea stories abound. I sold it about 10 years ago and got into keelboat cruising and now I want to downsize and get back into cats which brings me to the big question...

Is there a big and noticeable performance difference between the Nacras 5.7 and 5.8? All things being equal with an experienced crew does the 5.8 with the boards make a sizable diff?

I'm a pretty big dude and plan on sailing solo 70-80% of the time on semi protected waters and want a cat I can handle up to say 15kts without white knuckling. I know the big difference is going to be with the dagger boards and the trade offs it presents. I will not be racing just enjoying the thrill of speed and the humming vibes ive come to miss.
I just wanted to get a sounding from you folks on your thoughts comparing the two side by side.

Cheers.

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Todd

Virginia
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some of your questions may be answered in these previous topics.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ms/viewtopic/topic/12796
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ms/viewtopic/topic/12917

plenty of opinions on this based on what people own and like.
j



Edited by arch on Aug 25, 2013 - 08:29 PM.

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Aquacat 12 (sold)...'87 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'03 Nacra Inter18 (sold)
Venture 15 (sold)....'89 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'91 Nacra 5.8NA (sold)
'99 Nacra Inter20 (sold)
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For single handing I like my 5.7 better, I'm about 220 and I can handle it pretty easily, especially with a furling jib. I do need a righting bucket to get it up after I dump it. I find the worry factor is lower because of the lack of boards and a boom. You won't accidentally get the boom in your face on a blown gybe or smash the boards coming in to shore. Also because of the extra deep hulls the boat is super stable. I find I can fly the hull for miles and it is more difficult to stuff or capsize (comparing it to my 5.2 not a 5.8). I just generally love my 5.7 and think it is the nicest boardless/boomless boat ever made.

That being said, the 5.8 is a faster boat. You can definitely point higher with the boards and you have a more sail. I'm not sure it would be a good single handing boat though.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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i sail with a 5.7 - non spin
the owner is a great sailor and pretty large guy - his son is his race crew and he has got to be around 200 as well...

they out sail me always. they win races often. the owner sails it solo 1/2 the time in 5-20knots

i would LOVE a 5.7 (i think)

So I own a 5.8na. I love it but....played hard with a 5.0 yesterday and discoverered the joys of skegs vs boards. My boards are undergoing their second major surgery of the season this week from damage from our Lake Michigan pebbles and rocks. If I have to do it over again I would go bordless. 5.7 offers the roominess and stability with out the #!!!*&&!!! board issue.

PS: In my experience the 5.8na is NOT a good single hand boat over 15 knots. Easy to get over powered even when dumping wind. I too am a big guy. Even yesterday there were two of us over 220 and I was dumping power in very gusty conditions.

Quote

I'm a pretty big dude and plan on sailing solo 70-80% of the time on semi protected waters and want a cat I can handle up to say 15kts without white knuckling. I know the big difference is going to be with the dagger boards and the trade offs it presents. I will not be racing just enjoying the thrill of speed and the humming vibes ive come to miss.

I solo my 5.7 95% of the time, I'm only 175lb. There is no white knuckling in 15kts, that is perfect wind for the 5.7. Even 20kts is not white knuckle, you have to take care, & I generally don't gybe unless I have crew. 30 is what i would call W.K.
The 5.8 should always beat the 5.7 on a race around the buoys. Sounds like you just want to reach. I can get 20- to just under 22 mph on the 5.7(GPS) solo, two up, or three up It's not like the 5.8 is going to go 30mph.
Do you have sand bars, reefs to deal with? Some runs we make have shallows between the islands, I never worry about ripping across shallower sections, as long as you have rudder depth.
You are on "protected water", do you ever deal with big wake, confused seas? The skeg hulls ride smooth, sort of like an extreme Deep V power boat.
Hard to beat a 5.7 for solo simplicity, large clean tramp, & really, they are pretty fast.



Edited by Edchris177 on Aug 26, 2013 - 08:13 AM.

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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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i've owned three N5.8's and still have the 5.8NA (seen in my avatar to the left). i have restored a 5.7 for a friend and sailed it several times, both solo and with crew. the 5.7 impressed me as a 'civil' cat to sail, in that when the hull started flying, it went up smoothly and not as suddenly as my 5.8 does. i did not feel the need to dump the main as quickly as i do on the 5.8. you might note that the 5.8 is only 8' wide whereas the 5.7 is 6" wider.

the 5.8NA is a fast ride with crew, which is my favorite way to sail it. it needs the jib to sail well, and the larger NA jib and the bridle foil make a sizable difference in speed over the standard 5.8 with the smaller jib......but when overpowered, becomes a handful for a solo sailor. the extra 12" of hull means you can push it harder into the chop.

daggerboards are best handled by crew when it's blowing and take some planning to get them up when returning to shore so they don't get buried. hitting bottom with the boards in the shallows can crack your hull at the back of the trunk (been there.) otherwise, when heading out or sailing in water that's sufficiently deep, the boards improve the steering feel and definitely point better upwind. boards partially raised in strong wind can reduce the likelihood of a capsize and flatten the ride.

if you are solo most of the time, even tho i love my 5.8, i would think a 5.7 would meet your needs better and allow you the confidence to go out in heavy conditions without fear.
j



Edited by arch on Aug 26, 2013 - 12:43 PM.

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Aquacat 12 (sold)...'87 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'03 Nacra Inter18 (sold)
Venture 15 (sold)....'89 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'91 Nacra 5.8NA (sold)
'99 Nacra Inter20 (sold)
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Completely agree with Arch on his points. Pointing up is great but the boards are a pain in the rear end. By moving crew weight forward onto the skeg center of effort these boats (5.0/5.7) point UP much better than a H16....yes for some reason I too have issues rasing the boards and they must be done proactively by crew. If you sail where there are pebbles on the beach these get jammed inthe boxes, hammer the hell out of your daggers and ofter require brut force to remove. For that reason we keep the daggers just peeking out of the hulls to keep rocks out. All in all they are a pain and if I ever sell my 5.8na I will get a skeg hull.

Another thing on the boards, they were made with the hulls (there are no templates on file) so if you break em you are basically going to have to sand down and polish an expensive set of replacement boards to fit. (on my list of things I need to do with the set I bought thinking I could have spares). This is what I was told by the factory.

Wolfman et al,

Thank you for all your valued input. After chewing on the matter, I've decided to go with the 5.7 after all. It's going to be a better fit across the board for the type of sailing here ithe lower Chesapeake and Outer Banks.
I agree the boards can be a challenge especially single handing, but the max performance can very well exceed those challenges. I have done my share of marine-texing on our H18 dagger boards. I'm perfectly willing to accept the compromise for the ease of use.

Now where in the wonderful world can I find one?.... I spent an hour searching Craigs List in most metro areas with neg results. There was a primo looking one in Nj but it sold. Is there another web resource you can recommend? I also peruse catsailor.com but no luck thus far. Ideally looking for a latter model (read foam cored) boat preferably East of the Ol'Miss. Can y'all shake any cats outta the trees?

Last question............can one successfully and safely rig and sail a 5.7 with an asymmetrical? Not looking to modify immediately, just sorta curious. Thanks again and keep the high side flyin'

Cheers
Todd


GO Oracle Team USA!

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Todd

Virginia
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A spin kit is no problem. You can order one for the 570 from Nacra or piece it together yourself. Any one suitable for a 16-18 foot cat will work.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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I bought an '84 N 5.7 last fall. Replaced running rigging, serviced her old sails, new shrouds, bungees and it's all good. This week was my first solo and I was flying a hull. I've had her out about five times. No regrets, glad I didn't buy a 5.8 last weekend. I'm 57 and 20 pounds over weight at 210. Next week I'll try to get out on the trap.
You made a great choice.

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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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+1 to all comments on the 5.7. My father and I bought a 5.7 last fall for racing with the local fleet in Virginia Beach and it's a blast to sail!



Edited by hc16runner on Aug 29, 2013 - 09:47 AM.

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Zach
Yorktown, VA
1984 Nacra 5.7
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We appear to have quite the 5.7 fleet here!

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
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I'm in. Wish for more time and more wind when we have time!

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Tim
Collierville (Memphis), TN
Supercat 15--sold :(
Hobie monocat--given
Vanguard 15--traded for...
Nacra 4.5--sold
Nacra 5.7
Hobie 14–sold to make room for...
Supercat 17–sold
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