Here is my situation

I have little to no sailing experience (I've been out once or twice with a friend), but am a quick learner, so I'm not too worried about that.

We have a small lake here by my house (about 6 feet deep, 120ish acres) that I will do most of my sailing on.

I also live near the great salt lake in Utah and will go there a few times a month.

I am 6'4", 200 lbs, so I'm a decently big guy in good shape (I run marathons, so not big and bulky)

I want to be able to sail around and just enjoy being on the water, and I want to be able to sail with one hull in the water going fast (the small lake will be just for chilling, the great salt lake will be for speed/one hull stuff).

These are examples of what I'd like to do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc8GI6RR_f0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RtdKC3eCek

I will primarily sail alone, but want to have the capability to take my wife, neices/nephews, and other family members.

I've been watching the local classifieds for a hobie 16 for the last few months, but all the good ones get snapped up pretty quickly, so I still am empty handed.

Thinking more about a hobie 16, I've read you don't want to sail them with more than about 280 lbs, so me and a child. Maybe I should look for a bigger cat. My big thing with going bigger is that as I said I will be sailing alone quite a bit, so I don't want something too overwhelming. I also don't want to lose maneuverability and speed, and want to be able to go with one hull up in the air

Now I'm thinking maybe Nacra 5.8. Would I be able to handle it alone? I have a friend that will teach me to use it, so I'm not overly concerned about how hard it is while I'm still learning, and as I said, I hope to become an advanced beginner/intermediate pretty quickly (a couple months?)

What does everybody think?

Thank you

I can comment on the N5.8 since I've owned 4 of them in the past. Its a very good boat for a beginner with lots of potencial to push it as you become more comfortable. In Michigan it used to be the racing boat to be on in the late 80ies and early 90ies. Lots of volume up from to reduce the risk of pitch-pole. It has enough bouyancy to take more than 2 people. Should not be a problem to single-hand, just remove the jib in higher wind.
Only concern I would have is the dagger boards in a smaller lake with possible underwater hazards.
A Nacra 5.7 could also be a good choice. It does not have dagger boards.

Thanks.

How would it do with the dagger boards partially retracted?

It would be fine for just cruising around the lake.

thebigz

Thinking more about a hobie 16, I've read you don't want to sail them with more than about 280 lbs, so me and a child. Maybe I should look for a bigger cat.

First welcome to TheBeachcats.com!

I think you've been miss-lead somewhere about that 280 pound number.

In the Hobie 16 class rules
http://www.hobieclass.com…ass_Rules%2F10773%2F0%2F

The minimum combined crew weight for racing a Hobie 16 is 285 pounds.

So obviously the boat can handle much more weight than that and they are even raced routinely with combined weight pushing 400 (maybe not winning, but racing).

So you and a few kids and/or wife would be no problem for recreational sailing.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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I have sailed/drowned on my Hobie 14 with 335lbs on it( rated for 155). I would keep away from dagger boards. A beginner needs less chaos. The 16s are great. Fiberglassing is easy also. Don't be turned off from a boat with a small hole.

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FYC, Nacra 5.2 "Chris's Flyer" & Nacra Playcat & Farrier Tramp
Previously owned: Trac 14, H14, H16, H18, N5.0, G-cat 5.0
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My first cat was a Hobie 16, very easy to learn on. There's a reason the H16's are still in production and raced all over the world. There are other boats with better designed hulls, lighter and more advanced rigging ect ect. The hobies are rugged, forgiving and relatively cheap to fix and find parts for so you can't go wrong. Find some guys in your area to help ya get started or do like me and jump right in. Look over the user manual online and make sure the boat you buy is 100% complete and the hulls are not soft and crunchy.

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Tim Grover
1996 Hobie Miracle 20
Two Hobie 14's
1983 G-Cat Restored
Memphis TN / North Mississippi
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H16 ....fun versatile easy to manage common.

NACRA, Prindle and Hobie. Look in the 18 foot range.
All three are built strong
The NACRA brand has a lot of boats in the 17 to 18ish foot range.
Buy the best cat in your $$$ range that you can find.
Look here, Craig's List, classifieds and local sailing clubs- local as in you are willing to drive that far.
It's a broad topic, and if you ask four people you'll get five opinions.
Feedback from this source (thebeachcats) though, is the best I've found on the net.

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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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