which boat do you all recommend for fast lake sailing in NC. Will be mostly Lake Norman. Hobie, Prindle, Nacra?

Will be looking for a project for the winter.

read-CHEAP

All of my expereince has been lasers, 420's, 470's, j24's and larger ocean boats.

Go with Hobie 16 or Prindle 16. Both cheap, versatile, simple, but fast and fun.

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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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All three can be fun in the 16 to 18 foot range. Depends on how much you can afford and what is available in driving range.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
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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I love my P16

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1975 P16 "Spring Rain"Sail # 642
Home Built 2004 Optimist-Delta "Unity"
So old it has Dino hide for a sail Chrysler "Pirateer"
Steve
Oyama BC
Lat 50.1167 N
Long 119.3667 W
1700 ft
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All three companies make good boats. Just saying you want a fast cheap boat isn't enough information. Virtually all beach cats are fast, especially when compared to monohull dinghies. And you can find cheap boats all over the place- it doesn't necessarily mean they smart buys.

Do you plan to sail solo or with crew and what is the estimated total crew weight? Do you wan something that is simple/quick to rig or do you want a more technical design? Do you want dagger boards or assymetrical hulls? Spinnaker? Do you want a more rugged design that can be easily beached or a lighter boat that requires more careful handling? What is your budget? These are the types of questions you need to answer before picking a boat. Also keep in mind that you could easily end up spending more money refurbishing a cheap boat than you would if you spent a little more initially and bought something that was ready to sail.

sm

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These are the types of questions you need to answer before picking a boat

+1

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you could easily end up spending more money refurbishing a cheap boat than you would if you spent a little more initially and bought something that was ready to sail.

+1

Since this is your first post, and you are apparently new to cats, you should not even think too hard about which boat to buy until you've spent some time with/learned from more experienced catsailors in your area.

I can't tell you how many newbs have shown up at my club with cheap/great deal/stole it boats that were not worth the gas money to haul it to the landfill.....much less the tipping fee.

Inquire at Division 9 on the Hobie forums, EMSA, and/or the Lake Norman Yacht Club......I'm pretty sure you've got good company over there!



Edited by rattlenhum on Nov 13, 2014 - 11:55 AM.

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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I would watch the classifieds. This is a great time of year to find somebody that is clearing out an old cat that they aren't using. My only suggestion is to be aware of your situation. Do you intend to solo? Do you plan to go out with more than 2 people? What is the total weight of you and your crew? Do you want a leisurely day of sailing or are you going out to race?

I just bought into a Hobie 18 this fall and I'm loving it. These are the reasons that I chose it:

1. I was afraid that me and my crew could end up overweight for the 16.
2. The H18 was an inexpensive entry into the sport. The one I bought was sail ready for $2100 including trailer.
3. I am capable of sailing the H18 solo if I launch off the trailer.

Bob

FAST and CHEAP, sailed Lasers and J24, probably regatta sailing, so maybe an older Prindle or Hobie 16, 18 or 19 fits the bill...my P19 ran around $1,700 plus new rigging add $550 plus some minor stuff so for $2,000 - $2,500 you should be sailing a good boat if you look around hard enough and have some patience to find a boat in decent condition...there's some pros and cons to small vs. large, I chose large b/c I wanted to be able to ocean sail ...

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Marek
1992 Prindle 19
1981 Prindle 16
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I see quite a few people in Santa Cruz with H16's. I find my H18 to be fairly stable on the ocean, but people do just fine on a 16. I sailed a Lido 14 (monohull) in Redondo Beach back in the 80's. Of course, the ocean and winds tend to be very mild in Redondo Beach.

I like dogboy and ramstadt's advice. Peruse the classifieds here, and maybe craiglist if you're near water, for some period of time. After a while you'll recognize a complete boat, one in sailable condition, and a decent deal. You'll learn a lot, come up with additional questions you can post here. Don't be in a hurry, and as advised, beware of extremely cheap boats, replacement parts can be expensive.

Dave

I got my P16 for $700, with trailer, spent about $400 to get her sailing, new lines mostly and a bunch of polishing as she had been sitting for 7 years.
This winter I will spend more on standing rigging, I got lucky.

--
1975 P16 "Spring Rain"Sail # 642
Home Built 2004 Optimist-Delta "Unity"
So old it has Dino hide for a sail Chrysler "Pirateer"
Steve
Oyama BC
Lat 50.1167 N
Long 119.3667 W
1700 ft
--

I will say, based on my limited knowledge, the P16, has much greater bow floatation, reducing the pitch pole potential.
If anyone disagrees, I am open to opinions.

--
1975 P16 "Spring Rain"Sail # 642
Home Built 2004 Optimist-Delta "Unity"
So old it has Dino hide for a sail Chrysler "Pirateer"
Steve
Oyama BC
Lat 50.1167 N
Long 119.3667 W
1700 ft
--

kernunnos

I will say, based on my limited knowledge, the P16, has much greater bow floatation, reducing the pitch pole potential.

The P16 and NACRA 5.2 both have more volume up front than a H16. In the ocean races on the west coast the H16s race each other mostly, and some open races don't allow cats under 18 feet because of past incidents with H16s. The H18 is a thing of beauty, though, and a great ride in the ocean. Design and engineering improved greatly in the decade after the H16, which is why no cat looks like it, not even the newer Hobies.



Edited by klozhald on Nov 23, 2014 - 11:42 PM.

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
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
--

klozhald

The H18 is a thing of beauty, though, and a great ride in the ocean.

Pretty amazing boat. I'm still learning mine, but I'm already appreciating what a fine craft the H18 is.