Used to sale a Prindle 18 at Texas City. Loved it! Now I live in Oklahoma City and want to take it up again. I want to get a used boat that is in very good shape so I at least have a good staring point. Will be sailing in lakes. Ideally, I hope to start with a boat that can be sailed solo, but also with one friend along sometimes. Also want to have a much performance as possible without getting in over my head! I weigh 240. I saw a 1986 Nacra 5.2 for sale for not much that is purported to be in excellent shape, but is that much age likely to be a problem??? Same with an old Prindle 18. like the idea of dagger boards to help with tacking. I can afford a fairly new cat if that would reduce headaches and am interested in a cat in the 17-18' category. Help!

First, I've gotta question your judgement..... You go from Texas (aka God's Country), to OKLAHOMA?!?! :)

The 5.2 would be a great boat to get back into things with. At 240, you'll be much better off with a 17-19' boat, especially if you're wanting crew aboard. There are several boats that will do nicely. The biggest thing to look for is a boat with sound hulls and good rigging. Replacing those items can make a cheap boat into a money pit. It's almost always cheaper in the long run to get a sound boat to start with. There are plenty of old boats in good condition. Just be patient and be willing to travel a bit. Good luck and welcome back!

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Tim
81 Hobie 16
87 Nacra 5.7
Austin, TX
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Last I heard, the sailing club at Hefner had some cats for sale.

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Peyton Adair
Prindle 18 classic
Hobie 17
Hobie Wave
Wichita KS
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ineedabreak

Used to sale a Prindle 18 at Texas City. Loved it! Now I live in Oklahoma City and want to take it up again.

Welcome back to beachcat sailing and welcome to TheBeachcats.com,

If you want an "old school" boat like the Nacra 5.2 then I think that at 240 you'd be better off with a Hobie 18 or Prindle 18 which carry weight better.

But these are all pretty old boats now and if you have the budget take a good look at the new spinnaker designs which have come along in the last decade. Spinnakers might have been a novelty when you were sailing before but they are absolutely standard on new designs, even youth boats, due to the perfection of the snuffer systems.

So a used F18 might be the way to go. Only caution I guess would be that the in Oklahoma "the winds come sweeping off the plains".

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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mystere 5.5

ineedabreak:

Welcome. I live in Oklahoma City and have done a bit of local sailing over the last 4+ years. I've owned several boats (Nacra 5.8, Nacra 20, Nacra F16) in addition to sailing a few others. There are several considerations to be made: what type of sailing you want to do (casual, race, casual+race), your facilities for storage, skillset, and budget. In my opinion, the OKC group is turning more toward racing, but it is still quite casual. We are working on a schedule for 2015 and it should be a lot of fun.

I'd be happy to take some time to talk with you. If you are interested, shoot me a PM with your phone number.

-Ryan