Hello everyone- I have been sailing all of my life in Mono hulls Southern California. I am without a boat right now and wanted to try catamaran sailing. It looks fun, exciting and like good exercise. I think that I want a NACRA 5.8 ,6.0 or a Hobie 20. I am not really qualified yet to make the decision but that is the direction that I am heading.

Ocean Experience- Sailing Mono hull boats since 73. Recreational sailing, very little race experience. Mainly sailing to Catalina and back from Redondo Beach and day sailing.
Still surfing a couple times a week. My biggest sailing concern is being able to get the boat righted after flipping it. I am reading about water bags and poles etc. The other is tacking out of the launch area with limited space.

Sailing plans- Day sail in Redondo Beach Ca. Winds are generally under 15 knots. Sail by myself at times when I cannot get a crew. I weigh in at 225 so with a crew we are probably looking at 400 pounds. If it was summer and nice out I might put 4 people on it for a light wind cruise around the bay. No racing plans in the beginning but if I like it maybe I will look into that at a later time. Would like to sail to Catalina Island and back in August or September when ready with others when the weather was favorable. Shallow water sailing is not a concern so dagger boards are not a problem.

Budget for a first boat would be $2,000 to $4,000. There is a Supper cat 17 for sale which I think I would swamp with 3 people in San Diego that looks nice and a NACRA 5.8 local that looks good. I am just starting to get familiar with the catamaran sailing in Southern California and would appreciate any comments.

Thanks for your help!

Jim

Jim,
You can get a lot of excitement out of any of those boats, but the real question is, are you racing or pleasure sailing? The boats you listed can be a handful for a solo sailor at 15kts, especially with limited cat experience. We have a local sailor that had an H16 that wanted an H20 for the longest time. We found a nice boat for him, which ended up being too much for him under most conditions. He could sail it... but it was more work than fun. He has since purchased an H18, with less sex appeal and less speed, but he can take his wife out and she has fun! There are the rotomolded cats too, that are slower, but still quite exciting when compared to most monohulls.

Also, if you have 400lbs of crew on board, righting the boat shouldn't be an issue. At 225 and a righting bag, it can be a bit rough depending on conditions, righting pole of some sort would be a good idea. You also will learn to sail more conservatively and not need to worry about flipping as the cats are much more stable.


No matter what you end up with, you'll probably have more fun ;).

Tom

Jim,

There is a nice 5.8 at King Harbor Yacht Club that I think already mentioned... as well there is a small community of sailors there to help along...

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/boa/4866436327.html

Decision made... go get it and have some fun

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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You have confirmed one of my concerns about a large Cat. I would like to think that I would enjoy sailing a Cat enough to want to race after a while. I am kind of hung up on volume but maybe I should just stay away from a 20 and get on the water and figure it out on a smaller one. I am going to make all the mistakes that everyone else does while learning to sail a Cat. If I get the right boat it should help me learn quicker and have more fun while doing so.

I had an idea to sail a 20 with a small main until I was proficient and had a experienced crew but that is probably a little too ambitious.

I have been watching the King Harbor Cat for a while but until last week I still owned a boat. Time to go have a look.

Thanks for your help Tom and anonymous!

We went and had a look at that cat and decided against it.

cirrus,
The H18 is a nice one design class out here in California. It can carry 4 adults easily and sail in a wide variety of conditions. It can also be picked up cheaply enough that if you do find that you want a bigger and better boat... you can use what you learn on the H18 to make a more informed decision.

Or just keep your eye out for whatever comes up.

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I think that I want a NACRA 5.8 ,6.0 or a Hobie 20. I am not really qualified yet to make the decision but that is the direction that I am heading.

Mystere 5.5 or 6.0 -0 centerboards are easier to deal with than daggers

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If it was summer and nice out I might put 4 people on it for a light wind cruise around the bay.

Mystere 5.5 or 6.0 - with wings

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Budget for a first boat would be $2,000 to $4,000.

Mystere 5.5 or 6.0

oscarlet

We went and had a look at that cat and decided against it.

can you shoot me a PM about that boat.... and what you didn't like... PM please....

thanks

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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done :)