Hi, I live on long island, NY and i recently came into possession of an old Prindle 16 that needs some TLC. it is pre-'83 i believe, because it does not have the top side hatches, other than that i don't know much about it. my question is, does anyone on Long Island do restoration work on old cats, specifically Prindles? I want to get the boat into sailing condition but i don't really know enough about it to do it all myself and (more importantly) with 3 kids and 2 jobs i don't really have the time, but would be willing to pay to get it sea/sail worthy. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Matt

odinswind26

Hi, I live on long island, NY and i recently came into possession of an old Prindle 16 ...

Matt

Hey Matt, Welcome to TheBeachcats.com, glad you found us.

Hopefully we can find you some local help, lots of people are in "off-season" mode right now so please be patient.

In the meantime, tell us a little about your sailing area and experience. Have you sailed beachcats before?

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Restoring one here on the beach in LA Paz as we speak. Easy job. Check first for soft spots on deck in front of main beam and describe size if there. Also check that hull sides are not delaminated or floppy. It'll need a new tramp, order from SLO sails & canvas, about 300. Get 1/8 inch line for side ties (10 feet), & 1/4 inch line from Home Depot for rear lacing. Put main sheet & jib sheet in washing machine (maybe with jeans) & they'll come out new. Check that all battens are in mainsail. Use same 1/8 line to tie any loose ones. Check that no strands are broken in all wires. Replace any if one strand broken (Murray's Sports). Be sure mast hinge is there and that mast base & step will receive it, otherwise order from murrays. If small area of soft spots use injection technique to repair. If too large an area, junk it. Pete

For me the difference between tlc and restoration is a big one. A good scrub, and replacing a few parts will go a long way. I always replace standing rigging on a new to me used boat. A new tramp also does a lot as pbegle mentioned. When you start looking into professional glass and paint work, it quickly becomes easy to surpass the value of the boat. But if it's what you want value is a relative term. Any marine shop could do any glass and coating work needed, even if they are not familiar with Prindles. Replacing most parts is pretty easy and not time consuming. Always be on the lookout for a good used set of sails. They are great boats and worth some effort

thank you for the responses guys. the hulls are in good shape I believe, no delaminating at all, the bolts are all snug and tight, same with the cross bars. the only 'semi-soft spot' on the whole boat is on the topside, at the very stern of the starboard hull. its not "very soft" but definitely not like the rest of the boat, and there is a small, hairline crack near where the rudder hardware is bolted on.. some work was definitely done there, maybe even the whole back foot of that hull or so was replaced at one point, hard to tell. other than that, the mast is slightly bent (can I bend it back to straight? or is that not advisable?), and its missing the jib and jib sheet (main sail is in good condition, as are the battens and main sheet). its also missing the trampoline and its missing the pins for the all the standing rigging (the wires all look good, no fraying or broken wires anywhere). also the lines inside the rudder housing are both frayed or broken. I think that is all, but will update after I look at it again. ill try and add some pics as well. Thanks guys!!!

You probably have a pre-'79---look on the transom of starboard hull and you'll see vertical digits starting with sur. Numbers near end will be the year. Have new tramp & lace line as well as jib & sheet. Have rudder lines & they are easy to replace using small screwdriver to tease them around pulleys doing one at a time, using other to look at. Also have chain plates & pins for wires. Am in LaPaz til March when I can ship again. Pete pbegle@charter.net