Hello everybody, my name is Jens and I live in germany.

I look for a beachcat for me and my wife. Sometimes I will also sail whith a friend.

- crew-weight 150kg(me + wife) 180kg(me + friend) (330/400lbs)
- sail area is the balticsea
- reacher
- put up after capsized whithout any help (no waterbag or any else)

so what you mean is a 18ft the right or is 20ft better?


next question: whith daggerboard or keel


I hope you understand my bad english and can help me to find the best for me.

many regards Jens

Well you have lots of choices to make. Most of the beach cats in the 18 to 20 foot range are not exactly newbie boats, but that shouldn't dissuade you. Longer boats handle larger waves better. I have a good friend who sails an Inter 20 off the coast of California and he recommends at least 18 feet for sailing in unprotected water. He is able to right his Inter 20 solo, but it has a all carbon fiber mast and extendable stays.

If I where in your neck of the woods I would be looking for a Hobie Pearl, It is an 18 foot with kick up daggerboard and wing seats. It is the cousin of the Hobie Tiger, an older F18 style boat. This is no entry level boat. I'm curious what others have to say on this.

In any case when it comes to righting, get a righting bag (waterbag) they are easy to use and invaluable. You may not need it, but when you need it they are invaluable.

I cannot think of a 20 foot boat that doesn't have dagger-boards.... If you go down to a smaller boat, you can find a boat with skeggs (keels), which are worry free. NACRA makes the 570 which is 18 feet and has no dagger boards.

Ok thank you.


I'm hoping for a few more opinions.

If being able to right the boat with no assistance is a must then an 18 foot boat is the best choice.
All of the 20 foot boats in the US that I can think of are fast racers and not great to learn on. There are
a lot of boats in the 18 foot range that would be good for a beginner. I learned on a Hobie 18 and got comfortable very quickly. Nacra,supercat,and Prindle are also great boats for your situation.

As far as dagger boards or keel that depends on your area and if you want to deal with raising boards. If it tends to be shallow then keel for sure. If depth is not an issue then I would go with whatever boat comes along in the best condition for the price. let us know what you decide to buy.

Pete

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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Jens,
Are you new to sailing, or just to catamarans?
Sounds like you may have some sailing experience.
The newer 18 to 20+ foot cats can get complicated.
You might want to look for something older to start out with.
Complexity is an issue with frequently changing crews, as you have to re-train them each time.
Specifically we are talking about more complicated jib controls, multiple downhauls, mast rotators, and cluttered trampolines. You mentioned a reacher, and that will double the complexity of setup and sailing.
I do not know of an 18 foot cat that can be righted in any kind of weather by one person without some kind of aid.
Look for an older Hobie, Prindle, NACRA, or G-Cat 18, sail it for a while and then decide if you want more.

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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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You're sailing the Baltic where there is a lot of wind. Dart 18 might be more available to you, has skegs, easy to right, fast in a blow. Pete

I' m new on catamaran not at sailing, and this year I rent a TopCat K2 (total 10 days á 3-4hours)

I won't sail alone, every time I will sail whith a second people. *no singlehanded*

I find a nacra 6.0 and I have a option for a Dart 18

so was the question for 18ft or 20ft... other options for me a Dart 20 and the TopCat Spitfire 18.

dart 18 weight: 135kg mast: 8m
dart 20 weight: 168kg mast: 9m
Spitfire weight: 175kg mast: 9m

nacra 6.0 with dagger boards

this 4 kinds of Cats are actually for sale in my area and budget. the nacra is the more expensive then the others.

Dart 18 is a sweet boat, there is one on my beach, I think you would enjoy it