Hello everyone, to start off here's the link to my intro thread https://www.thebeachcats.…ms/viewtopic/topic/16576

As I said in that thread, I got this boat from my father after it had sat on a trailer in the Virginia woods for close to a decade. I have essentially no experience sailing, but a lot of experience fixing things, so I'm doing my best to research the proper terminology and methods as I go.

Here's the boat as it sat the day I picked it up last November:









I promise there's a boat under there.

Here's me hauling it back to my place, after getting it loaded up to the truck. No tags, no functioning lights, no registration. Don't tell anyone.



It was close to an hour on the interstate. I stopped twice in the first few miles just to recheck straps, tires, etc. The drive went fine.

Once I got it back to the house, I hooked up my pressure washer on a low setting and did my best to get the worst of the gunk off. Here's what I found underneath:





I gave it the coveted spot under the carport for it to over winter. Then, this last weekend I spent about 4 hours with some simple green and a host to try and do some more cleaning and recovery. The end result:



It's a boat! I still have a long way to go, but there does seem to be a decent cat under there. I opened the storage box underneath and found two mainsails, a jib, two tillers, an oar, the boom, the mainsheet and blocks, the sidestays (I think) and a toolbox full of extra stainless steel bits for the boat should anything break. It certainly looks like everything is there.

My plan from here is to get a new set of running rigging - all the existing ropes are getting frayed or sun damaged or moss-infused or some combination of all 3. I don't want to remove any of the existing rigging until I have the new to replace it, or I'll never figure out where everything goes.

This thread is really just an intro to the boat. I have some specific items I have questions on that I'll be posting in the future.

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Erik
1979 Nacra 5.2
Central Virginia
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Good job, looks like she cleaned up good!!!!

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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Looks like old style Nacra 5.2, because you have an aluminum support "tube" running down center of Tramp, newer models after late 80s eliminated this feature. I had this fine cat before Hurricane Sandy decimated the boat (see my photo album on this site) bUT I don't see dagger boards!!!you must have 2 huge daggers to sail a Nacra 5.2! if you have them get the new lines, check the forestay and side stays for wear, if all good, if no apparent holes take her out on a mild day after checking this site out for rebuilding a 5.2 and look under Nacra 5.2 Google and there is a full Manuel available on how to rig boat from A to Z keep sending question the sailors on this site are really knowledgeable and helpful I'm sure there is a Catsailor living Nere you who will help launch cat and give you a few lessons gratis. We all know the more cats out there the better chance we have for help on the water if we have a mishap-good luck and we hope to hear fro you

martyr

Good job, looks like she cleaned up good!!!!

Thanks! My shoulders are exhausted!

nofearofflying

bUT I don't see dagger boards!!!you must have 2 huge daggers to sail a Nacra 5.2!

Fear not! I just forgot to mention them. I have two very fine daggerboards ready for deployment... except one is missing its stop. I can't imagine the embarrassment of dropping it in place only to have it slip straight through the hull and into the watery depths.

nofearofflying

check the forestay and side stays for wear, if all good, if no apparent holes take her out on a mild day after checking this site out for rebuilding a 5.2 and look under Nacra 5.2 Google and there is a full Manuel available on how to rig boat from A to Z keep sending question the sailors on this site are really knowledgeable and helpful I'm sure there is a Catsailor living Nere you who will help launch cat and give you a few lessons gratis. We all know the more cats out there the better chance we have for help on the water if we have a mishap-good luck and we hope to hear fro you

My plan is to rig up the entire boat in the backyard on a calm day to make sure everything is there. Once I'm sure it's complete and functioning, I'll look for a place to launch, and someone to teach me. One of my business partners has experience sailing simpler cats, so he should be able to give me some of the basics. My dad also has a lot of knowledge on this boat, but he's 74 this year and I'm not sure how excited he'd be to scramble around on a tramp with his arthritis. I could always ask :).

That said, I'd love to find some local Nacra guys that could feel out the boat's condition on the water and help troubleshoot and teach me. We'll see what I can find when I get to that point.

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Erik
1979 Nacra 5.2
Central Virginia
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good job cleaning her up - looks a "little" better :)
I am glad you stopped on the road to check the tires/trailer - smart move - i am surprised (and happy) your tires made it - no way would tires last 10 years in florida sitting in the dirt

i think you should test the heck out of your trampoline. the last thing you want is for that to fail on you (especially during stepping the mast). I would test the threads by scratching them with a fingernail.. if they break easy... bad news - if you have runs in your tramp (like a run in a womans stocking) - bad news. If neither of those things are true, and you can stand on the the tramp - give it a little bounce (not a bouncy-house jump) and it doesn't rip or sag --- your PROBABLY ok.. but be careful... you don't want this to fail on you on the water or rigging.

the standing rigging looks good in the pictures but sitting 10 years in the elements .... in an abundance of caution, I would change them all (2 side shrouds and 1 forestay aren't that expensive... dropping a mast can be)

One other item of repair I tackled last weekend - at some point in the past the cradle strap on the trailer for the front of the mast broke. The mainsail channel side of the mast came down on the edge of the steel, and then proceeded to grind back and forth on that steel edge for the rest of the car trip. The end result was some distortion of the channel and some missing aluminum with sharp edges. Not the ideal condition to slide a sail through.

As a temporary measure, I put an old car floormat doubled up on the mast cradle, then went to work on the damaged area with some very small files I had in my shop. I opened the channel just enough that the width matched the rest of the channel, then I rounded all the sharp edges just enough so nothing would catch on the sail. I didn't want to remove any more aluminum that was necessary, since the rubbing action had already worn away some of the thickness of the lip.



I think it will work just fine now, but I won't know until I hoist the main.

I'm really trying to use all the correct terminology here, but at times it's making me feel like a pirate.

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Erik
1979 Nacra 5.2
Central Virginia
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you can take a pencil (or similar sized and shaped part) - wrap it in a piece of cloth (old white t-shirt section will do) and run it up the entire length of the mast till you get to this spot. you should be able to tell if it is snagging on a sharp edge. if there is , i would do the same thing with some sandpaper to smooth it out.

if the track is pinched .. I use a small wooden triangle i made (shaped like a wedge of cheese, or slice of cake) and place the thin side into the track. I mark the track's grove with a pencil. and then walk it down (or up) the lenght of the track. Anywhere it is pinched.. i use a rubber mallet and gently spread it out just a little with the same wedge. IF the track is pinched, but not really obstructing my bolt rope (mast) ... i leave it alone



Edited by MN3 on Apr 11, 2017 - 11:22 AM.

I just ordered a new Trampoline from Slo Sails and Canvas. I replace the tramp about every 10-12 years. A new tramp costs under $400 with the zippered pocket and some extras, so it's nice insurance. I also replaced my wire rigging for the first time this year since I acquired the boat in 1984. That was another $300 or so investment. Stainless rigging can last a long time, especially without salt water exposure, but carefully examine the wire and swages for any fraying or kinks.

For removing stains on the hull without so much elbow grease, a hull cleaner with oxalic acid or weak hydrochloric removes the stains. All gel coat hulls benefit from buffing with a good compound. The spent traction material along the sides should be replaced. An inexpensive and nice material is Hydroturf, which is available in sheets or pre-cut shapes https://hydroturf.com/

Be sure to check out the assembly manualhttps://www.thebeachcats…pictures&g2_itemId=35357 Looks like you should have a boat ready to go by Spring. Good luck!

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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I always suggest sun rise yacht https://www.multihullnets.com/ for a trampoline. they are not much more expensive and are the best on the market

Great job on the clean up!

If you have any stubborn stains on the gelcoat you can use Barkeepers Friend, it's a dry powder you mix with water. Available cheap at grocery stores and contains 10% Oxalic Acid which is safe on fiberglass but rough on your skins so wear gloves.

Once you have the boat clean and stain free you have to seal the surface or it will go back to looking dingy right away and have a "bathtub ring" after you sail it.

I use Poliglow, get the kit, follow the instructions and you will not believe how "new" the boat looks when you are done. The kit is enough to do your boat a second or third time so just seal all the leftovers in a air-tight containers until you need to reapply.

https://www.amazon.com/Po…ts-Inc-Kit/dp/B00409S8AG



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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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i used newglass 2
probably the same stuff

Wow guys, great ideas all around. I don't know if I have the funds for a new tramp right now, but I'll watch the old one for failing stitching, etc.

One question - what do I use to remove the old traction material and hull identification? I tried scraping off some of the old traction material, but it left behind a nice layer of solidified hardened gunk. Is this something Goo-Gone can handle, or is there a better solution?

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Erik
1979 Nacra 5.2
Central Virginia
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loquinho

I tried scraping off some of the old traction material, but it left behind a nice layer of solidified hardened gunk. Is this something Goo-Gone can handle, or is there a better solution?

It was probably originally applied with contact cement. So Goo-Gone will soften it if you let it soak in enough, it's going to be tough going though.

Acetone would be quicker but is kind of dangerous, so "follow all label directions"disclaimer.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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I used my wifes blow dryer and a putty knife. Sill requires a bit of elbow grease. Goo gone wasn't as effective.

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2016 Hobie Getaway
1978 Nacra 5.2
1978 Hobie 16 (back in the day)
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Well some very good news on the boat front - my dad went out to his old shed and discovered a treasure trove of spare parts for the Nacra. He took photos of some of it, but it looks like I have an extra set of beams, centerboards, and rudders. An extra boom, mainsail maybe, jib definitely, and who knows what else. This is going to solve a lot of existing and potential problems!

I'll go pick it all up tomorrow. Hat's off to my dad for keeping all this around for 20 years.





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Erik
1979 Nacra 5.2
Central Virginia
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grab the waterski too - your gonna be fast enought to pull a skier :)

That's great, makes me wonder how many other former cat sailors have troves like that in their garage, attic, or basement that new or returning sailors would love to take off their hands.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Ok, I picked up everything from the shed, and here's what we've got:

1. A set of beams, in excellent condition. The front beam has the DS assembly, and the rear beam has the traveler. The front beam is missing the casting for the center beam, which brings me to item #2

2. A trampoline. It appears to be in much better condition than the one I have, but it doesn't have a center beam pocket. It appears this donor boat was converted over to the center beam-less design. So I guess I'll be converting over by default.

3. A set of rudders with the castings.

4. A set of daggerboards.

5. A jib to match the extra mainsail I already have.

6. A boom. Strangely, some of the items on the boom are mirrored from the one I already have.

7. A full set of battens. My second main doesn't have battens, so I assume these belong to that.

8. A tiller bar and tiller. That makes three total.

9. A large bucket full of standing and running rigging. The running rigging is likely shot, but the mainsheet blocks are definitely in there. There are the two mast end castings, some beam straps, and other assorted things as well. I haven't sorted through it all yet.

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Erik
1979 Nacra 5.2
Central Virginia
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The center beam was used so that the front beam did not twist and stayed in position
When not used most would drill and install SS rivets AT 10 and 2 O'clock in all 4 front beam straps to prevent movement in the front beam

Newer boats had a half moon spacer that was bolted into the hull at the end of the beam to prevent movement