[quote=Edchris177]You will enjoy both boats, Nacraman57 also has both the 5.7 & 5.0. IIRC he unequivocally endorses the 5.7.
I tend to lean that way also, with a couple of caveats. If you didn't have much Cat experience, I would not recommend the 5.7, especially in 20+kts, it is a handful solo. However;
[quote]How differnet is the performance of 5.0 from 5.7 concidering:[/quote]
(1) 15 kts, they are both fun, 20 kts-you better be paying attention. 25kts-the fun is ending quickly, if it is blowing a true 25kts (29mph) you are mostly in survival mode. Remove the jib, honk everything on the main, but you are still going to be pointing & probably going swimming in a gybe. The extra 5 kts doesn't sound like much on paper, but the problems increase logarithmically.
[quote] Sailing with 190lbs crew + 180 lbs of myself[/quote]
The 5.7 wins with those weights, but not by a lot. We sail with 172lb & 180 lbs. The 5.0 has enough buoyancy to handle that weight, & is quite resistant to pitchpole. The longer 5.7 seems to ride smoother, but is not quite as quick to answer the helm. The better sailor on a 5.0 will catch a less experienced man sailing the 5.7. The max I have recorded,(GPS) on the 5.7 is 21.3 mph, the best on the 5.0 is 20 mph, BUT, I have only had the GPS on the 5.0 a few times, I think the real difference is around 1 mph. We swapped boats one day, & I was whipping the 5.0 as hard as she would go in measured winds of 18-20mph. On a broad reach she wanted to lift her tail a couple of times, but it always came back down. The GPS was on the 5.7, maxed out at 21mph & my buddy claimed he was "catching me". I dispute that, & he flipped so I win the race & the argument!
[quote]Sailing in 4 to 6 ft short waves as we have them on Lake Michigan
[/quote]
I don't have any real experience with those conditions, the shore I'm on only has a fetch of 2 miles, protected by a long point. Once you get out in the open chuck the waves are not as short. I once rounded an Island that serves to funnel the waves during a south blow, & ran into 4' steeps. They damned near washed me off the boat at times. I was quite concerned as I was close to a rocky lee shore. I was in no real danger, but I would have lost the boat had I flipped. I managed to point just high enough to clear the tip of the Island, this on the 5.7.
You mention that you solo the 18' SolCat, so you know what power is available, the 5.7 is only marginally bigger. It is hard to pick a hands down winner when solo. I solo the 5.7 90% of the time, you can fly a hull in 10mph, but the 5.0 is just as much fun, & the speed differential is not noticeable unless you have a GPS.
The 5.7 mast is longer, & the boat is heavier, maybe important if you set up solo, but no issue with a buddy.
If you generally sail 2 up, I would go with the 5.7, the tramp is quite a bit larger, & 2 up allows you to harness more of the available power, along with a better ride when it gets rough.[/quote]
