A female friend of mine just picked up a Nacra 450. Before going out solo we turned the boat over and she tried to right it (160 lbs) with no success. I then gave it a go at 195...no joy. Then another friend at 215 was barely able to lift the mast out of the water a couple inches but no further. Can any Nacra 450/460/500 owners comment on this? My friend thinks a mast bob would help which might limit the tilt angle of the boat on its side and give better leverage at the start.
Best advice from reading several other threads on this site is to make sure you have the best technique(s) in use. One of the best threads (to me) is worth a read....here it is.
http://www.thebeachcats.com/forums/viewtopic/topic/12778
bows pointed into the wind with jib and main uncleated?
AND make sure the main sheet and traveler are all the way out (i.e. the main is hanging down in the water). The boat weight of hte 460 shouldn't be a problem for a 160 lb person to overcome (provided they are pulling the righting line OVER the top hull at the front beam) but water weight is the killer when righting.
Thanks for all the replies but no one answered the question. Yes to all of the suggestions above and also dry hulls, sealed mast etc. We're not new sailors...its just a new(er) boat. The boat doesn't seem to be any heavier than a H14 turbo....maybe even lighter. I can solo right a H14 all day (and have ;-)) .
A mast bob will prevent the boat from inverting completely but I don't think it will help while the boat is on its side. The additional weight up the mast will actually make it harder to right.
A mast bob actually holds the mast higher in the water when the boat is on it's side. So yes it would help as the hardest part of righting is the first couple of feet.
The effort required to right any cat will also depend greatly on the wind strength. The windier it is, generally, the easier it is to get the boat to come upright. Once you get to a critical point, the wind will actually right the boat for you. Again, great advice to have the main and jibs uncleated.
With this said, was there any wind when you were trying to right the boat?