I am looking to upgrade from my hobie 18 to a little more modern boat. I would like something that I could do some distance races in. I really like my 18 for island hopping and beach cruising but I would like to race a little more. I have a reliable crew with a combined weighed of 325. How would the n20 lend itself to putting several people aboard for the beach.
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Greenville SC
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Is an N20 a good boat for me?
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 05:12 AM
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 07:16 AM
What do you consider "several people" ? The nacra 20 is a great boat and a RACING MACHINE, it does extremely well in the distance races ie, worrell 1000, tybee 500, and the great Texas race. We have a few on our beach but rarely are they used as a cattlemaran. Almost always sailed with just skipper and crew and on ocassions a third. This is a spinnaker rigged boat with dagger boards, remote main downhaul, boom etc. Not what I would consider a "several people boat" but an awesome long distance racer. -
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 09:31 AM
Well let me restate my question. I want a boat that I can take racing, and use all of the features that we know the N20 is good for. I would like something that has a more modern design and is faster than my H18.
However, I would also like to have the ability to take a friend or 2, lets say a total weight of 600lbs for a ride every so often. How bad would the boat suck to take a load like that 5-6 miles out to the beach and back? I have read the N20 does really well with heavier crews.
My H18 has a spin and daggers, I may be ignorant but I do not really see the N20 being terribly much harder to operate, although I assume it would be much more responsive to my crew and my own input.
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Greenville SC
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 10:20 AM
Your 18 has dagger boards?
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Nacra 5.2
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 11:23 AM
My Hobie 18 has daggerboards also, I think a lot of them do.
bacho (if that's your real name)
The Nacra 20 can carry a lot of weight and has a very large uncluttered tramp, I think it would be great for your purpose. The only thing is that for racing your 325 lbs is on the light side for the N20 so you may have issues in heavier air, but the boat has a lot of adjustments to depower. Like any move to a more powerful racing machine it will be a learning curve.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 12:46 PM
i was amazed at how much more complex my mystere 5.5 was to operate compared to my previous cat, a h18
there are some pretty big differences in these boats.
h18's are tanks. you can hit a wall with them and still sail that day. you can hit and island and capsize cause your boards were down.. and sail away... the n20 is not a beach cruiser, it has very long (and expensive) boards that will blow out a trunk or break a board with the same force
the N20 will probably take you a lot longer to rig (esp with spin) than any h18.
there is a lot more hardware on a n20 compaired to the h18, it all needs upkeep and replacement at some time.
but if you are serious.. go test one out :)
PS sounds to me like you would do great with a Mystere 5.5 or 6.0 :) for 1/2 the cost of a used n20 you could compete with them :) -
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 12:56 PM
yeah... my H18 also answers to the name of "old ironsides..." trade paint w/the fancy boats and they get all hot and bothered....
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 02:46 PM
I've found that if I want right of way, or for another beachcat to get out of my way, instead of yelling "Starboard!" it's more effective to yell "Hobie 18!".
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Sep 15, 2011 - 05:10 PM
N20 sounds perfect. I've had three people on mine and it acts better than other boats with the weight. My guess would be it can handle the extra weight better than other beach cats aside from the H21. The clean tramp makes it good for this. It is complicated to set up, and the hulls dent if you're not careful. What an amazingly fast boat though. I say go for it!
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Daniel Evans
N I20 Miami FL
N I20, N 6.0NA, H 20, H 16 Chesapeake bay
I have a hard time passing up a good deal on a big cat.
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Posted: Sep 16, 2011 - 06:48 AM
I agree that the Nacra 20 is a great boat but it is a little more complicated. Because of the self tacking jib you must always carry the spinnaker pole even if you do not use the chute. Just a few other things to consider if you break something
Rudders $450 each
Dagger boards $800 each
Used carbon fiber mast approx $5000 plus maybe more -
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Posted: Sep 16, 2011 - 08:50 AM
Cattlemaran? First time I've ever heard/read that. Funny!
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Repairable P18
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Posted: Sep 16, 2011 - 11:08 AM
My Wife and 2 kids were on a friends Inter20 (Not sure if this is exactly the same as the N20 or a completely different beast) and they did great on it. Probably 650-700 lbs or so total. They did capsize once due to an accidental gybe.
The skipper of this boat is usually alone and recently put a smaller main on it because he solos it a lot and then he doesn't have to go around begging for crew when the winds pick up.
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
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1982 Prindle 18
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Posted: Sep 17, 2011 - 08:26 PM
Yes, the Nacra 20 and the Inter 20 are the same thing. Performance Catamaran just stopped using the Inter name on boats to clarify the brand. Over the years of production there have been many small changes, different rudders, spin systems, self tackers, and tramps to name a few.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Sep 18, 2011 - 09:47 AM
So far it seems like price is the only negative. As i do my research i see them from $9k to 14k. If i found one for $6500the is that too good of a deal to pass up?
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Greenville SC
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Posted: Sep 18, 2011 - 04:28 PM
I've noticed many for sale often come with multiple sets of sails, daggers, and rudders. Also might want to take into consideration if it comes with a sweet newish trailer and a new catbox. Some people will borrow a trailer just to get the boat to their club of choice or keep the trailer when selling the boat so they dont have to buy another one.
one that comes with an extra set of sails would be really nice as a new set costs around $3k. -
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Posted: Sep 19, 2011 - 06:34 AM
It may have an aluminum mast instead of carbon fiber which would mean a good difference in price. -
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Posted: Sep 19, 2011 - 07:31 AM
this type of cat is not intended as a recreational cat so most people who owned it, would have LOTS of spares (for damages during racing). -
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Posted: Sep 19, 2011 - 08:48 AM
Aluminum mast. Trailer beach wheels. Not too many spares as its part of a fleet.
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Greenville SC
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Posted: Sep 19, 2011 - 11:00 AM
bacho, do you mean you've found a Nacra 20 for sale with an aluminum mast where there are a bunch of N20's?
What part of the country are you located? The Aluminum mast for the N20 was only introduced in the last couple of years and requires a different main sail than the much thinner (cross section) carbon stick.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
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Posted: Sep 19, 2011 - 11:42 AM
My bad, carbon mast. Itwas painted and looked like AL at a glance.
Im in the southeast. The boat was uaed in a sailing club. The owner has another one he is keeping.
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Greenville SC
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