I am looking for a catamaran. I sailed Hobie 16 throughout my youth, and am looking for a H16. However, I find there are not too many in good condition. at least not in my area.
My question is what other boats are out there?
My criteria is not too expensive, not too complex, and not too fragile. my goal is to take my kids sailing. I am not racing; therefore dagger boards become less needed and more of a complexity. I have seen Vipers, A cats and similar boats and they look hot, but they also look fragile, complex, and expensive. Maybe my misconception.
Thanks for any recommendations.
Ted
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Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
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Boat buying advice
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Posted: May 12, 2012 - 05:30 AM
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Posted: May 12, 2012 - 05:38 AM
nacra 5.0 or prindle 15 or 16
or hobie wave14, getaway16
or if you can afford new or almost new
the weta14 trimaran
still expensive but a much safer, tougher bet than
an a cat or f16, f18 -
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Posted: May 12, 2012 - 05:56 AM
IMHO prindle 16 is probably one of the best bets for durability, ease of use, ability to handle most wind/wave conditions -
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Posted: May 12, 2012 - 11:58 AM
ditto on that..also they can come cheap if your handy(200-500$)...a 1500$ p-16 should be in great shape w/trailor and mayby a few other extras like beach wheels, sail box, or extra sails. the famous saying around here is best boat available, condition being main factor. i was looking for h16 parts when i came across my p16 for 500$...love it!
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bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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Posted: May 12, 2012 - 12:09 PM
I'll third that. We abused the everliving daylights out of our P-16 back in Texas. It never let us down. You can find the boats cheap, parts are readily available, and there's lots of good advice out there when it comes to fixing stuff or tuning the boat. Rip roarin' ride.
Tom
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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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Posted: May 12, 2012 - 03:08 PM
Ted, welcome to TheBeachcats.com.
Please introduce yourself a little more, what area will you be sailing? Lake, Ocean, Gulf, bay, etc.?
See links below for creating your own signature and Avatar. Also I've moved this topic to the "Getting Started" forum for a better fit.
Good Luck,
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
How To Create Your Signature
How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar
How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
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Posted: May 13, 2012 - 06:01 PM
Sailing in a lake in SC
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Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
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Posted: May 13, 2012 - 06:25 PM
Thanks for the suggestions. I will start broadening my search.
One barrier I see is the 'excellent condition junk' scenario. I have looked at several boats in the area, and all but one were advertised as great boats. When arriving they were much less than excellent. Some were in fair condition, but below what I am seeking. So I am hesitant to drive a long distance to look at a boat. However ... I would drive a long distance to get a boat. Is it just a matter of getting a large number of pictures, and asking questions, or are there any other ways to filter out by condition?
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Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
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