Obviously, the Hobie Getway I bought and is still sitting in the dealer showroom doesn't make the cut. lol. It's warming up down here a little and I'm getting excited.....farming season soon will be underway...they are planting corn in SE Missouri today while I was down there. SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!
Carry on!
Best boat for a new cat sailer
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- Rank: Lubber
- Registered: Mar 18, 2013
- Last visit: Apr 29, 2013
- Posts: 19
Posted: Apr 04, 2013 - 09:25 PM
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Aug 13, 2010
- Last visit: Mar 10, 2014
- Posts: 294
Posted: Apr 04, 2013 - 11:50 PM
O K Ok>> got a lot of H 16 props from folks here .. Well Yep the 16 is a great way to start if you are only going to do a "little" sailing this year".. Even if you have experience in mono"s.. For ME !! Looks like you have "IT" in the blood and are going to kick A** in your first Year.. It is only April !! Yep a H16 is easy to learn on. Cheap and easy to find.. BUT>> With basic sailing skills you will out grow it soon cuz other boats are passing you ( If racing is a biggie).. Why buy somthing you will out grow of in 2 - 3 months?? IF THAT IS ALL THE IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA!! Grab one. But if you you see a N5.2 or H 17 or the (H 16.. Ho Hum) grab one for similar price.
N 5.8 H 18 or larger.. No Way ..too big.. too Soon.. The lessons you will learn on the N5.2 or the H 17 will move you ahead of the curl!! Sorry Prindle boys and girls.. Never sailed one but they look heavy and I have showed them the horizon when we have sailed toghther here in N Ca. (Sorry Bill.. They had too kegorators in tramps and too many hotties on board)
SOOOO If you are olde, 72 like me... time is short. Grab the first boat you see that is close and cheap.. Sail the crapoola out of it this year.. (If I am going to find an A Cat it has to be steal... it has to be this year or next..) Sounds like you have a bit of time at 120 lbs and young. (No old farts are 120).. go for a sail early in the season with a local friend that you make with a a local fleet on his/her boat . YES!!!! Find a local fleet !! Spend a day sailing and bs-ing. Cat sailers all know where the DEALS are. They wish they could buy them but there wives wont let them. Grab one.. H 17 or N 5.2 and show them the horizon in September. Or grab a H 6 and putt around.. Sell it next year and grab a newer H16 rocket or a Nacra Rocket.. Patience Grasshopper.. Patience Grasshopper.. And enjoy.. H
I spent a long time trying to find my center untill I looked closley one night and found that it had wheels and.. & moved easily in the slightes breeze.. So now I spend less time sitting and more time sailing..
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Hal Liske
Livermore CA
H 16 (6+ 1.. Friends) H 3.2 N 5.2 (2) H 17 (2) H-18
Nacra 5.8 (son's) H 20 (Friends)
It's a Sickness
I Need a A Cat Please
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Aug 13, 2010
- Last visit: Mar 10, 2014
- Posts: 294
Posted: Apr 06, 2013 - 09:51 AM
If you are in Calif, I have a 5.2 that just needs hulls (new gelcote) sanded and waxed and needs assembly.. new tramp and good sails.. Also have several nice trailers. Email for me is my first name . last name @gmail.com
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Hal Liske
Livermore CA
H 16 (6+ 1.. Friends) H 3.2 N 5.2 (2) H 17 (2) H-18
Nacra 5.8 (son's) H 20 (Friends)
It's a Sickness
I Need a A Cat Please
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- Rank: Chief
- Registered: Jun 24, 2009
- Last visit: Jun 15, 2023
- Posts: 1555
Posted: Apr 06, 2013 - 10:36 AM
Nothing wrong with a Getaway. It's an awesome family boat that will give you great service and lots of fun.
I think we all made some assumptions about Zack's budget, age and adrenaline tolerance, and they seem to be largely correct. When a beginner says they want something large, cheap and fast I immediately thing Hobie 16, after you learn you can dump it and buy something bigger. You can get a decent one for less than $1000 and parts are readily available. If you are a beginner and want a boat that you can grow into and have little interest in upgrading then the Nacra 5.0 is my go to boat with the 5.2 being a close second just because of the boards and boom(Prindles are also great but I don't have a lot of experience with them and there simply aren't very many in Western Canada) . If you are an experienced sailor want a rec boat that can go fast and is easy to sail my number one recommendation is the Nacra 5.7, it is by far my favorite cat. But those are my own preferences and there are certainly others who do recommend other boats very rightly.
I think by and large as a community on here we do a pretty decent job of identifying new peoples needs and wants. In this case we even did this through some assumptions gleaned by the tone of the persons post. Truth is there are a lot of great boats to choose from and each has some slight differences and advantages and disadvantages. Some of the best advice I've heard was 'get the used boat in the best condition that is the right size for your sailing wants and sail the crap out of it'. I'm not sure you can go wrong with any of the 16 ft boats out there if you follow that rule.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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