Nacra questions
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Posted: Nov 08, 2013 - 06:16 PM
Do tell. Not trying to argue, but if I mis-spoke or am mistaken on something, I'm willing to and ready to learn.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Nov 09, 2013 - 07:44 AM
Marc ! I have 2 "opinions" to pass on :)
First off ... I have sailed a race cats in arizona off and on for close to 35 years. I am a past commodore or one of the local fleets ... and I say this only to add some validity to my point ... you are in Tucson ... the Hobie fleet in tucson is a really great group of people. If I was in Tucson looking to get back into sailing/racing with my wife .... Hobie 18 and join fleet 514 would be the ticket ... simple because there will be alot of other 18's to race. There was a large regatta last month in rocky point and hobie fleets from california and phoenix were there. Alot of competition in the H18 and H16 classes. did not see one tiger. There is also a multihull fleet out of phoenix ... but being in tucson .... i don't think you can go wrong with the H18.
Second Point .... there isn't a boat out there that you can't single hand ... you just need to know how to control it. As my boats grew in size and speed over the years .. I reached a point where my wife bailed out. I single handed my P18, then a P19MX/spin for a number of years ... then actually down sized to a 5.2 with a square top and spin (it's now in tucson somewhere) ... got bored with the size so then I jumped to an Olympic Tornado/square top/spin. Sailed that out of Long Beach for about 6 years.
Here is the key point ..... Every boat i sailed single handed had a rolling furled jib, hi ratio down haul for flattening the main, and that I was able to single handedly right the boat in the event of a capsize. Solo righting being of greatest importance. Of all the boats .... I felt safest on the Tornado.
I would check out the tucson fleet before doing anything ..... www.fleet514.com
Mark Corby
Black Canyon City Az
sabot
lehman 12
H16
P18
P19
P19mx/spin
Nacra 5.2 / spin
Tornado /spin
now ... boatless and bare boating :) -
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Posted: Nov 09, 2013 - 12:03 PM
Great advice here.
Edited by klozhald on Nov 09, 2013 - 12:08 PM.
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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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Posted: Nov 09, 2013 - 07:56 PM
Lots of good advise in these posts!
I am located in Phoenix. Sail regurgitate at lakes Pleasant and Roosevelt.
Welcome back to cat sailing!!
Don't worry about a spinnaker right now. Go grab a N 5.5 with decent sails, learn it for a couple years, then sell and move up. Don't spend a fortune up front, but make sure the boat is solid and that the sails are good you will recoup you investment when you sell.
There's a lot to learn before you try to run a chute.
After that, a move into an early f18 or add a spin to your existing boat.
At any rate, come sailing with us!!
PM ME -
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Posted: Nov 10, 2013 - 04:55 AM
While you can singlehanded most boats, that doesn't mean its a good idea or very practical. When the wind comes up, the boats are absolutely designed for a certain amount of weight on the wire. If your short on that you will be lacking in performance. Surviving isn't the same as sailing well and certainly is not competitive. Not to mention that most of these 2 man boats are beasts to handle on the beach by yourself.
I find the prindle 19 thing pretty funny. At a recent with a pretty puffy day, there was an older guy with a prindle 19. He told us he was going solo, one person mentioned that might not be such a great idea because of the conditions that day. He responded with some sort of drivel about soloing that prindle for 25 years. We were not on the water long enough to have a start before his boat went turtle, he got it righted with help and retreated back to the beach to find crew.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Nov 10, 2013 - 10:55 AM
Bacho, I think it's logical to assume that I was not refering to sailing in 20 knot winds, but more in point refering to safe sailing conditions.
Hope your new radio has met your expectations.
Mark Corby -
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Posted: Nov 10, 2013 - 01:28 PM
Mark,
I'm aware of that, I just thought it was funny given my recent experience with someone talking about the same boat.
The radio looks great! Might get to play with it this weekend.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Nov 10, 2013 - 03:34 PM
Dang I wish you guys hadn't said that. I really hadn't noticed. Now my sailing is ruined.
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Nacra 5.2
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Posted: Nov 10, 2013 - 06:48 PM
I don't think I follow.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 05:58 AM
Sorry Rob I guess it was an ill attempt at humor. Since I haven't sailed anything but my 5.2 in the last twenty years I really didn't know that the 5.2 was a wet boat. Now that I know it is a wet boat I will be griping and moaning about only if I had bought that other boat.
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Nacra 5.2
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 07:00 AM
I'm sure that a SuperCat will not let you down, or an i20 on a breezy day. Pack a snorkel!
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 07:09 AM
Join the fleet first, and second Join the fleet. Get to know the people and boats they sail. You can buy a boat made anyone but if you break something and need a part it really helps if 15 other guys have the same boat or same brand boat. They will have broken the same part and bought two (that is what I do) and you will have a spare from them you can use until you buy two and give them their spare back.
I have a Hobie 18 and a 5.5 UNI with spin. I very rarely have more than just my fat butt on either boat (250) but the boats are fast and fun. No jib makes the UNI harder to tack and the spin makes me feel like a new sailor again (25 year this spring on cats). Join the fleet and go sailing with some of the folks in the fleet, see if your wife makes friends with some of the other wives and then you can find out if sailing is back in your life. There have been many days the wives stay on the beach and a bunch of us guys go sailing. The ladies are more than happy to drink and chit chat while we get all wet.
Back to the boats, H-18 feels like an extension of my soul, Have had one (three) since 1992, it was designed in the 70s so it is not modern but it is bullet proof and fast, it is over powered from the get go but roll the jib up, travel out and you can sail in a LOT of wind. Takes the weight better than any other boat I know of, one two or 4 people will work. Parts and boats are everywhere. Buy the newest nicest boat you can. The older boats are getting really old. The heyday for these was the early 80s and the stopped making them completely by 05 or so.
Nacra 5.5 UNI, nice boat but a pig down wind (fixed that with a spin). I bought it local cheap, it is a 96 with almost no time on it. I added a spin since one of my best friends has a Inter 17 with spin. We sail a lot with each other and race each other in the local series. Adding the spin is not cheap, not terrible but not cheap. I also added Inter rudders.
Last but not least. The older Nacra rope up bungee up rudder system SUCKS OUT LOUD. If you came from Hobie cats you will hate it with every breath. I sailed it one year with that crap and sourced almost all used inter stuff and made the newer system work.
I can not speak to a 5.2 never sailed one. I have sailed an inter 18 and it is fast but very complicated for a new guy on it. The one I sailed was an impulse purchase and I had to help the guy rig it. I personally like the Hobie Getaway a lot, an easy to sail indestructible boat but you sound like you want more performance. Get whatever the locals have, get your but kicked racing for the few years (learning curve is steep) and then decide. Or get what you want and ignore all of the above, LOL.
HTH, JMHO, YMMV. Ricardo.
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Lake Perry KS
H-18
N-5.5 UNI +spin
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 09:34 AM
He is right it sucks, however the fix is cheap. (at least on my boat).
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Nacra 5.2
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 10:01 AM
I've got an inter, w/ inter rudders, but have had a few N5.x boats, and the up/down of the rudders really doesn't bother me on either system -- I think the old style works fine. I like the Inters better just b/c they try to track straight when I don't hold the tiller.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 04:28 PM
Golfdad, what fix did you use? Is it different than mine?
The Nacra 5.x rudder system isn't very sophisticated, but it does work and is very simple. Would be nice to have a more modern system, but it works. Would be very nice to have something to lock the tiller in place when sailing solo though.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 05:30 PM
I got mine from airborne in the technical pics "5.2 Rebuild" I have a line that replaces my bungee, a jam cleat on the tiller arm. I had a fit trying to replace the bungee. Wolfman I am still upset that I am getting wet uneccessarily. I just found out my boat is the wettest ride out there.
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Nacra 5.2
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Posted: Nov 11, 2013 - 06:01 PM
Ah, yes I did that for a while as well.
Hey, I just found that out also! Means I have to get a vinyl trampoline to stop the insanity! :) I'm pretty sure there are many Dart owners out there who would disagree with that statement. Apparently you need a full mask and snorkel on those boats.
One thing I hate to hear when I am about to take someone for a ride on a boat that is little more than 2 floats, a few beams and a really huge mast and sail 'Oh, do I have to change into my bathing suit?'.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: Nov 14, 2013 - 09:14 AM
Just returned to work from a 30 day "per diem break" of goofing off so haven't had the time to check on this post the past several days. Thanks again to everyone that has offered their two cents so far. I think I will try to hook up with the AZ Fleet 42 guys next time they are out and get some rides on different boats before I buy one ( unless I find a screaming deal on one that is in the top of my short list).
I also need to work out where I might store a boat with a 30' mast and keep it out of the crazy intense AZ Sun. So I have some homework to do the next couple days.
The Nacra / Inter F17 is still the top of the list, followed by a low cost fixer upper Nacra 5.5 and 5.2 so far but haven't ruled out a P18-2 or H18 either. I have talked to Devon (Tinaroo Cats youtube) in Australia about his experience with his F17, as he and I are same 240lb weight, and his crew is also 195 lbs and he assured me the boat still had way more power than both of them ever could use in good wind with the jib and spin. He regrets trading his for an A-class boat and is trying to find another F17 now.
Anyway, keep the thoughts coming.
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Thanks,
Marc
Tucson, Arizona
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Posted: Nov 14, 2013 - 04:20 PM
the snow tiger now locked up in its winter lair
ya'all seen these already
but they may be of interest to renegade
a lot of bang for buck from older boats that don't have to look old if you've time for a decent spit'n'polish and a few $ for some cans of household enamel
5.2 solo, no jib
http://vimeo.com/5075989
gets pretty busy with the jib, even without a spin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j55lMDEBmP8
beating up on the lasers
http://vimeo.com/46683503
light crew
http://vimeo.com/46683503
Edited by erice on Nov 14, 2013 - 04:39 PM.
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