Looking to upgrade from my 84' H18 magnum. I'm looking for a bit more performance and capacity, I thought the 21SE was the perfect fit but I have a 45min drive to water and don't want to worry about width.
Is the 6.0 a lot to handle for me and an inexperienced crew? What about solo? I've solo'd my H18 many times and never thought much about it.
Now my biggest concern is the option for wings on the 6.0, no wings is a deal breaker for me. I've seen two types:
1. Factory that attach inside crossbar ends, do these simply pull out for trailing? Is there an assembly manual floating around the web?
2. Folding type that also looked factory. There was a 6.0 in the classifieds that had these but I've never seen again.
Are the wings hard to come by? Should I be looking for a boat that already has them?
Also I thought I've read that New England is popular for Nacras? This true, I never see any for sale around here.
-Kevin
I think I want a Nacra 6.0...
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Posted: Oct 04, 2015 - 10:18 AM
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Posted: Oct 04, 2015 - 12:20 PM
Kevin,
We just bought a 6.0 around the Worcester, MA area. New England Catamarans in Mansfield, Ma is a Nacra dealer and sells used boats. Just dealt with Rick Bliss there for some parts and he went above and beyond for me. Most of the Nacra's in New England for sale seem to be in the Boston, Cape Cod area from what I have seen.
I have a lot of time on H18's and can assure you that the 6.0 will be a hand full solo above 12 knots. Not trying to discourage you though because the little time that I have on the new boat tells me how much fun it will be. The 8' 6" beam does make the boat stable and roomier. I am a big supporter of wide beams. The 10' Tornado is an incredible ride. If you handle the 18 with confidence than you will be ok with inexperienced crew as long as the winds are not crazy. The 6.0 is definitely a nice upgrade to your 18 and has serious pointing ability. My vote is go for it!
Wings are very rare for the 6.0. I have only seen the ones that go into the ends of the beam. I would love to get my hands on a set as they look easy to remove. I saw a posting a while back about someone having a set made for a Prindle by the company that originally made them for Prindle. Wonder if this company also manufactured the Nacra wings? Be nice to have a group get together and have a run of them made.
As a side note the H21 SE is also a great boat and of course winged. It is a big heavy boat though if you have to move it around solo and would be a bear to expand by yourself after trailering. There is one in the Classifieds in New England as I am sure that you have seen.
Hope this helped,
Pete
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Posted: Oct 04, 2015 - 04:59 PM
Have you taken a look at the Inter / NACRA 20? The prices on these things are getting lower every month..
Also, some of the major parts for the 6.0 (main and rear beams, mast - yes they do break, and bridle foil) are going to be real hard to come by should you need them... And the replacement dagger boards are approaching the $1000 mark.
And, have you looked at the Hobie 20? Not a bad boat and there seems to be a resurgence in the racing class.. And some deals can be had..
Edited by JohnES on Oct 04, 2015 - 05:09 PM.
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Oct 04, 2015 - 07:50 PM
I agree that the Nacra 20 prices are coming down but with wings being a deal breaker they don't fit his bill.
As far as parts the 20 and 6.0 daggers both cost $775. Bridle foil can be sourced. With any older boat. parts can be an issue.
Interested in what Kevin decides to move up to.
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 07:47 AM
I am not sure that new I20 boards are even available anymore, it's not a boat that you and an inexperienced crew would be able to easily handle in any real breeze.
Sounds to me like maybe you should consider hopping up your H18 some. The Hobie 18 is a great boat, and very hard to beat for things like comfort and being easily handled with newbies. -
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 01:43 PM
Thanks for the input everyone.
My understanding is the Inter 20 & Hobie Miracle were much more delicate race machines vs the Hobie 18. I need something that is fairly durable for rocky beaches and inexperienced sailors. What about capacity, could either of these boats handle 4 adults?
I think if I was provided measurements of factory Nacra wings and hardware I could get the parts produced by one of my tooling vendors at work for a decent price....
Upgrading my 18 might not be a bad idea. It’s in excellent shape with a lot of new parts including new sails from Hobie…. What would adding a spin kit do for it? -
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 03:39 PM
mystere 5.5 with wings
this was my buddy on saturday
Edited by MN3 on Oct 05, 2015 - 03:39 PM. -
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 04:23 PM
Don't go overboard thinking those two boats are fragile. Probably no beachcat is as durable (overbuilt) as the Hobie 18, but both of those 20 foot designs are very tough, and both have far more carry capacity than the Hobie 18. Think about it, they both weigh about the same (or less) than a Hobie 18 but are two feet longer and also wider.
They are also both full on race boats which means they are extremely powerful, the Nacra 20 more because of the spinnaker but the Hobie 20 is really powered up and routinely double-traps in 10 mph wind.
But these are not fragile boats, I know N20's that have done many distance races like Worrell's, Tybee 500's, and Great Texas 300's over 20+ years and are ready for more.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 05:03 PM
Mystere 5.5 would be an option if I could find one...
What about fitting a set of custom wings to Inter 20 or Miracle? If attached to cross bars I think the stress on boat wouldn't be too bad.
I really think a Hobie 21SE is the perfect fit, high performance booze cruiser... Does anyone have experience with mast up storage on trailer at marina? I have welder and could build a tilt trailer but don't think I want the added set up time.
How does a 21SC perform? What if it were updated with squaretop main and spin? I do have a 3 moth old so I think a family boat will be required in a few years... or might sell it for a minivan... JK, that will never happen.
The other issue I have here in CT is a very rocky coast line, I'm pretty much limited to one launch without having a motor.... -
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 06:38 PM
The N20 is a tank, it's roomy and can handle a load.
Regarding boards, you can still find the N20 boards. Boards for the 5.8/6.0 are extremely rare and practically do not exist on the retail level. I'm pretty sure Murray's doesn't have any, and when they do, they are used refurbished.
On the other hand, I believe that I have the largest inventory of 5.8/6.0 boards in the country and one of them is carbon construction (prototype). If you own this boat insure it. The boards are not cheap.
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Philip
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 07:13 PM
Correct, parts can be an issue on any old boat, but looking at the used part market I can get anything with the exception of the NACRA beams for the 5.8 and the 6.0.. And I would buy what ever dagger-baord are out there for your 6.0... to make sure you have them when you need them.
There was a 6.0 in Portland I was lusting for this past summer... I had the owner send me photos of the main beam where the mast bolt goes through... I have been down this road with NACRA's. It looked like it was starting to corrode which was evident by lots of white chalky build up around the SS nuts and washers. When I contacted the new north American distributor in the mid-west to see if there was a new one available, they noted that these are next to impossible to get and they would probably have to go to NACRA Australia just for the extrusion as they are still making the 5.8 and may have it available.
I am sure one could research and engineer a replacement part after a couple of weeks or two, but nothing beats OEM in my eyes...
With that, keep an eye on this area and "exercise the nuts" every year along with putting buckets of zinc paste on it when reassembling..
Enjoy your 6.0, they are a blast....
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 07:52 PM
Correct, parts can be an issue on any old boat, but looking at the used part market I can get anything with the exception of the NACRA beams for the 5.8 and the 6.0.. And I would buy what ever dagger-baord are out there for your 6.0... to make sure you have them when you need them.
Enjoy your 6.0, they are a blast....[/quote]
I will definitely be looking for a reasonably priced board or two just in case. The 6.0 and Nacra 20 daggers are in stock so I know they are available just not cheap. A friend damaged his 6.0 front beam this summer and has not found a replacement yet so that could be an issue. I need to revisit my front beam for corrosion when I get to the boat this weekend. My foil was badly corroded but did not notice any on the beam. Thanks for the heads up John. Anyone know if the pivomatics are still available and a source?
As far as being fragile, all these boats are tough on the water, but I would think twice before beaching an H20
or my Tornado on a rocky shore. The 18 is bullet proof comparably.
Kevin, what is your question about a 21SE mast up storage on a trailer? A friend has his on the grass mast up all summer with no issues. Best family cruiser out there hands down and when powered up hang on!
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 09:55 PM
Beaching on a rocky beach.... Hobie 18 is king there.
$1,600 would get you a spin and a whole new dimension to sailing it. -
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Posted: Oct 05, 2015 - 10:15 PM
Curious what Marina's may charge for mast up storage or if they even allow it?
I think the Narca 20 might be the ticket... What about building wings for this boat? I can handle the fab work just not sure about added stress.
4 Adults on a Nacra 20 reasonable? -
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Posted: Oct 06, 2015 - 09:23 AM
You will find every Marina is different. Some don't allow mast up unless you have a slip. We are fortunate in that
our place is cat friendly and for $300 we have a grassy area to ourselves where we can roll the boats into the water. From what others have told me it is between $600 and $1200 a year depending on the place.
Check out this thread from a year ago where Nacraflyer was developing wings that he wanted to market. Not sure what happened.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…nc=viewtopic&topic=15271
Edited by pknapp66 on Oct 06, 2015 - 09:24 AM.
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
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Posted: Oct 06, 2015 - 10:32 AM
it can be done but pretty tight (sans wings) -
esp for the skipper who must switch sides each tack -
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Posted: Oct 06, 2015 - 11:04 AM
The originals are not, unless you find a dealer with a few oldies. However, Murrays makes a replacement. I have not personally used one, but they seem to do the same thing.
http://www.murrays.com/27-0257.html
If you still have useable shells, the tube that snaps over the tiller arm, they are quite easy to rebuild, about $3, plastic clamcleat Midi, or $13 for aluminum.
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Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
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Posted: Oct 06, 2015 - 12:50 PM
Here is an old video of my friend mike sailing his mystere 6.0 with 3 adults onboard. there isn't a ton of room left for a 4th
btw - not safe for work, lots of curses being dropped
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Posted: Oct 06, 2015 - 04:18 PM
I saw those replacements from Murrays. My issue is that one of my shells is cracked where the pin goes through.
Works fine just was kinda wild to retrieve it when it was dragging behind the boat and it was blowing.
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Posted: Oct 07, 2015 - 09:09 AM
Where do you sail? The only two cat friendly places by me are for town residents only, Madison or Fairfield. Both places are nice push off beaches, trying to convince wife our next house should be there, lol.
That cat looks powerful.. definitely need wings for 4 but the hulls seem buoyant enough to handle the weight.
Anyone ever sail a corsair tri? How does excitement compare to a beach cat?
Edited by car_guy on Oct 07, 2015 - 09:10 AM.
