I recently got a Nacra 5.2 on a whim (no experience sailing cats, but have owned 25ft monohulls).
1) I have found an old black and white 1986 Nacra5.2 rigging guide/assembly guide. Does anyone have a color version or any other resources to help with rigging it for the first time ?
2) The boat is in the great Canadian shield. There is no flat spot for me to put, so had to build this ramp and winch system to get it out of the water. In the nacra assembly guide it says you should try and keep everything as flat as possible. Any thoughts about keep the boat like this for the length of the season ?
Support the hulls as if it were on a trailer - should be fine. That is, use cradles instead of a a round bar or roller. It's really about distributing weight and not creating a pressure point.
Compliments on the simple, yet effective "ramp" with the guides to keep the beach wheels straight. Simple, yet effective. Boards won't wash away?
The reason they say keep it flat is that the platform could twist if you were to store it with 1 bow up higher than the other, for example. It is ok if both bows are pointed up while it is resting on the wheels. Especially if the wheels are under the daggerboard trunks.
You also don't want a ton of snow piling up on the tramp, so i would consider raising the bows with the plugs out.
Thank you! It's 2 12 foot long sections that are married together with a hinge. Used lots of boulders to wedge everything in place. For the time being there's enough weight on the boards and they're secured in the sand that they won't go anywhere.
When winter comes I'll be able to lift the boards that are in the water up and secure them... At least that's the idea:)
BTW, right or wrong I store my boat way nose-up with plugs out to keep the hulls dry. I do it by jacking up the nose of my trailer, but same impact; basically no ill effects noticed nor could I see any potential of same.
Use to do that too until the bees decided inside the hulls was a great spot for a nest... what a mess... but then again I was living in an area with lots of orchards.
It’s hard to tell what the end of your beachwheels are. Cradles are OK, but I wouldn’t store the round hulls on an axle.
Your shoreline looks like a prime candidate for a modified Seadoo ft, or other small cantilever lift. I use an 800lb Seadoo lift for my N5.7 & H18. We use a smaller lift for the N5.0.
Remove the Seadoo bunks, attach 2x2 steel channel, with 5/4” deck boards to the channel iron. You will install these beams 90* to the original Seadoo bunks.
The 6” wide boards are adequate for the skeg boardless hulls,they are stronger than the rounded hulls that use boards. For those I would consider a 10” or even 12” wide crossmember to better take the load when someone is in the boat raising the sail while it is on the lift.
The 5.0 beams do sag a bit as we didn’t use 2x2 square channel. We just used 2 pc of galvanized steel that’s used for road signage, overlapped & secured with SS bolts https://www.thebeachcats.…74c68a6d11e0a9953f65d591 https://www.thebeachcats.…556&g2_imageViewsIndex=1
Edited by Edchris177 on Aug 25, 2022 - 10:38 PM.
-- Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap --
Can anyone provide some guidance on rigging my cat ?
In the attached image the circled white cable in blue is what I *thought* is the forestay, however once I raise the mast I am short connecting to the front bridles by about 6-9 inches. The sidestays are as loose as I can make them.
After doing some research, I can maybe use another stay adjuster to connect the jib to the front bridles, is that correct?
The previous owner sent me this picture, it seems they used the whole jib/furler assembly to as the forestay.
So is that 2 separate (but valid?) ways of rigging the cat? Either with the stay adjuster, or using the whole furler assembly?
Edited by canadian_catamaran on Aug 26, 2022 - 08:51 AM.
This is an odd ball 5.2. The jib sheets to the main beam. The lower tang on the mast should not be for the forestay, they all shackle to the same location to aid in mast rotation. I did not see the upper swivel in the pics for the furling. The swivel plus the furler would give you the length you need. Seems like a lot of shackles and carabiners in the previous owner pics. When you add a furler to a 5.2 you shorten the forestay 6". I am curious if the jib was cut from an overlap to a blade. I like the idea for clearing the tramp clutter.
Very familiar with old school Nacras. I would not trust the small tang the white forestay is attached to. All three stays, forestay and two side stays, should be shackled to the large tang. On the previous owner's picture of the "clip" between the furler and the forestay bridle; I would not trust that. You should use a bow shackle there. I am stumped why they would install a small tang under there forestay tang. I use the small one for trapeze attachment. With the forestay, there should be a top swivel, jib halyard block and a furling drum. This will add the distance you are missing. I know some 5.2's had jib sheet wires running fore and aft about 6-8" inboard of the hull. Is the jib sheet attached to those or the front beam?
-- Scott
Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC
Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White) --
I recommend you look at the rear starboard transom and ID the V.I.N. which will reveal the year made. Ron has a point regarding this boat and there is only so much you can tell from a picture. I'm not sure what year was the last to manufacture the 5.2 was, but your rig has newer manufactured parts. The extruded traveler on the rear beam is newer . . . (late 80's I believe), and Nacra did not change the hull lay up with the smooth white transoms until sometime in the (early?) 80's I believe. Usually you will see black inserts for the transoms, and a bolt on black traveler track on the rear beam.
I would get the standing rigging right first. The bridal to jib hardware is crap and is pieced together with parts out of the spare parts box.
Boats this old have long histories. The smaller tang could be for anything . . . I've seen them use for active jib downhauls on older rigs (before the jib furling). Hard to tell from his picture sent but he looks like he has a sheet connected to it (white with blue tracers) ending in what looks like a jamb cleat.
Nice boat and it has nice bones. You will love it once you spend a season sailing it.
Schit, I see it now, this boat was once rigged for spin. The bow spin bridle holes and the spin pole bracket on the front beam give it away. The ropes on the bridal are to hold up the spin pole. That small tang was probably used for retrievals or something McGyvered related to a spin.
Look up above the mast tang and see if there is another tang about 1/2 way up to the top of the mast, or if there are any rivot holes filled.
Thank you all for the comments nice to have such an active group ready to help. Name is Marko and boat is a couple hours north of Ottawa Canada.
1) First thing's first, attached are a few more pictures of how the boat is stored. Currently winch is connected to the yellow rope which is doing the majority of the holding so the boat doesn't roll back into the lake. There are two supports (The blocks on the axle) and some 2x6s on both bows where it's just protecting the hulls from sitting on rocks. Anyone have any qualms about that or have any recommendations on how to make this better ? When winter comes along I'd like to pull it up further near the trees and take the load off the winch and build more of a nest for the hulls.
2) According to paperwork the seller gave me it's a 1986 Nacra 5.2. I just measured it (see pictures) and it's just shy of 17 ft loa and just shy of 8 ft wide. The serial number, tough to make out is just "SSSSSSS" or "5555555".
There are 4 connection points that I see on the upper mast. From the bottom up:
1) Where what I think the forestay is connected to
2) The main cluster of connections for the trapeze and side stays.
3) 1 foot above Pulley number 1
4) 1 foot above, pulley number 2
So in one of the pictures you'll see the blue and white sail, it's got the connection point for the furler. Touch inside that sail there is wire, so plausibly it could be the forestay too. That leaves the question of what this white (what I think ) forestay could be. It is easily removable.
I also do have a bowsprit, but based on the seller's pictures that shouldn't be needed, something I can do for next season.
The red line I have holding the current forestay is just temporary, cause that's about how much travel I'm missing. It could be that it would just need a stay adjuster, but it'd have to be a pretty long one, I estimate about 6-8 inches.
Looking forward to your comments on how to get her rigged !
Thanks
Embedding pictures here is a bit difficult so here is link if the pictures are too large : https://imgur.com/a/hXzDNd6
https://imgur.com/a/hXzDNd6
Edited by canadian_catamaran on Aug 26, 2022 - 03:48 PM.
Hot damn! Raked spreaders. I have always wanted a boat this new. Since the jib has a cable inside it your forestay is only there to keep your mast up while stored. I prefer this instead of a zipper luff.
More pictures bring more questions. Things that I thought were strange
Don't know that any 5.2's had finished sterns, only the 6.0 had them, 5.5 and 5.8 were both unfinished.
Don't think the 5.2 originally had a main traveler track that went all the way to the ends of the beam early designs, 5.2 and original 5.8 did not. 5.5 and 6.0 did.
Don't think any of the 5.2's originally had swept spreaders many were converted.
Your main beam is rigged for an over rotator but your mast has a rotation limiter which is run off the boom.
No need for an over rotator on a boom boat.
Mighty fancy downhaul for a 5.2.
On to some rigging questions.
The pic with the blue circle looks like the forestay and the jib halyard may be reversed, forestay should be above the jib halyard, that's a huge block up there. Most old school nacra jib halyards are part wire and need a wire block, not one for line but your halyard may be all line.
Also the thimble that you're trying to connect to the bridle should be connected to the hounds and the aircraft swedge should be connected to the adjuster fork that is connected to the bridle wire with a pin and ring ding not a shackle, rigged like your shrouds.
Your bridle wires may be upside down also, the aircraft swedge should be connected at the bridle tang the thimble should be connected to adjuster fork with a twist shackle if memory serves me right.
There's a start.
Ron
-- Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi --
You have everything for furling the jib. Installing the swivel & drum will take care of 6” you are “missing” on the forestay.
Someone swapped the rear beam, what you have is better than the original.
The jib halyard was originally part wire, part line. It went from a small wire block hung on the mast, (just below the main hound), down the mast - to where you cleated it after tensioning the jib.
Once you install the roller furling, you do not use that system. The factory Nacra halyard is zippered. Goes from the jib head up to a small turning block, then back down inside the jib, (parallel to the forestay), & exits at the bottom of the jib, just above the drum.
I installed a small Clam cleat there, I just pull the desired tension, cleat, & go sailing.
I made this album years ago, it might help you.
There are many tweaks to skin that Cat, set it up what works for you. https://www.thebeachcats.…pictures?g2_itemId=88268
Edited by Edchris177 on Aug 26, 2022 - 08:47 PM.
-- Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap --
Well she's starting to look like a sailboat ! Thanks all for your input.
At the place mid mast where the trapeze and stays connect there was a wire that was about 8 inches long. That's where I connected the new furling sail. I used one of the pulleys above to create myself a halyard for hoisting the protection sock.
I realize the shackle I'm using beneath the furler is not the right shackle for the job but it should be ok until I can replace it with able shackle.
Tommoorw trying for the downhaul, boom,mainsail and rudder and hopefully my first sail on the cat!
It seems like you have a Nacra "Pocket Rocket" 5.0 with 5.2 beams and rig, looks nice. The specifications say that the 5.0 is 5.1m long, exactly as yours.
Check the stainless wire inside the furled jib, it seems to be thin, multistrand and not usable as you have arranged it. To work as forestay, you need a 19strand 4mm wire, so get a proper forestay and attach it to the furler and swivel, after that mind about the jib arrangement.
