Getting restarted: looking for advice on the right cat
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 02:30 PM
Adrian,
Welcome to TheBeachcats.com! You are locating to a beachcat sailing paradise, congrats!
Wanted to thank you for your excellent first post. We get a lot of "which beachcat should I buy" posts and they are usually completely devoid of information that would help advise.
Reading your first post I probably would have said buy a nice newer model Hobie 16, it will come back to you and is the easiest to find and fits all your bullet points just fine.
However one of the most important things about choosing a beachcat is the community of fellow sailors and your local sailors have their own thing going that is working. So joining in with a Mystere or G-Cat makes a lot of sense.
Whatever you buy keep a substantial budget for new sails, nothing cranks up the cool and the performance like new sails.
Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 03:46 PM
Thanks, Damon. I do miss that old Hobie, but I think my wife has had enough of me launching her into oblivion as I try to bury the nose and point a bit higher! Her boss was ready to report me for domestic violence once after she hit every bit of standing rigging on the way down after a particularly epic pitch-pole and ended up bruised from head to toe! Ahh - those were the days....
I've been thinking along the lines you suggest: looking for a solid older cat at a decent price and kitting it out with some shiny new sales. I see some aftermarket sailmakers are producing square top sales for older models which would make a nice upgrade. Looking at the Mystere and Nacra I think that could end up working rather nicely. I can come back and add an asymmetric when we've got ourselves dialed back in and are feeling the need for some more speed.
I'm pretty excited: after years of sailing in the UK I'm pretty stoked about the idea of sailing without worrying about hypothermia!
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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 03:54 PM
st joesephs sound
Tornado olympic spins (we used to have a hook up for lightly used gear from pro racers via a local racer
yes, custom front tramp from sunrise yacht
it has a pocket underneath it with a double velcrow flap for 2 rightingbags
has a pocket on top for the anchor and room for a cooler or other gear as well. -
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 03:58 PM
I've sailed in the UK. brrrrr
It's just about the sailing season here in the gulf and it's nice but the water does get down to the 50's in the winter ... so it still is not always "warm". i wear a dry bib in the colder months -
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 05:48 PM
I've actually stomped though ice around the shore to go windsurfing - it seemed virtuous at the time but now it just seems crazy! I'm all over being in water so cold it feels like your skull is going to crack open when you go under....
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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 06:41 PM
there is a guy on catsailor.com who built his own prindle16 in the north sea. he tows it out the beach with his john deer and sails in CRAZY conditions.... if you are a sailor.. your gonna find a way.
Dunedin Cup, last weekend
cat div (there were many divs)
Mystere's were tragically under-represented (only 1, a 5.5 with my old sail) - not typical
Edited by MN3 on Sep 28, 2015 - 06:44 PM. -
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Posted: Sep 28, 2015 - 06:44 PM
Amen to that!
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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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Posted: Sep 29, 2015 - 12:07 PM
Adrian,
There is also the possibility of adding wings to any of these cats. Wings add comfort and room. You can remove them when you want to go solo and hang on the wire.
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Prindle 18 w/ wings, Prindle 16, Prindle 15, current
Hobie 16 in rebuild
2 Hobie 18 past
NACRA 5.2 past
Saint Cloud, Florida
member Lake Eustis Sail Club
http://www.lakeeustissailingclub.org
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Posted: Sep 29, 2015 - 04:01 PM
Check out that 15 foot SuperCat in good deals.
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'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
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Posted: Sep 29, 2015 - 11:46 PM
+1
Get a H18 with wings! Your wife will love it.
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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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Posted: Sep 30, 2015 - 11:27 AM
just like every different boat design - wings have pros and cons
Pros
nice to have with good air
They are great for extra room
they rock for crew (with good air)
can aid in righting in some ways (i.e a place to stand for added leverage, and i have a hiking-strap on mine that can be stood on after a flip to get to anything on the tramp/deck)
Cons
They add a good deal of weight
they are not so easy to put on or take off the boat(solo)
they add a little time to boat set up, break down, cleaning and tarping
they can add to the job of righting a boat (extra weight and windage)
aftermarket wings are not cheap nor easy to find
even stock ones are often not optimally designed and many have/cause structural issues
my wing
my buddy zack on his mystere 5.5 with added wings
Edited by MN3 on Sep 30, 2015 - 08:53 PM. -
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Posted: Sep 30, 2015 - 01:53 PM
Don't rule out the N20. Currently the best bang for the buck, and was designed as a spin boat. Plenty of them out there in your price range.
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Philip
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Posted: Sep 30, 2015 - 05:12 PM
I've always been in two minds about wings. I've never actually sailed with them, but they do seem to have their benefits. On the other hand my view has always been skewed by the lack of adoption: they are pretty rare. Surely if they were so great everyone would be offering them in their line-up, with all kinds of after-market options?
Philip, that N20 looks like a bit of a handful singlehanded, no? I'd worry about getting that beast back upright by myself.
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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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Posted: Sep 30, 2015 - 06:05 PM
I agree I have wings for my Nacra 5.7 but I also love to trapeze so I'm torn. If you are going to do significant solo sailing the wings substantially simplify things because you can achieve the same counterbalance as trapesing by just sitting on the wings and hiking out.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: Sep 30, 2015 - 07:20 PM
If i only had 1 boat, with wings...
i would take them off for the light air season (late spring all summer) and put them on for the windier season (fall/early spring)
Dave as you can see my friend above. you can trap off the wings. I have been on a mystere 6.0 with 2 on the wire (off the wing), skipper on the wing ... it was a hoot!
That being said, I wouldn't allow that on my boat. too much weight and heavy air = broken parts (more often than appropriate weight in any air)
Edited by MN3 on Sep 30, 2015 - 08:51 PM. -
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Posted: Sep 30, 2015 - 11:03 PM
I think the only reason I would go for wings is to increase my solo wind range, but certainly not as a substitute for trapping.
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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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Posted: Oct 01, 2015 - 08:04 AM
It's no harder to right then any of the other boats. It's more of a handful when racing single handed, not so much when recreation sailing.
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Philip
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Posted: Oct 01, 2015 - 09:33 AM
OK, so here's where I think I am:
- First choice: N570/5.7. I love the simplicity of skeg hulls and no boom. These seem to be hard to find on the second-hand market though.
- Close second: Mystere 5.5. Lots of good local support and more availability, although a little harder to find parts.
- If none of those, then probably a daggerboard boat which opens up a whole new pile of research (N5.8, P18, H18 etc.)
When it comes down to it it will be all about what's available and the condition of the hulls - sails I'm not so fussed about since they are easily replaced.
We just put in an offer on a house today, so fingers crossed! Then my SeaRay Bowrider goes on the market to fund the cat. Anyone need a power boat?
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H16 back in the day
SC17 right now
Bradenton, FL
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Posted: Oct 01, 2015 - 11:09 AM
Good luck with everything (the house, the power-boat, the cat, etc)
i sent you a Private Message with my contact info if you have any questions about the boats i have, or the local area / sailing area
