I have been thinking about purchasing a sailing catamaran. I have been sailing for about 4 years, and to be honest I have only ever sailed monohulls

I have been contemplating on purchasing a Nacra 5.8. I found one for sale for 1,900USD. The seller says it was made in 1972, but they only started to make the in 1982.

Is it out of my league?
Is the price fair?
Do you have any tips, suggestions, advice?
Anything helps. I am happy to answer additional questions.

Here are the images of the catamaran.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZRMVvLw0fsIWaqFt95wnSTy05A-7_RITfxdkw08sE_I/edit?usp=sharing

I have a saying ... "Life is short, buy the boat!"

I have a friend who has a 5.8 and have been on it many times. It can be an exhilarating ride when the wind picks up. It is hard to tell much from those pictures but it is a nicer looking example of a 5.8.

Grab someone who knows cats and have them go with you to look at it. Buy him a couple of beers and then convince him to join you on the boat for some lessons. If you are going out alone, make sure you have a water bag.

Cat sailing is tons of fun!!

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dk

Blade F-16
Hobie 14
Corsair F-242
Mirage 25 (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
TomCat 6.2 (Sold)
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If the Trailex trailer comes with the boat and the boat is as good as it looks, I'd say it is worth the price.

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dk

Blade F-16
Hobie 14
Corsair F-242
Mirage 25 (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
TomCat 6.2 (Sold)
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Thank you so much for hour help. I read that some are Full glass and others are foam sandwich. Do you have a guess which one it is?

startingsalor

Thank you so much for hour help. I read that some are Full glass and others are foam sandwich. Do you have a guess which one it is?

IIRC, they went to foam core in '85. You need to look at the serial number on the starboard hull near the transom.

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Philip
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YOLO, +1 on inspection by buddy. Mine is all glass, flexs a bit, has a few cracks in gel coat but still sails well.

Once you go cat, you will never go back!!

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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Owner of many Nacra's and raced the 5.8 for many years. It's a great boat in choppy water with it's buoyant deep hulls. Recently restored an old Nacra 5.5SL. As others have said, have someone help you inspect it. Glass and gelcoat can be repaired as long as structure is good. Parts hard to find and costly are: Mast, boards, and beams. Not hard to get but costly is sails. When buying a boat at the low end of price range, please have a budget available to restore it to a worthy and safe sailing condition. I had around $6,000 in cost of restoring the previous mentioned 5.5SL and was only able to sell in $3,000 range. From cost perspective, seems better to buy an older boat already restored. Just saying. Happy sailing.

Looks like a nice boat and with that trailer worth the money if the hulls, sails, rudders, and boards are in decent shape. Sail condition on these older boats is important since they cost more than the price of the boat to replace. The boards are hard to find and very expensive so look them over good. Where are you located? Best suggestion was to have a knowledgeable cat guy look it over.

A 5.8 is a lot of boat for a newbie especially if you are a light crew. That boat has the bridle foil so it is an NA with the larger jib. I would still suggest buying it and learning in lighter air or with someone experienced. If the boat turns out to be in good shape go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Pete

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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Boat looks great. With Sail #92 this is a very early edition, and my guess would favor solid laminate, not cored.

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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Admittedly I don't know anyone with an extensive knowledge in cats. As mentioned before I have sailed my fare share of monohulls, so I might have to make due with that. Pete to your question, I am located in Central PA, while the seller is in Hanover PA. I am going to ask the seller more images especially of the current condition of the sail, rudder and daggerboard. I am not too concerned about crew weight, as I would be sailing with my brother or father. "TominPA" Thank you so much. I am glad to hear that, as I read those are easier to fix. If it is solid laminate, I can do some repairs on it, but I am not to keen on purchasing a project cat.

tominpa

With Sail #92

What does the Sail # represent?
Is it random, simply for identification etc...

I've just bought a secondhand 5.8 ($4k AUD), admittedly i didnt know much about the Nacras when I made my purchase, but i had done a bit of research and i know enough about boats to be over confident in my knowledge (or lack of). On first inspection i was impressed with the condition of everything, the hulls were in great nic, with no noticeable repairs, sail was good and everything was straight. Fast forward a few weeks, and noticed a couple of things I've missed and I've taken the boat in to the shop for a once over. While i was expecting a few things, those fews things have added up ($2k AUD), plus a recommendation to replace the tramp for another $600. That's not including personal equipment, PFDs, trapeze Harnesses, gloves, warmth layers, boots etc.

So a couple of things from my experience:
- does the tramp have straight or zig zag stitching, if straight, expect it to be replaced sooner rather than later
- check for any damage where the boards go through the hull
- carefully check the mast and beams for any holes, corrosion or pitting
- check the holes on the beam where the dolphin striker attaches, are these elongated or in good shape (round)? (tough one to see)
- the mast ball should be about 75mm above the beam, if it's not, the dolphin striker may be stretched or the above holes have been stretched
- check the hulls for any damage or repair work. It may just be the photo but the starboard inner hull near the front beam looks discoloured to me.
- check the beam straps aren't screwed tight over the beams on both screws, There should be a gap. both screws should have an even'ish space between the strap and the hull, or at least have a gap on one side.

Other things to consider, are you planning on sailing solo or with a crew/family. The 5.8 is a lot of boat solo. Also take into consideration the man power to raise the mast and rig the boat.
Does it come with beach wheels?
Expect to spend money on additional items personal equipment, PFDs, Trapeze Harness, gloves, warmth layers, boots etc.



Edited by johnoau on May 05, 2021 - 06:37 PM.

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1335 XTSea Nacra 5.8 NA
605 Nacra 4.5
Cleveland Yacht Club
Brisbane, AU
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startingsalor

tominpa

With Sail #92

What does the Sail # represent?
Is it random, simply for identification etc...

Generally, the lower the sail number, the older the boat. The higher the number, the younger the boat.

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1335 XTSea Nacra 5.8 NA
605 Nacra 4.5
Cleveland Yacht Club
Brisbane, AU
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My advice is: if you plan to purchase it either dry rig it with the previous owner and video the process
there are lots of steps and it's easy to forget some and or be confused when you do it solo

this will also PROVE all the parts are there

IF the seller is a good person and capable and willing ... take it for a test sail. this will prove all the parts are working. I required it on most of my boat purchases.

johnoau

While i was expecting a few things, those fews things have added up ($2k AUD), plus a recommendation to replace the tramp for another $600.

Thank You John so much for the helpful information. I can beleive that there are a lot of repairs that might need to be done. I will definitely bringing someone who knows more about cats than I do. I will ask the seller if we can go somewhere to sail it. (There is a lake a couple minutes from his location, so I hope he agrees to it) Generally when you buy a car you bring it to a mechanic to have it checked. Would you suggest doing something similar.


Can you please elaborate on straight or sig zag stitching. I am not sure I understand.

Thank you. I didn't know the correlation between the sail number and time of manufacturing.

I noticed that the daggerboard hold down on the port side needs fixing. I would think that isn't too bad.

Quote

Can you please elaborate on straight or sig zag stitching. I am not sure I understand.

a vs b


cheaper machines can't do the zigzag stitch and is an indicator the builder of the tramp wasn't using the best equipment to build the tramp and the life expectancy will be reduced

best tramps use very UV resistant materials and methods of construction and will double or more the life of a tramp

another "test" you can do is to use your fingernail on a single thread (stitch) and see if it breaks/fails easily. if it can the tramp is either at the end of it's life or very cheap materials (thread) were used - neither are good but an older boat can have a SHOT tramp and that doesn't mean the boat is also shot. Tramps have a shorter life compared to gelcoat and alum



Edited by MN3 on May 05, 2021 - 12:06 PM.

I bought my Nacra 5.8 new in 1984. Sail number 460. I was 38 and had just switched from a Hobie 16, #10822. I'll be 75 in August and still sail this boat, 37 years and counting. It has held up very well and other than a windsurfer stuck in my hull in 1985 has had no issues. I've broken two dagger boards. Both times were rounding the marker and going from downwind to a reach with one board down. Mine is a solid fiberglass hull and easily repaired. I'm not sure about the foam cored hulls on the later models. They are a bit lighter but weight doesn't seem to bother the boat too much.

The most fun you can have is to take a Hobie driver for a ride in a good blow. Go ahead and bury the hull and then sheet it in a bit more and watch his face. A Hobie will go from top speed to a stop in about a foot and launch the skipper and crew into the water like a cannon. I've never been able to pitchpole the Nacra. I'll go out sailing when most other cats are on the beach. I have played Maypole on a Hobie more than I care to mention. The 5.8 will fly a hull much easier than my Hobie and is more easily controlled and graceful. Because of the high lift dagger boards and rudders it will go to weather like a bandit.

The 5.8 is easily singlehanded in a pretty stiff blow. I have a 6/1 downhaul on the main and can twist the dog snot out of the top of the mast depowering it quite a bit. The barber hauler does give more sail control and adds a bit to the overall performance.

The mast takes a good push to get it up. It's quite tall and heavy but the air up there is sometimes better. I need help getting it up (the mast.......not me) now that I'm approaching 75.

Cat sailing is addictive and it's a hard addiction to break.



Edited by 1963ss on Jun 07, 2021 - 08:38 AM.

Very cool; love hearing about guys still sailing cats after "retirement age", if you will. It seems like I just got into sailing (well, bought 1st cat 2 years ago), and absolutely love it, but am also within a few years of retirement. I favor the bigger boats with volume and ability to drive through chop, but you have to use leverage and geometry to your benefit to put the thing together and apart. Still, it'll work for me fore another 10 years, I hope.

As to the trampoline and stitching; I've re-stitched mine twice: once with "outdoor, polyester upholstery thread", and once with true V-92 polyester thread. Both, I used a straight stitch on a good machine. Having said that, when i get around to actually building a new tramp, I'll use the PTFE thread (Helios) I bought and switch to a zig-zag stitch.

"Dual-duty outdoor upholstery thread" = if in desperate need for a quick repair and must get through the summer.
"V-69 or V-92 poly thread" = This is standard, heavy duty sail making thread and typical for tramps; if re-stitching an entire tramp - use it and save the money; likely the tramp fabric will not outlast the thread at this point. Easier to use, available and comes in colors, if you want to be fancy. But, don't get red; it fades.
"PTFE of Helios or Tenara"= This teflon formulation thread is impervious to sunlight and outlasts the fabric. Problem is, I've heard it's a nightmare to learn to sew with and it is expensive (cheapest I could pick up an 8 ounce spool was $92 USD). Will report back on how bad this is once I get there; but I'll push through and learn it.

I got the larger boat and loved the choice, but it is harder to manipulate and my wife doesn't care too much for that part...but it's REALLY comfortable, fun and reasonably fast.

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Chuck C.
H21SE 408
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I'm late here but thought I'd chime in for the sake of posterity. I bought a 5.8 a few years ago, and was really very much a novice sailor, had a little experience with a 16ft cat, and was sailing my in laws very old Hobie 14 (not a turbo). I picked up an old 5.8 (1987) that needed a fair amount of work on the running rigging, pulleys and cleats, (i rebuild most of the cleats and replaced a few of the important pulleys) I replaced the standing rigging just to be safe. I don't think I've spent more than a few hundred dollars on getting the boat on the water. It still needs a few hundred more to really be good, and it'll need some work on the hulls to be excellent, but for me, for now, it's just fine to get out on the water. At some point the trampoline will need to be replaced, i keep it covered with a Tarp as much as possible to stretch it's life, and the sales are still serviceable but won't win races.

I sail it single handed most of the time, right up to about 16-18 knots then i chicken out and look for crew or sit it out. With a righting bag from the Colorado bag company i can just get it up on my own in the right conditions... (I'm about 180 lbs, with practice i could probably get better at this but as a rule i try not to get to much practice). The boat is really very forgiving, seriously, 5.8's are a lot of boat and can be had for little money, really Hobie 16 money and you end up with a faster, more forgiving and let's be honest, sexier boat.

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1987 Nacra 5.8
1978 Isotope (sold)
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https://smd.craigslist.or…ic-nacra/7322324135.html

If I was in the market for a NACRA, I would at least give this one a look.

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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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I have owned a 5.8 and another came to my attention a year or so ago... it was a 95, I think one of the last ones to leave the factory. I passed on it as getting time to sail now-a-days is becoming a challenge.. Two more years to the wake up - retirement. Then I'll start looking again.

There may come a time you may need to get critical parts like a front main beam, rudder, blade, etc.... they are getting harder and harder to come by. Just know this going in. Make sure to check those items out real close, and if they look good go for it.

Where in Central PA are you? I did a regatta on Raystown Lake years ago. One of those weekends where it was 80 degrees one day and 50 the next with rain...

Here is a boat I would strongly consider

https://southjersey.craigslist.org/boa/d/ocean-gate-prindle-catamaran/7309549573.html

Good luck



Edited by JohnES on Jun 08, 2021 - 04:59 PM.

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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I couldn't stand the sight of that hot pink sail.

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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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gahamby

I couldn't stand the sight of that hot pink sail.

Sell it and get one that has the colors you like..

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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gahamby

I couldn't stand the sight of that hot pink sail.

I can't show this to my daughter or she would insist on having a boat with Hot Pink sails...

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1987 Nacra 5.8
1978 Isotope (sold)
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Anyone have some 5.8 sails lying around they don't need?