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[quote=nyniaan]I just (minutes ago) had a chat and look-see with a fellow that has an Alpha 16' for sale here in Sacramento area. His was a dealer demo, he's the first 'real' owner. Says the dealer said it had an 18 rig - I'm thinking not so much... Measured mast at 26'0", good for a pretty standard 24'6" Luff main for a typical 16' beach cat.

- the hulls are 'micro' compared to my 18, but that is to be expected - The major diferences are typical of Alpha vs. Nacra, plus one I hadn't seen yet -
those diffs:
"butterknife" bow entry instead of vertical, and the 16' was pretty narrow compared to the 18'
non-seamless molding from upper (deck) to main hull structure - this is where his was even more different - the 16 has a rolled lip/flange like a Holder 12 where the 18 is a turn and join ala Nacra 5.2
8' beam vs class 7'6" (I think?) of later boats. We're back to 8' again, at least on contemporary boats.

The daggerboards are set quite far back on the hull, I'm not certain what that was about, I'm certain tacking must be a b**ch - the 18 seems more 'balanced' and percentage-wise further forward
The 16 daggers are mildly tapered and may be a touch smaller than the 18, so may not be a direct exchange for the Nacra.
The rudders are Alpha/Nacra, with cross bar differences (Which occurred even between years)
All of the regular hardware was straight up Nacra 5.2, though I'll need to roll out the sails to get more on that end.
There were (I haven't looked recently) downloads for the Nacra 5.2 manual through Murray's, but if you don't find one, send me a note and I'll attach it via regular email.

-oh yeah, for some reason I think I'll be the next owner of the one I went to see. I must be...[/quote]

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