found a sweet deal on a '78 sol cat 18. boat is complete and in good shape all around. have no experience with sol cats and wanted to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly from some sol cat owners past and present. tell it to me straight(take off the beer goggles)! thanks, bill.
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bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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sol cat 18 reviews
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- Rank: Chief
- Registered: Jul 16, 2009
- Last visit: Oct 28, 2014
- Posts: 1271
Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 09:34 AM
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- Rank: Lubber
- Registered: Sep 25, 2009
- Last visit: Jun 15, 2011
- Posts: 18
Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 12:13 PM
Hi Bill,
I Just bought a 1977 Solcat 18 for $500. I haven't sailed it yet so I can't speak with any authority about how it sails but I have pulled it apart and am sprucing it up and putting it back together.
They are very rare and can be purchased really cheap. For me it seems crazy that an 18-foot cat in good condition can be had for so little. Mine came with a nice trailer and sails that are still crispy. For a guy like me who just wants to get out on the water and go fast it was a no brainer to buy it. Many of the parts are not made any more but I have found that used parts can be purchased reasonably or parts from other cats can sometimes work on them. New sails and tramps are available if you need them. I have been impressed with the quality of the hulls. I'm pretty sure that the hulls are solid vacuum bagged fiberglass so there is no wood to delaminate like on the Hobies. The gelcoat on mine buffed out very nicely with rubbing compound. It was chalky and faded when I got it but is now the original bright banana yellow, pretty good for a 30 year old boat. Mine had quite a few non-stainless fasteners that were getting rusty and needed replacing.
There are a couple of guys on this site who are very knowledgeable about Solcats. I hope it works out for you one way or the other. Let us know if you buy it.
Tom
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Jul 06, 2008
- Last visit: Jul 19, 2018
- Posts: 986
Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 02:41 PM
everyone says they are rare but I see them for sale all the time.
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: May 07, 2004
- Last visit: Nov 14, 2019
- Posts: 141
Posted: Oct 07, 2009 - 12:28 AM
I have had mine for 5 years or more and still love it, Parts can be found on this site and other, some parts can be swapped out such as the main sail from a H18 will fit just fine on a sol18. If the hulls are good and don't have alot of soft spots I would go for it.
How much are they asking and where is it?
Jeff O
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Jeff O
N5.0
solcat 18(sold),
N5.2,
H16
Camarillo CA
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- Rank: Chief
- Registered: Jul 16, 2009
- Last visit: Oct 28, 2014
- Posts: 1271
Posted: Oct 07, 2009 - 08:58 AM
after further review, solcats are cheap! this boat is in st. charles, la. and the owner is asking $850 with trailor. it surprises me that i've heard tale of several $500 solcat finds. thats a lot of boat for the money. its good to hear parts are available and that there are people sailing them. i've still got a month or so left in the season here in south mississippi with my p16 so i probably won't make a move on this one but when old man winter arrives i'll be shopping the super discount "must sell" aisle. if someone is interested in this boat i can post the info on it.
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bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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