Hi everyone Im bobby. and im new to the site. Im very much interested in getting into catamaran sailing. Ive been sailing mono hull boats since i was a kid. At ocean gate yacht club in the junior sailing program on toms river/ barnaget bay. (opti, sunfish, club 420, laser.) I currently still sail my laser radial (when its not freezing outside) that i sailed when i was in a junior sailing program. Im looking to upgrade to a cat boat because ive been in love with them since i first sailed a hobie 16 when i was a kid and finally have the money to afford to have one. Ive always thought id end up buying a hobie cat but recently if taken a liking to nacra's. ive done a bit of research and really like the way they are designed and they look like a nice built boat. im looking for something that I will be able to handle my my own as well as get around pretty good with another person or 2. i weight around 170 myself and am 6'3. the boats that i am currently interested are Nacra 5.2, 5.7, and hobie 16. from the info i gathered the Nacra 5.2 would be a nice fit but not if i wanted a crew not so much. 5.7 would be a nice option for a crew of 1 or 2 but it would just be a little difficult for an inexperienced cat sailor such as myself if i was to sail alone. another thing the nacras in my opinion have going for them is how the tramp isnt elevated off the hulls like on a hobie. A couple things the hobie has going for it is that where i am there is plently of boats in the area so finding/mainting a good boat should be rather easy. Also a majority of the clubs by me in New jeresy only have prindle or hobie fleets and i think getting back into casual racing would be awesome.
if you guys could lend me any advice or recommendations that would be very much appreciated. if im missing any info i should have provided let me know!!!
need help picking out first cat boat
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Posted: Feb 24, 2015 - 02:58 PM
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Posted: Feb 24, 2015 - 06:32 PM
Since you happened to mention racing, I would suggest either a Hobie 16 or 18. You are located in the Division 11 region of the Hobie class and there are some exellent regattas all within about 30 miles or less from you - Sandy Hook Catamaran Club, Trixies Marina, Shore Acres Yacht Club, and Spray Beach Yacht Club all host Hobie regattas throughout the year. There are others as well a little farther away. These regattas are open to sailors of all skill levels and are a great way to learn more about the boats as well as socialize with othe catamaran sailors.
Regardless of what boat you choose, feel free to shoot me a PM if you want anymore info. I live in Wall NJ and have been sailing Hobies on Barnegat Bay for quite a few years. Best of luck and welcome to the sport.
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Posted: Feb 24, 2015 - 06:46 PM
hobie 16's are a great way to start my first cat was a h16 - next boat was a h18
I also really like prindle 16's - but the parts aren't as available
if you don't crash the boat or sink it, you can usually sell a 15-20 year old boat for about the same as what you bought it for (but don't count on ever making a profit on your time, labor, love or replaced lines)
that being said... starting on a 5.7 may be a bit hard (and wet) at first, but it's a newer hull shape, and a nice step up, if you can afford it, have the time to learn and desire to own a more responsive race machine
If you want to race, hobies are the easiest to find a fleet for -
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Posted: Feb 24, 2015 - 08:04 PM
i actually live less then 2 miles from sandy hook catamaran club. i wish i had a boat and made it in time to reserve a spit for the summer!!! and i also spent every summer at my grandparents house on cedar creek. ive seen the boat in action out in the bay. also have had many of those guys from trixxies wiz by me while i was on my laser!!! im leaning more toward the hobbie 16. try to find one as modern as i can. ty for the advice -
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Posted: Feb 24, 2015 - 10:07 PM
H16s are great to learn on, but you'll be limited in performance w/ crew aboard, unless you find someone in the 130-150 range. The H18 would be a good choice if you want to race and carry crew, especially since it sounds like there's an active Hobie fleet up there. That being said, I sailed a H16 for a year and moved up to a Nacra 5.7 so that I could carry crew, race, solo sail, AND still have great performance. I'm 6'4", 210, so I have to think about weight a bit more than the average dude. Good luck in your search!
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Tim
81 Hobie 16
87 Nacra 5.7
Austin, TX
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Posted: Feb 25, 2015 - 04:50 PM
That was good advice.
Go for the NACRA 5.7 or the Hobie 18. The Hobie especially if you want to race later. Your learning curve will not be much different than the 16, and you will start out with a better boat. The H16 is the VHS tape of catamarans. They are still around because people buy them, and Hobie can't redesign them because its a "one design" class. The H18 is very different, as you have noted, and Hobie learned from the 16 to design the 18.
Many people here started on a H16, as I did, and then moved to something else. Some stay with the H16, but most that have sailed it in the ocean realized how minimal the flotation is in those little hulls and so moved up to something bigger. NACRA and Prindle made some great cats, but if the racing you want to do locally is mostly Hobie, then grab an Hobie 18 and have fun. Save yourself from having to sell the 16 and shop twice for a catamaran. A lot of people who own H18s, own them for life. Its a great catamaran. Even when you aren't racing.
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Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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Posted: Feb 26, 2015 - 11:14 AM
yeah the h18 sounds like a good choice as well. i dont want to be doing that buying selling crap and likely end up with 2 cats and 2 lasers next to my house... my one question about sailing the 18 is with i be able to handle it by myself??? i could always get help when it comes to rigging if needed. but can i do it alone. Even if i sailed it without the jib -
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Posted: Feb 26, 2015 - 05:24 PM
Damon is about your size. I would like to hear his comments on this.
Edited by klozhald on Feb 26, 2015 - 09:33 PM.
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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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Posted: Feb 26, 2015 - 05:26 PM
I've soloed the 18 numerous times. While probably not ideal, it is certainly doable. Keep in mind that it was designed as a boat for two people both on the water and on the beach. Raising the mast alone will be difficult. Moving the boat on the beach alone will be difficult. But it can all be done. Actually the sailing is the easiest part, especially since you can always roll up the jib and sail it as a uni-rig.
If you plan to do a lot of solo sailing, it would not really be the best choice. But if you will only be sailing solo occasionally, then it is a reasonable option.
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Posted: Feb 26, 2015 - 10:27 PM
Ha, barnagetbaysailor said he was 6'3 and 170, that's what I call "wiry" and pretty much ideal for any two-handed beachcat, I don't see how an adult male can weigh much less than that.
Handle it yourself? Depends what you mean, I know plenty of experienced beachcat sailors including those much lighter than 170 who can solo a H18 or Nacra 5.7/570, Nacra 5.2, etc. in reasonable conditions. So if you have help getting the boat into the water or beach then the actual sailing can be the easy part. Moving an aprox 400 pound boat around on land solo can take some technique.
I solo my H18 a lot in all conditions but I'm 6'7" and at least 240.
But to answer your original question about boat selection, my advice is find out what is sailed locally. You said you were close to Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club, get over there and meet some folks.
http://www.fleet250.org/cgi-bin/faq.cgi
Now keep in mind that each skipper will try to sell you on his particular model and dish dirt on all the others, don't believe any of it. Get on some boats, if the group is friendly you shouldn't have any trouble getting rides.
http://www.fleet250.org/u…mbership/application.pdf
Oh, and welcome to TheBeachcats.com!
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Feb 27, 2015 - 08:08 AM
I am 5'7" - 170 lbs
I was terrified of dropping a mast on a person on the beach when i started sailing beach cats, so i only sailed when i had crew - after sailing my h16 about only 20-25 times i sold it and purchased a h18
i soloed (about 80% of the time) my h18 for 2 years - capsized somewhere around 5 times (est) - was not a very good sailor at the time and most capsizes were silly operator errors (showing off or other)
i soloed my mystere 5.5 for the past 7 years (about 80% of the time) and can furl the jib and sail in 25 knots without risk of exploding and a fiery death
I just purchased a mystere 6.0 and can solo in 15 knots without problem
Edited by MN3 on Feb 27, 2015 - 08:10 AM. -
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Posted: Feb 27, 2015 - 09:33 AM
Welcome,
I race solo on a 5.2 in a fleet that is mostly Hobie 16s, I raced on a 16 with them prior to the 5.2.
If you want to race solo and occasionally have people on the boat for fun I think that you can stay in the 16-17ft range and be fine. The boats can handle more weight and still sail pretty enjoyably. This is pretty much how I roll, love it, I can get by in whatever. I'll solo the 5.2 in over 20 with both sails (flat).
If the fleet will let you race in a 5.2 with 16's I'd do that. You'll owe them time but you'll have a much more stable platform, you'll make up for it when the wind is blowing and by fine tuning with a lot more adjustment features when the wind is light. Just my opinion.
It isn't easy to find a used competitive H16, while there are a lot of the available and it is a one class design, most of the boats you find used are older, heavier, and need updated what the newer boats have, down haul, jib cars, etc. I couldn't afford a newer boat and they were rare which is why I went to the 5.2 when I came across this one. I still look out for a decent 16 so that I can race straight up with the fleet again someday though.
If you can afford a new 16 or a demo, I don't think that you'll regret racing in Hobie 16 events, they are a blast and you could be starting with world ranked sailors as a amateur. That is sweet, but hard to compete with a boat older than 5-10 years old though.
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Cesar (Cez) S.
Hobie 16 (had a few)
Nacra 5.2 "Hull Yeah"
Vectorworks XJ - A class (not named yet)
West Michigan (Grand Rapids/Holland Area)
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