We have had primo sailing weather this summer. the water has been at 26C, (80F), the air temps at mid 30's, with high humidity, (90's, humidex in the hundreds), & winds, so bloody much we have stayed on shore several days.
When we stay on shore with the N5.0, it has to be over 35mph.
Three days ago the mid lake buoy showed sustained 24kts,(28mph).
We launched the 5.0, double trapped, into relatively smooth conditions, at least as smooth as you get with that kind of wind, the fetch was only a few miles.
Generally we worked upwind with crew,(me) on the wire, positioned in front of the main beam, my buddy driving, just behind the main beam. We could sink the lee hull over half way, or more, on a constant basis. We easily kept, or outdid an H17,(centreboards) in pointing.
After working 2-3 miles across the bay, we turned, & either beam reached, or broad reached back home.
At least a dozen times we buried the lee hull, once even the end of the front beam was underwater, but by both crew sitting aft, no pitchpole.
After flogging this poor boat for several hours, I pulled the GPS out of the tramp bag.
Max speed was 21.7mph.
Anyone who wants a fast, simple EASY rig, I don't think you can beat a Nacra 5.0, or 5.7, unless you buy the slightly more modern 500 or 570.
This little boat points well, goes like hell in a blow, & is very forgiving. We were way overpowered, & released sheet & car in order to stay upright. Everytime I go out in these two boats in a blow I come back wondering why I contemplate anything else.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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How fast can you make a nacra 5.0 go?
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 - 01:05 AM
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Posted: Jul 26, 2016 - 09:39 PM
Jealous.
Just sayin'.
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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
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: Jul 27, 2016 - 12:24 AM
Yeah makes me want to swap the 5.2 for a 500 or a 450 for days I'm by myself or its honking. Just gotta convince the wife. :)
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: Jul 27, 2016 - 02:25 PM
buy it Dave, tell the good lady that you picked up a deal, & are storing it for ME, to be picked up when I drive West.
Meanwhile, I'll buy the sweet deal I have an eye on, & tell my wife I'm storing it for YOU!
What can possibly go wrong?
PS I should have mentioned in the OP that the H17 we beat was handicapped by a single light sailor, & it just can't handle waves very well. On smooth water, they are almost as fast as my 5.7
The 5.0 suffers a bit in very light to light winds. Their forte is when the wind picks up. You can drive them incredibly hard, & in rough conditions, I have found both 5.0 & 5.7 split the water way better than my H18.
Edited by Edchris177 on Jul 27, 2016 - 02:30 PM.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Posted: Aug 02, 2016 - 10:26 AM
My 13 year old son and I sailed my Nacra 5.0 on Squam Lake, NH last week in 15-20 mph winds and 2-3 foot waves on a 90 f day. We had a blast splashing through the waves and buried the lee hull a few times. I was out on the trap with main sheet and hiking stick and he was working the jib and hiking out. Top speed on the GPS was 18.3 mph. -
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Posted: Aug 02, 2016 - 10:28 AM
My 13 year old son and I sailed my Nacra 5.0 on Squam Lake, NH last week in 15-20 mph winds and 2-3 foot waves on a 90 f day. We had a blast splashing through the waves and buried the lee hull a few times. I was out on the trap with main sheet and hiking stick and he was working the jib and hiking out. Top speed on the GPS was 18.3 mph. -
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Posted: Aug 02, 2016 - 10:39 AM
Sorry for multiple posts - I received an error message and thought it wasn't working.
Edited by SquamTrac16 on Aug 02, 2016 - 11:44 AM. -
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Posted: Aug 02, 2016 - 10:58 AM
This is my first full season on the 5.0, so for me Ed, the short answer to your question is I don't know yet. I'm very happy I bought this boat. So far what I know it does well:
- Point
- Very forgiving relative to overpowering/pitchpole
- Balances extremely well when flying a hull
- Pierces waves/chop like a razor blade
The boat generates great boat speed under all conditions, but I haven't really started tuning it yet so there's a lot more performance to wring out of it.
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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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Posted: Jun 28, 2021 - 10:18 PM
how can i get a 5.0
I looked everywhere
Any ideas
I live in the US -
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Posted: Jun 28, 2021 - 11:40 PM
You're here, so you're on the right track. Seven postings to the want ads might be a bit much, though, as is hijacking an old "how fast does this go?" thread for a "boat wanted" posting, regardless of whether they involve the same ride.
Other than beachcats, it's the usual suspects: ebay, craigslist, and google to ferret out the ones listed in obscure corners.
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Southern Alberta and all over the damn place.
*
1981 SuperCat 20 "Roberts' Rockets"
1983 SuperCat 19
TriFoiler #23 "Unfair Advantage"
Mystere 17
Unicorn A-Class (probably made by Trowbridge) that I couldn't resist rescuing at auction.
H18 & Zygal (classic) Tornado - stolen and destroyed - very unpleasant story.
Invitation and Mistral and Sunflower and windsurfers w/ Harken hydrofoils and god knows what else...
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Posted: Jun 29, 2021 - 03:41 PM
In 2006 I bought a new Nacra 500 from a dealer that was going out of business and at 50% off I couldn't pass it up even though I was currently sailing a really nice G-Cat 5.0 (not the one I own now) at the time. I owned the Nacra for ten years and sold it for what I paid for it. I had both boats at the same time for about a year before I sold the G-Cat back to Hans Giessler for almost as much as I paid for the Nacra. All the accolades mentioned about the little Nacra are true. Now I'm going to raise the ire of Nacra sailors with these comparisons but I hope it raises some discussion, after all this is a forum. The Nacra certainly is a better made boat but is it a better design? I say this with respect to one thing: The hull shape below the water line. In the last few decades there has been very little development in boardless beachcats. The favorite hull shape seems to be variations of the same. Nacra, Dart, Mystere and roto molded Hobies to name a few. After sailing both boats for years I can't tell you which is faster but I bet they're pretty close. Where the G-cat beats the Nacra is in tacking. In light to moderate conditions backwinding the jib is optional and if it's blowing a little more and you backwind sometimes the boat will come about faster than you can pass the hiking stick around and get to the other side. Both boats have a lot of hull volume so they're hard to pitch pole but the G-cat might be a little more prone with that front cross tube, the trade off being that it makes for a stiff boat and it acts as a compression tube for a lower bridle and so the jib tack is much lower. Don't get me wrong, I still think the Nacra 500 is the best 16 ft cat out there, but I can't understand why over the years some other manufacturer hasn't copied the G-cats hull design. I think the perfect 16 ft boardless cat would be Nacra above the waterline and G-Cat below.
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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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Posted: Jun 29, 2021 - 07:34 PM
Ouch! Best 16ft cat out there? Yea, no. Is it the best boardless 16ft cat out there? I can maybe buy that.
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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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Posted: Jun 29, 2021 - 08:15 PM
[quote=dssaak]Ouch! Best 16ft cat out there? Yea, no. Is it the best boardless 16ft cat out there? I can maybe buy that.
I thought it was evident we were discussing just boardless. But I should have made myself more clear because I did say "best 16ft cat out there." The addition of dagger boards or centerboards is a whole 'nother smoke. By the way, the title of this subject shouldn't be "How fast can you make a Nacra 5.0 go?" but rather, "How easy can you make a Nacra 5.0 go fast?"
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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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Posted: Jun 29, 2021 - 09:35 PM
I figured that you meant boardless boats. I was just yanking your chain a bit. Everybody loves their own boat and thinks it is the best.
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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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Posted: Jun 29, 2021 - 09:36 PM
I almost pulled the trigger on a Blade 16 a few years ago, still kicking myself for not doing it. It was out in Maryland, quite a road trip from here, but what’s a few days & gas money?
I think those are the ultimate 16’ boat, BUT, as I’m north of 60, getting lazier by the year, & not quite as agile as I was at 50, less strings, no sharp edged boards, no boom start to trump some extra speed.
I think the thing that keeps the skeg designs pretty much the same is the trade off between tacking ability, speed, & upwind ability.
A boat needs resistance to simply being blown downwind, be it boards or skegs. Greater skeg area would increase pointing, but makes for more resistance to tacking, & greater drag.
Also, let’s be honest, skegs just can’t match boards. Skegs are the domain of the recreational sailor, & they don’t get the sponsorship or publicity of the top competitors.
I sailed my H18 Magnum the other day...hard to beat wings as you get older, but the N5.7 is sill the best all round fun Cat I’ve had.
Granted the 20’x10’ Spin equipped Mystere was blazingly fast, but when the wind was over 15kts, solo, you had to be very careful, & it was a b*tch to right.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Posted: Jun 29, 2021 - 10:33 PM
As you can see I have a fleet. I have also spent a good deal of time on a 6.0, 5.8 and H21. I have never been on a boardless boat other than the H14 and H16. I'll take the Blade any day with maybe the exception of the Corsair. Since I am turning 60 in a few weeks, a boat that weighs in at 242#'s I should be able to handle for a few more years anyway. Nice thing about the Blade is that it is old enough not to be bleeding edge but still a good bit ahead of "older" designs.
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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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Posted: Jun 30, 2021 - 04:48 AM
I don't have GPS yet but have had the 5.0 screaming many times. Having the bow buried to cross bar and still pulling hard is tough to beat. Sure the Marstrom is faster but only get sailed in rough seas vs lake for 5.0. Love 'em both, but strangley like the Nacra more. Maybe because versatility of solo?? Dunno. Will have to sail some more and try to figure out this conundrum!
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John
Nacra 5.0
CT
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Posted: Jun 30, 2021 - 09:18 AM
i have a 5.5 and 6.0
identical boats except the bows are longer and the mast is taller. they even share rudders and boom and sails
the 5.5 is my porsche my 6.0 is my stretch town car
one handles more like it's on rails, one handles the gusts much smoother
i prefer the 5.5 -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2021 - 05:19 PM
Keep searching the classifieds here and Craigslist. Finding a good used 5.0 is well worth the wait. Or, you can get a new one (superior to the Cali production boats) from Australia where they still make them.
Edited by leeboweffect on Jun 30, 2021 - 06:22 PM.
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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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Posted: Jul 01, 2021 - 12:56 AM
The temptation for $1500!!!
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1335 XTSea Nacra 5.8 NA
605 Nacra 4.5
Cleveland Yacht Club
Brisbane, AU
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