Going to pick up the Nacra 36 tomorrow.

I'm going to help my buddy pick up a Nacra 36 tomorrow, disassemble it & load on a trailer to bring back to his hangar for some winter refurbishing.
Apparently I'm required as he could use some extra hands for loading the mast. Sounds like large shirt size, small hat size stuff.
I was also told to show up at his aerospace engineering works early to witness a "first run" before we move the Cat.
Me "What exactly is a first run?"
Him "that new rocket nozzle I showed you is ready, the contractor wants us to try an 8000lb thrust burn for 27 seconds"
Me "Might this end badly?"
Him "You airline guys are so predictable, no sense of adventure. Sure, it's a new nozzle, but there are lots of safety features built in, & we'll be in a bomb proof bunker for the burn."
Me " I just know that when I light off an engine, I expect it to run, not explode, for a hell of a lot longer than 27 seconds. And I'm pretty sure my life insurance policy has a clause that prohibits taking part in test firing of experimental rocket engines.
Him "It's not a new engine, only the nozzle"
Me "Might this end badly?"
Him "Wuss"
Me " OK, I'll be there, I'll bring a crash helmet & flame proof suit"
Him "Wuss"
So barring any event where were get turned into Southern Fried Chicken, I'll post some photos of N36 serial #3 tomorrow.
Philip, I forgot, the boat will be sailed on the Canadian side of Lake Erie...
E C Hilliard
Nacra 5.7
Bombardier Invitation




Ok Ok.. NOW I see why the tramp on the 5.2s is a pain in the assstubula. It is 1/2 size.. It does not have two outboards mounted on the stern .. No JIb.. and not too busy tramp. and no hotties on the tramp to open the bruz-skis and sun .. Not sure it even has daggers.. But have no fear. Our fearless co pilot (Who some folks trust (and pay money ) to get some scrap metal back and forth to the orient in the air will be on board to assist..) Perhaps it is cuz Canadian waters are different than the US liquid ( Spoke with him today and he mentioned something about the density of salt water compaired to fresh?? Left my hydrometer at home) ) I understand why he needs the crash helmet and the flame proof suit. (Is that a Calvin Cline 1990 3 button style suit??.. )
I Sure wish I could be on that treck. Actually.. I would just love to be just on the setup/lunch committee. Calif has NO NACRAs.. Especially old Nacras.. The nacra Natzie said.. NO Nacras for you!! Thank god our feerless "CO PILOT" is saving me with some 5.2 parts for my project boat and it is only costing me a visit from he and Wife a visit and a show and tell about California life. Perhaps he will move and start a group here ... and Bring Parts from from Nacra heaven.. The hand-me-down parts center is for me.. A vain but hopefull attempt to save yet one more 5.2 on the west coast and show the Hobie nation that they do not have the only answer and get OVER IT !! Horzioned several H's last weekend.. Good luck with the treck his weekend. (The skipper is used to going to the orient so check the GPS frequently.. ) .. As Damion would say.. "Open a new thread and ??&&^^$$" Yata..Yata.. Yata.. Love that guy) Remember.. people dont do really well in Flame proof suits. Pix tomorrowwwww please !! Cheers.. P S Still 50 dregrees in the water S.f. Bay and 65 F. air and 20 kts wind in the Bay and it could be a go for Sat. Skiing ther yet ?? He He.. Cheers Hal
If you dont have a Nacra dont thinking about moving to Califonia unlless you have a N 35..
Love this site..
You guys.. Not so mutch..


about a year or so ago someone was selling 1 for about $100k???
from memory it was an original 1975? boat but had recently been substantially updated/rebuilt
as you'd expect for 37yo boat at that price...
let's face it performance boats of this size without accommodation have a very limited market and probably only get sailed a few times a year at a cost that probably works out as the price of the average 2nd hand beachcat each time. transporting them is a real issue
in the usa a similar sized new boat, the lightspeed 32 failed to find a market
in canada the toro 32? has slowly been edging forward for years without hitting the water yet, afaik
in australia the new n36 has more people impressed than willing to put a deposit down
they might look like double sized beachcats
but they are in fact something else entirerly
1982 nacra 5.2
2009 weta

How many 36s might there be in the US?
I think there are only 3 out of 10 still in existence. One for sure is in Oz, upside down so to speak, one is in Canada, that leaves one other somewhere.
boats of this size without accommodation have a very limited market and probably only get sailed a few times a year
I will second that. It is unbelievably bloody big, as in 20' wide. He needs a 36' slip for it, so yeah it's not like popping my 5.7 of the dock & pushing off.
Here is an industrial forklift moving after stripping the mast & tramp.
Serial #3
You can play volley ball on that tramp area
Almost loaded, damn that stick is long.
I can't wait to see it on the water next season.
The rocket burn was a bust, something about some thermocouple not sending signals. My buddys says they built it to spec, but he doesn't see it surviving the pressures, something about carbon transferring heat to quickly, he thinks it will blow.
I offered the advice to "just light that candle, who the Hell needs a lousy thermocouple, especially when it's going to emulate napalm anyway"
They didn't buy my idea, guess, I'm not a rocket scientist, damn, I was going to get to push the "red button", & thereby become a rocket man!
E C Hilliard
Nacra 5.7
Bombardier Invitation


On the last day of the 1st Multihull Symposium in Toronto in 1976, friend Reggie Jaworski said "are you going home, Pete"? I said yes. Not going to stay for the dinner? Phil Weld will give the speech. I decided to stay. About 8 of us at a table & 100 in the room. A large screen slide show was going on near the front. The 36' cat was barely visible, mostly just spray. It was the Nacra 36. And then Phil Weld got up to speak. I never forgot every moment of that dinner. Pete
Edited by pbegle on Nov 05, 2011 - 03:58 PM.
prindle pete

I will fly down to the Big Smoke
You should drive down Dave, then you could tow back all the crap I have for you!
On the last day of the 1st Multihull Symposium in Toronto in 1976
The 36 must have been brand new then Pete. The HIN plate shows it as a 1976. I'm not sure when the first one was built, this one is serial #3.
E C Hilliard
Nacra 5.7
Bombardier Invitation

retro footage of N36 #8 on youtube..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS7r9U7TKbU
Edited by matt922 on Nov 05, 2011 - 11:23 PM.

I think there are only 3 out of 10 still in existence. One for sure is in Oz, upside down so to speak, one is in Canada, that leaves one other somewhere.
There was one here local (Ventura, CA) called 2 of 10...it was hull number 2. I think it may still be in the area but not being sailed. It is for sale at least it was a few years back. The owner has moved back to New Zealand and put it in storage. The boat had undergone a massive refit and was regularly sailing in 2005. It has all sorts of new stuff added to the boat to make it ORCA legal to the tune of $100K.
It was a sight to see! I'll try and find some pix and post them later... I know I have them.
I believe it was hull # 1 that broke up in a race off the California coast years ago so the ledged goes

video that shows a little what these big beachcats are like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDM0LBaePAo&feature=channel_video_title
1982 nacra 5.2
2009 weta

http://www.morrellimelvin.com/brokerage/index.html
Anyone want to partner up on Stars & Stripes? Here in Chicago! Just need a parking space ... a big one.

did tour friend ever get his Roland 36 going?
He got busy with aerospace crap last year, & decided the boat needed some work that required dry dock to do properly. He also wants to engineer a front tramp, using an old N5.2 mast as the spar.
Rather than rent a slip for perhaps one shakedown sail, he decided to delay everything for a season. I intend to be on the 1st sail & will post photos when it gets rigged, hopefully this summer.
E C Hilliard
Nacra 5.7
Bombardier Invitation

Thanks for the update. I would love to see pictures of her when she is done.
I have been doing some research for my dad lately on the 36's. I know you had mentioned this one might be hull number 3, but I can assure you it's not. Hull number 3 washed up on the shores of Mexico in the late 70's in hundreds of pieces. It's a long story but hull number 3 was my dads boat. He bought the hulls beams and mast from T Roland when they first came out and built it from the ground up. He sold it to a guy that was going to take it to Mexico for charters and sank it along the way. Here is a link to some pictures I scanned in the other day. http://s603.photobucket.com/user/captnickm/library/Nacra%2036?sort=3&page=1

nhanson wrote: http://www.morrellimelvin.com/brokerage/index.html
Anyone want to partner up on Stars & Stripes? Here in Chicago! Just need a parking space ... a big one.
Haha: Rig: After de-masting the rig was cut away, fell to a depth of 300', and was recovered the next day. It has had Infrared testing performed, however if the Nomex core core was damaged due to pressure at depth is unknown. There is a high probablility a new rig will be required.
If you've got a spare $150K lying around for a new rig and new main plus all the other work maybe. I'd offer ~$60K on the platform as is since it's not even remotely sail-able...and is an 80's boat.

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