Buying a 1985 Nacra 5.0 (most likely)

Based on your username I’d say it’s a taken decision..
Many of these old (85 maybe not too bad) boats’ hulls break near the front beam after years of stress. If you see wrinkles or cracks on the inside near the front beam it’s a good reason to open and repair or strengthen. My former 5.0 had loose stringers inside and could have broken any day. My current 5.5 had some signs of it which someday became worse and I had to repair addIng inspection ports because I couldn’t open the upper part. Easy to repair and may save they boat. Worth checking even for peace of mind. Not easy to check without opening.

Andinista

Thank you for the advice that is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for.
My name I guess I thought it could be changed.
Hate typing on my phone so I"m going to end it there.
Thanks again

I am the new happy owner of a Nacra 5.0!

The area of the hulls by the front beam looked and felt great. Thx again for the pointer Andinista.

The hulls are solid as far as I could tell...there are some cracks in the gelcoat near the forestay bridle attachment point and the port stay attachment point on the port hull but the hull did seem solid in those areas.

I plan to disassemble her for the winter and bring her into the shop once the weather goes. Not far off 🙁 .
I'll look the hulls over real good and probable grind and fix any cracks in the gelcoat to see how deep they go, then make a decision on inspection ports.

Everything else looked great...time will tell all.

Anyone have suggestions on forums for sailboat/catamaran maintenance and or repair?

This is the best forum going, IMO. Read, read and read: sail, sail and sail!

Great boat, I love mine.

Cool thx...
Will do.

Congratulations! Time to share some pictures now?

The hulls are solid as far as I could tell...there are some cracks in the gelcoat near the forestay bridle attachment point and the port stay attachment point on the port hull but the hull did seem solid in those areas

That’s common, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Gel oat cracks are quite common in that area, along with the shroud attach points. My 5.7 also has quite a few around the rudder gudgeons.
The saying, “ let sleeping dogs lie” is good advice. Do not go grinding into those hairline cracks. You will open a can of worms & wake angry dogs.
You will be able to press on the sides of those hulls, & feel some movement. The early all glass hulls will show some oil canning, very evident when climbing onto the side hull after flipping the boat. This is not a flaw, it’s just inherent in the layup of those hulled. Later years, with foam coring were stiffer.
Change the standing rigging, maybe some lines, the rudder bungees & go sailing.
Download the user manuals, (two of them), from this site, they’re hidden under Technical Help.
You will find the 5.0 is a bit undercanvassed in light air, it really likes the days of 15+ knots.
The boat is tough, resists pitchpole, simple to rig, & if you have kids around or sail shallow waters, you will love the no boards, no boom design.
Unless you are a real heavyweight, get a righting bag. The 5.0 takes about the same effort as the larger 5.7 to right. If the wind is 20, I can self right ,(170lbs), but on slower days, you need some extra help.
If you solo a lot, invest in roller furling, that’s the best thing you will do on almost any Cat.

Edited by Edchris177 on Sep 28, 2020 - 08:30 AM.

Congrats on the new boat!

Anyone have suggestions on forums for sailboat/catamaran maintenance and or repair?

there is a great website called thebeachcats.com.
if you search there, there are LOTS of advice on fiberglass, epoxy, paint, and other repair topics 🙂

catsailors.com site has great data too - but i think some of it was lost in bad backups or something - not sure. that site is no longer active but Damon (and I) saved the site from just being shut down as an effort to save the decades of knowledge that is in that forum from highly experienced sailors. (whom [del]are mostly old and fat[/del] and don't sail cats anymore 🙂 )

the sailing anarchy site has a good forum and lots of boat builders, but they LOVE to beat people up on that site/forum so tread lightly or wear your thick skin over there: if you ask a dumb question they will let you know

hobie forums are pretty good too but not the place for nacra specific advice (although lots of the info would transfer)

besides that - there are a lot of forums that discuss boat repair in general

MN3 I should have worded that differently, I'm sure this site will be a treasure trove of info for me and thanks for listing some more site and the warnings, can't promise I won't ask dumb questions but I can put on my thick skin suit.

Thanks Shawn

Adinista Thank you...picture coming as soon as I figure out how to attach some.

Edchris177 Thanks for the advice I'll leave angry dogs alone.
Would this have all the wires I need? NACRA 5.0 WIRE RIGGING SET WHITE NEW from Salty Dog Marine.
It only has 2 trapeze can I add 2 more?
I had her out today the wind was light but kicked up to a little under 15 for a bit. Fun fun fun but I have a lot of practice to do (lots of reading over the winter).

Update on the possible leaky hull... It leaks :{
Starboard side around 2 to 3 feet back she was dripping, no visible hole or crack after quick inspection, I'll take a better look later this week.
Drained all the water out on a hill while lifting the bow, maybe 4 gallons came out.
I was out with 1 other person for about 4 hours most of that in fairly light conditions.

Get your cat lifted up, onto blocks, trailer etc. Then lightly pressurize that hull. take a bucket of soapy water & mop the hull, you'll see where the leak is.
I cobbled this up, for $1, to pressurize a leaky 5.0 hull. Turned out to be the actual drain plug fitting. MY 5.7 had a leak where the previous owner did a really crappy fix. A couple PSI & soapy water made finding the leak very easy.
The good news is even if it is leaking at the skeg due to a split, its a technically easy fix.

https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=118697

https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=76631&g2_GALLERYSID=e61303dfdc45eb7d1e63a13d12dd8930

https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=76634&g2_GALLERYSID=4035b406a2adc9262c020e04676027dc

I will try that out thx.

ed-nacra-5.0 wrote: I am the new happy owner of a Nacra 5.0!

Congrats and welcome to the 5.0 owners association 😆

You will love the 5.0. Superior to a Hobie 16 in every way IMO (no flame war please).

Here is another place to find kindred souls:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1090909267683321

If you need parts and can't find them in the US try here:
http://www.nacra.com.au/

Edchris177 wrote: Then lightly pressurize that hull. take a bucket of soapy water & mop the hull, you'll see where the leak is. I cobbled this up, for $1, to pressurize a leaky 5.0 hull.

Ed's method is good, another way to pressurize and avoid overpressurizing (which can damage your hull) is to plumb in the exhaust of a shop vac. Noisy but it maintains the pressure for as long as you like.

Enjoy...

If it turns out you have hole near the skeg, (as I did in the 5.7 photo), don’t go to the effort of pulling off a deck.
Simply grind out the damage, fairing the glass removal away from the Center.
You can see how I did it in the photo.
Next lay up 3 layers of cloth, & using a needle pull a piece of string through in two places,(again as per photo. I used a bit of SS wire cause it was handy, but string would be better, easier to cut off flush).
Mix a wee bit of resin, add some thickener & wet the cloth. Let it just begin to kick off, then fold it into a taco shell shape.
Wipe some fresh resin around the perimeter, on the inside of the hole,(wipe down with acetone first to clean it up), insert your “taco”. Let it open flat, then use the string & a small weight to hold it in place. Thus goes easier if you flip the hull so gravity helps lay the patch flat. Let it set up at least a few hours.
Then add a couple layers of wetted cloth on the outside, laying a larger piece, the size of your grind out against the hull, then a couple progressively smaller pieces.
That will now be the strongest part of the hull.

another way to pressurize and avoid overpressurizing (which can damage your hull) is to plumb in the exhaust of a shop vac. Noisy but it maintains the pressure for as long as you like.

Be damned sure you don’t rig the hose directly to the drain port. A shop vac can supply 5-10PSI...that is too much.
Either have a hole in the hose to bleed pressure, or don’t affix the hose right to the hull.

Cool I figured out how to do a quote.
I hit submit by mistake.

Change the standing rigging, maybe some lines, the rudder bungees & go sailing.
Download the user manuals, (two of them), from this site, they’re hidden under Technical Help.

Salty Dog on ebay set #360511 5.0 nacra is that the best place to purchase the standing rigging? Doesn't look like it come with the bridle though.

For the life of me I cannot find the manuals here.

I looked at the serial number and it is a 1983 not 85, should the title of this thread be changed/ is it possible?

How Do I do an image?

They’re in “Albums” technical, about 3rd page from the END. Damon used to have a single file to download the entire manual as a PDF. I only see the one as a PDF.
PM me with an email addy & I’ll send them to you.
https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=107070

https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=35357&g2_GALLERYSID=97f9b3ebcb00d9c2520657e2d714390d

https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=35217&g2_GALLERYSID=15d313a49a6c31d6e0af467ded0dbd24

Edited by Edchris177 on Sep 30, 2020 - 07:56 PM.

I was getting close, just thought to look in albums I was on page 3.

Thank you I'll PM ya.

How Do I do an image?

Go to the top of the page, & look under FAQ.

You should consider a Nacra 500 as well. They've been making them since around 2000 I think, and they have substantial improvements over the 5.0. I sailed one for 10 years and there is very little I would change on it.

I already purchased the 5.0 and plan to sail the hulls off it and learn lots along the way.
When I am ready to move on to a better, newer, maybe bigger cat I think there is a good chance it will be another nacra, they are beautiful looking boats.

Enjoy the free space on the hulls and trampoline, it's one of the nice things of the N5.0. If you haven't tried a different cat you might not be aware of that, watch closely other boats with daggerboards, it limits the area where the crew can sit on the hull and move fore/aft to balance the cat. The 4-way jib system across the tramp also interferes.
The cost of that is it doesn't point as high and is a bit harder to tack. It's important to avoid being too much on the "back seat" with the bows up, have them cut the water (careful with pitchpoles on stronger wind). You may find at some point that the jib angle is a bit too open, some people don't mind or don't notice that, I prefer to have a simple system to move the jib block inwards, between the hull and the foot straps on the tramp. You may just tie a non stretching line side to side with two or three pre-set loops to attach the blocks. Dyneema ideally becasue the more it stretches the more it interferes on the tramp.

Edited by Andinista on Oct 01, 2020 - 06:56 PM.

A friend of mine has a Hobie 16 and I went for a cruise with him a few months back, I was crew on that trip.
It was blowing 20+ I believe, he said we came very close to pitchpoling 1 time, it was a lot of fun. I have had the Nacra 5.0 out once so far with my sister and brother as crew 2 separate trips(they both fought to keep the lines for the jib from hanging up on the mast), that trip I was the guy steering the boat (helmsman?). That was a blast with light winds picking up to 10 maybe 15 a few times.
It was my brother and I on the first run, we didn't get far from shore and the steering was locking up intermittently, I told him oh boy we are screwed then it was fine for a while, long story short, if you have the crossbar in the wrong orientation the U brackets at each end lock the steering. That's going away this winter.

Oh yeah, when I came in to get my sister I was told we where sitting to far back by an old timer who was taking his mono hull out for a spin, we adjusted to bring the bows down like you said.

With my small amount of time on a trampoline I do like the space on the 5.0, I do wish I could relocate the pulley cleat setup for the jib to be more like the Hobie though, not sure it is possible with the jib clew being so much further aft of the mast than the Hobie (I think it is anyways). I'm not sure that everything is rigged properly, I now know the the pulleys for the jib do not attach directly to the jib clew but have a small piece rope that do the job.

Looking forward to learning about the boat, the rigging and catamarans all together this winter.

Edited by ed-nacra-5.0 on Oct 01, 2020 - 10:09 PM.

It was my brother and I on the first run, we didn't get far from shore and the steering was locking up intermittently, I told him oh boy we are screwed then it was fine for a while, long story short, if you have the crossbar in the wrong orientation the U brackets at each end lock the steering.

I had that too, it's a bit painful, it's because the U brackets can rotate against each other, I ended up getting the right part, different one for each side:
https://www.murrays.com/product/56-0149/

do wish I could relocate the pulley cleat setup for the jib to be more like the Hobie though, not sure it is possible with the jib clew being so much further aft of the mast than the Hobie

Not possible without cutting the jib. The N500 has the jib blocks on the front beam, a shorter jib but the main is square top, perhaps compensates for the smaller jib. Not sure it's worth to modify the jib on the N5.0. I think you first have to know your boat before modifying it anyway.

Good luck!

they both fought to keep the lines for the jib from hanging up on the mast),

Get about 5’ of 3/8” or 5/16” bungee & make a preventer. Tie one end to the end if the V brace bat, then lead the bungee through the bottom of the diamond wire attachment-around the front of the mast- through the other side diamond wire attachment-tie off at the opposite end of the an brace bar.
That will prevent the lines from snagging on the mast base. I don't have a good photo, but you can see the idea here.(click on the photo to enlarge it full size).
Look for what looks like an inverted V, with the apex at the mast.

it is also in the NACRA manual, here,
https://www.thebeachcats.com/index.php?module=pictures&g2_itemId=35332

we didn't get far from shore and the steering was locking up intermittently, I told him oh boy we are screwed then it was fine for a while, long story short, if you have the crossbar in the wrong orientation the U brackets at each end lock the steering. That's going away this winter.

You've discovered how to lock up the steering. If you are on a tight budget, or just to get sailing this seson, just take a short piece of galvanized wired & wrap it around the portio you dont want to rotate
Its a bit Hillbilly, but takes 5 minutes & costs 50 cents. I got the idea from a poster here years ago. I've been meaning to change it to the expensive part each winter, honest...

Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 02, 2020 - 11:40 AM.

I now know the the pulleys for the jib do not attach directly to the jib clew but have a small piece rope that do the job.

You want that small piece of rope to be the longest possible making sure it allows to fully tension the jib. It saves 4 times the length of one side of that line on the jib sheet, which means less mess on the tramp.

Thank you for the help.

I think I get the routing of the jib sheet jam preventer and with the rudder cross bar I will get the right part over the winter but if I get a chance to go out again this season it will be the hillbilly fix until then.

You want that small piece of rope to be the longest possible making sure it allows to fully tension the jib.

Could I put a snap shackle in the middle of it to attach to the jib?

Could I put a snap shackle in the middle of it to attach to the jib?-

Yes, you can do this. however, in very light wind, I mean the kind where you stayed out too long, & dont want to paddle home, any extra weight hanging on the clew is detrimental.
If your reasoning for the snap shackle is to leave the jib lines strung, & speed up attaching the jib, just make a soft shackle from a piece of thin line, something like Spyderline.
Unfortunately, this is the best photo I have. This setup I used on a 20' x 10' beast, I would use thinner line on a smaller Cat.
It's shaped like an X, two arms of the X tie to the jib blocks. the other two, one is simply a loop, the other ends in a monkey fist.
Simply slide the loop slightly through the clew, then put the monkey fist into the loop, & pull the loop snug. It won't let go, but is easily released with cold fingers.

Monkey fist...A new knot to practice, love it!

This setup I used on a 20' x 10' beast, I would use thinner line on a smaller Cat.

So line diameter is not important it's the strength that matters or should the dia. be the radius of the grommet for a snug fit?

Thanks for info.