Hi,
I'm new to this forum and have recently been bitten (again) by the sailing bug. I am from Queensland, Australia. I took sailing lessons years ago on Hobie 16s but never really sailed much since. I've recently been looking at a 14' cat for sale that no can seem to identify. I am very interested in buying this one to get back into sailing. It's selling for $950. Can anyone here help me please? Thanks!
Pretty small boat. Probably great for learning solo but if you plan to carry crew you should probably find a 16.
H18m
p16
Venture15
will probably be sailing this solo or with my wife/passenger. No 16s for sale at the moment and at $950 w trailer sounded like a good deal.
Not sure what kind of boat that is, but seems similar to the Hobie 14. Two adults will pretty much swamp that narrow, low-displacement stern. Unless you're solo all the time, you may find yourself wanting a 16 or 18 after a season. You'll find the larger trampoline area to be more comfortable too. Be patient. Boats come up all the time in the $750 to $1200 range. With the beach wheels and if it's complete, that's a very fair price for that setup. See if some local folks sail cats near you and they'll likely let you see what they sail and take you for a ride and see for yourself. I know the guys I sail with would be happy to do that.
$950 for cat + trailer + beachwheels + spare wheels is a good deal, dunno what kind of cat that is but the jib is a bonus. Good starter boat, easy to right, easy to step the mast solo, but as stated previously, you will find it too small in a short period of time. I will say that the hulls do seem to have a little more volume than the Hobie 14 so you might be able to sail with crew, depends on total weight of skipper + crew. I would suggest you get it to start out on, but keep your eyes open for something a little bigger that may come up in the near future, you will get your money back when you go to sell this one, JMTCW
renovator
I know this is a cat forum but it's either this or an international 505 selling for around the same price. The 505 might need some work though.
Here are some pics:
I would look at availability of parts. If I can't get parts, I would not buy a boat for any price. Eventually you will need to replace the trampoline, sails, standing rigging, etc. Chances are you will break a part or two.
Edited by jackb on Nov 10, 2012 - 03:09 PM.