Nacra questions

I'm sure that a SuperCat will not let you down, or an i20 on a breezy day. Pack a snorkel!

Join the fleet first, and second Join the fleet. Get to know the people and boats they sail. You can buy a boat made anyone but if you break something and need a part it really helps if 15 other guys have the same boat or same brand boat. They will have broken the same part and bought two (that is what I do) and you will have a spare from them you can use until you buy two and give them their spare back.

I have a Hobie 18 and a 5.5 UNI with spin. I very rarely have more than just my fat butt on either boat (250) but the boats are fast and fun. No jib makes the UNI harder to tack and the spin makes me feel like a new sailor again (25 year this spring on cats). Join the fleet and go sailing with some of the folks in the fleet, see if your wife makes friends with some of the other wives and then you can find out if sailing is back in your life. There have been many days the wives stay on the beach and a bunch of us guys go sailing. The ladies are more than happy to drink and chit chat while we get all wet.

Back to the boats, H-18 feels like an extension of my soul, Have had one (three) since 1992, it was designed in the 70s so it is not modern but it is bullet proof and fast, it is over powered from the get go but roll the jib up, travel out and you can sail in a LOT of wind. Takes the weight better than any other boat I know of, one two or 4 people will work. Parts and boats are everywhere. Buy the newest nicest boat you can. The older boats are getting really old. The heyday for these was the early 80s and the stopped making them completely by 05 or so.

Nacra 5.5 UNI, nice boat but a pig down wind (fixed that with a spin). I bought it local cheap, it is a 96 with almost no time on it. I added a spin since one of my best friends has a Inter 17 with spin. We sail a lot with each other and race each other in the local series. Adding the spin is not cheap, not terrible but not cheap. I also added Inter rudders.

Last but not least. The older Nacra rope up bungee up rudder system SUCKS OUT LOUD. If you came from Hobie cats you will hate it with every breath. I sailed it one year with that crap and sourced almost all used inter stuff and made the newer system work.

I can not speak to a 5.2 never sailed one. I have sailed an inter 18 and it is fast but very complicated for a new guy on it. The one I sailed was an impulse purchase and I had to help the guy rig it. I personally like the Hobie Getaway a lot, an easy to sail indestructible boat but you sound like you want more performance. Get whatever the locals have, get your but kicked racing for the few years (learning curve is steep) and then decide. Or get what you want and ignore all of the above, LOL.

HTH, JMHO, YMMV. Ricardo.

he older Nacra rope up bungee up rudder system SUCKS OUT LOUD. If you came from Hobie cats you will hate it with every breath. I sailed it one year with that crap and sourced almost all used inter stuff and made the newer system work.

He is right it sucks, however the fix is cheap. (at least on my boat).

I've got an inter, w/ inter rudders, but have had a few N5.x boats, and the up/down of the rudders really doesn't bother me on either system -- I think the old style works fine. I like the Inters better just b/c they try to track straight when I don't hold the tiller.

Golfdad, what fix did you use? Is it different than mine?

The Nacra 5.x rudder system isn't very sophisticated, but it does work and is very simple. Would be nice to have a more modern system, but it works. Would be very nice to have something to lock the tiller in place when sailing solo though.

I got mine from airborne in the technical pics "5.2 Rebuild" I have a line that replaces my bungee, a jam cleat on the tiller arm. I had a fit trying to replace the bungee. Wolfman I am still upset that I am getting wet uneccessarily. I just found out my boat is the wettest ride out there.

Ah, yes I did that for a while as well.

Hey, I just found that out also! Means I have to get a vinyl trampoline to stop the insanity! 🙂 I'm pretty sure there are many Dart owners out there who would disagree with that statement. Apparently you need a full mask and snorkel on those boats.

One thing I hate to hear when I am about to take someone for a ride on a boat that is little more than 2 floats, a few beams and a really huge mast and sail 'Oh, do I have to change into my bathing suit?'.

Just returned to work from a 30 day "per diem break" of goofing off so haven't had the time to check on this post the past several days. Thanks again to everyone that has offered their two cents so far. I think I will try to hook up with the AZ Fleet 42 guys next time they are out and get some rides on different boats before I buy one ( unless I find a screaming deal on one that is in the top of my short list).

I also need to work out where I might store a boat with a 30' mast and keep it out of the crazy intense AZ Sun. So I have some homework to do the next couple days.

The Nacra / Inter F17 is still the top of the list, followed by a low cost fixer upper Nacra 5.5 and 5.2 so far but haven't ruled out a P18-2 or H18 either. I have talked to Devon (Tinaroo Cats youtube) in Australia about his experience with his F17, as he and I are same 240lb weight, and his crew is also 195 lbs and he assured me the boat still had way more power than both of them ever could use in good wind with the jib and spin. He regrets trading his for an A-class boat and is trying to find another F17 now.

Anyway, keep the thoughts coming.

the snow tiger now locked up in its winter lair

ya'all seen these already

but they may be of interest to renegade

a lot of bang for buck from older boats that don't have to look old if you've time for a decent spit'n'polish and a few $ for some cans of household enamel

5.2 solo, no jib

http://vimeo.com/5075989

gets pretty busy with the jib, even without a spin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j55lMDEBmP8

beating up on the lasers

http://vimeo.com/46683503

light crew

http://vimeo.com/46683503

Edited by erice on Nov 14, 2013 - 04:39 PM.