Which singlehanded cat for lightwind sailing.

Don't forget I want to use the cat on lakes and when the wind i"s 8 to 13 knots wind speed, over 13 knots I go Windsurfing. Is The Dart 18 still better then the Nacra 5.5 ?

Get the Dart!!! Lightweight, easy to set up and sail, parts readily-available throughout Europe. 😎

I soloed and then took my buddy and his wife and kids on a Dart 18 on Lake Garda last summer.... wind was WAY UP FAST... folks where kiteboarding all over the place like a pack of flies going around... and the Dart was absolutely amazing! Boat was good with weight, and without... if only the trap lines worked... rented it from a guy on the beach who rents windsurfers... west side of the lake up north.

Where are the serialnumber on the hulls of a Dart 18, and what are the weak spots on a Dart 18?

Ps.
I went to Lake Berzdorf this easter weekend to windsurf, and sunday (yesterday) in 14 knots wind I raced a Topcat K2 with 3 men on it. They was not fast on Topcat, me on my 152 liter Fanatic Falcon with my 8,6m2 Point-7 sail AC-1 with 4 cambers was way faster in accelaration and at end speed. At no point they was even closed to me 100 to 200 meters behind me, from start to the end over 5 to 10 minuts race. I know my setup on windsurfing is topend, so it's not fair to compare it with a cat with 155 kg and tree men, but what would the result be after a race against a 130 kg Cat single-handed ?

Dartman wrote: Get the Dart!!! Lightweight, easy to set up and sail, parts readily-available throughout Europe.

Or try contacting Dartman Direct Co. for parts! He has 5 Darts hidden in friends and relatives yards all over Fillmore CA!
And don't forget to ask about his custom dacron forestay windlass! The racer's choice.
🙂

Edited by klozhald on Apr 21, 2014 - 10:57 AM.

On a more serious note, Dartman has sailed his Dart 18 single handed in 20+ knot winds 30 miles offshore in the Pacific. He has been doing this for three decades. Clearly the Dart 18 comes alive in higher winds, and yet is rigged to be able to be sailed in these winds single handed. Dartman has won the TriPoint Anacapa race three times running, twice in his Dart. It is fast, competitive and easily sailed.

klozhald wrote: [quote=Dartman]Get the Dart!!! Lightweight, easy to set up and sail, parts readily-available throughout Europe.

Or try contacting Dartman Direct Co. for parts! He has 5 Darts hidden in friends and relatives yards all over Fillmore CA!
And don't forget to ask about his custom dacron forestay windlass! The racer's choice.
:)Edited by klozhald on Apr 21, 2014 - 10:57 AM.

Sorry Klozhald, Jan is in Europe, near the German/Polish border...

janb wrote: Where are the serialnumber on the hulls of a Dart 18, and what are the weak spots on a Dart 18?

Ps.
I went to Lake Berzdorf this easter weekend to windsurf, and sunday (yesterday) in 14 knots wind I raced a Topcat K2 with 3 men on it. They was not fast on Topcat, me on my 152 liter Fanatic Falcon with my 8,6m2 Point-7 sail AC-1 with 4 cambers was way faster in accelaration and at end speed. At no point they was even closed to me 100 to 200 meters behind me, from start to the end over 5 to 10 minuts race. I know my setup on windsurfing is topend, so it's not fair to compare it with a cat with 155 kg and tree men, but what would the result be after a race against a 130 kg Cat single-handed ?

Jan, I'm gonna checkout where the serial numbers are placed.There's 4 at our club.
The weak spots on a Dart 18 are the skeggs, since it has no daggerboards, it is beached a lot more
with the usual wear and tear, and the trampoline is often worn. The design of the trampoline is the
only minor issue on a Dart 18.

Shame we live 850 Km apart.. would like a race against a surfboard in 10-15 knots of wind 🙂

Grtz, André

Found a cheap Topcat F2, is that a catamaran to consider as a lightwind cat? It's 115 kg, and 13.8 m2 sails
The price on the Topcat is 40% cheaper than a Nacra 5.5 and the Dart 18.

Edited by janb on Apr 24, 2014 - 09:05 AM.

weight is low

so is sail area

sounds like a solo boat

good beginner boat

nacra 5.2 is 176kg with 20m2 of sail

Hi Jan,

I've never been on a Topcat F2, but based on the specs, it is somewhere between a Hobie Wave and Nacra 460. It sound like a perfect a stepping stone boat, but based on the tone of your post, you will not be happy with this one -- long term.

janb wrote: Where are the serialnumber on the hulls of a Dart 18, and what are the weak spots on a Dart 18?

Jan, went to the cat-club and asked a Dart 18 owner where the vin-numbers are.Now here's the funny part;
They are hand-written inside the hull. So open a port-hole and you can see the number.
Checked it on 4 other Dart 18's, and he is right. Makes sense, they all come from the same plant.

The Topcat F2 is to small for light wind fun, build in Germany though and they still excist !
http://www.topcat.de/de/
Also they come with 3 different main-sail setup, Kids, Cruise or Race so which main comes with it?
Its close to a H-16 and not much fun in light winds with your 84Kg weight.

I suggest you get the Nacra 5.5(first choice) or the Dart 18 (second choice) .

Grtz, André