How old is the ball? Old ones, left in a high UV environment degrade. Buy a new one. Secondly, look at the cup on the mast base. Is there a sharp edg...

A good deal has to do with demographics. Canada is an aging population. Seniors simply don’t jump into new high energy activities such as windsurfing,...

moderate amount of dead fish in the water, tons on the islands, med to high concentrations of (over 1 mill parts per liter) red tide and afternoon lig...

Yeah, cut him some slack, on this site we don’t care what Cat you sail. Remember, he’s just learning, & his Cat is only 1” 4” longer than an Opti ding...

Yes, losing the main halyard by not securing the end, & having it run up the mast. It’s pretty easy on the N5.7, but as MN3 stated, be careful with th...

On your “pulleys”, does the other side have little bent wires that hold the “axle” in the block? If so, you can remove those wires, slide the broken s...

EdChris, I have longed for a furler and never done it. It would save all that flogging on the beach. I think I have an almost new furler sitting somew...

Tom is correct, you should only have a single hole, in a small tang, on the INBOARD side of the bow, If the age of the rigging is unknown, I would hav...

Tom is correct, you should only have a single hole, in a small tang, on the INBOARD side of the bow, If the age of the rigging is unknown, I would ha...

I like your ideas & the perseverance you’ve put into your old & broken cats. I’m sure you already know this, but after sanding those glass edges, be s...

Make an album for your project. Upload the photos to that album, then you can paste them into your posts. How to is in the FAQ .

never heard of this cat thank you for the writeup RIP They were mostly a Western Cat. Designed & first built by a West Coast, (USA), aerospace engine...

I wouldn’t bother painting an entire hull. If it shows up, it’s just a battle scar.

Photo 835 Is the white plastic looking bit, the mast ball? I’m not familiar with the 500, but if it uses the same sort of ball as the 5.0, you need to...

Storing two cats is easy. Stack them. Once the mast & rudders are off, the weight goes way down. A few $ of dimensional lumber will make a frame that ...

Across the Pond, some of the clubs sailing Dart 15’s,(small catamaran), are on pretty small water. There’s no shame in sailing a puddle, & it’s a grea...

very old mainsail, the classic red-orange-yellow I’m taking that slag personally! I’ve done 23mph with that sail. The sketchiest cat I ever sailed wa...

Lift the bows & wiggle them...does the rest of the boat move? If so, they’re tight enough. I mis-typed, too late to edit. If they are tight enough, th...

When gybing in stronger wind, (or even lighter for that matter), don’t let the sail/traveller do its own thing. Grab the lines just below the sail & s...

Sometimes they touch, sometimes they don’t. If the beams seem tight, sail it. Lift the bows & wiggle them...does the rest of the boat move? If so, th...

Yes, he could have posted more detailed photo. Look at the 1st photo...it’s fairly clear the circled area, (gudgeon), is separated. I don’t know what ...

If it has no boards & no boom,mit has to be either a 5.0 or a 5.7 Here is the HIN from my ‘84 N5.7 Here is how the ‘88 N5.0 HIN looks Edited by Ed...

Nothing like a recip saw for quick modifications! When one of my early bombardier Invitations,(a Laser with a bigger cockpit), was sailed to death we ...

If you can get the one in the photos for $2500, it’s not a bad deal, ( and if $2500 is ask, you should be able to bargain a few hundred $, or get harn...

waiex191 wrote: I have good news! My mast seems watertight. It floats nicely. Ok, good news out of the way. I pitch poled. That bad noise I was w...

I often see the suggestion to use a ship vac to leak test. In my opinion, that is clumsy, you need power cords, an extra hand to hold it, & it’s blood...

that is a good deal...comes with an aluminum trailer.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Blade 16 a few years ago, still kicking myself for not doing it. It was out in Maryland, quite a road trip from here,...

capdabney wrote: Thanks for you reply. My boat does not have the encaps on the crossbars. you can email me at capdabney@bellsouth.net Thanks again...

You are right about the differences stated. What I meant is the newer changes have not done much in terms of how the boat sails, or it’s speed, or the...