Hi
I live in Santa Barbara, California and am planning to buy a beach permit this year to allow me to keep a cat on the beach. I need some help and opinions on what to avoid and what cat is best.

I've been looking at a Sol Cat, a Hobie 14, 16, and a Prindle 15,16,18 and a Nacra 5.2(but I think it is gone and most have been out of my price range).

I am really a pretty good sailor and where I have summers off, I'll be out on it a lot. I've been sailing monohulls for years. I don't know which cat to get and which to avoid. I need something that is not very expensive and I'm using this "Just for fun", but I will probably use it a lot.

Thank you for your help and oppinions.
Mike

Vespa93103@yahoo.com

there are a couple of hobie 16's for sale on craigslist already on the beach in s.b. they are good learning boats and good off the beach boats. of course the condition of each will vary but for the usual ledbetter beach type sailing the h-16 is great bang for buck, simple, fast, bulletproof...

This might help you, http://www.sailingproshop.com/catamaran_guide.aspx

The condition of used inexpensive catamarans varies wildly for not much change in price, so what most would recommend to look for if you don't care about what type of boat is what condition is it in. Also the Hobie 14 and I think Prindle 15 are mainly a singlehanded boat whereas the others you mention can be sailed singlehanded but are great for 2.

Ok, the Sailing Pro whatever guide is still up and running obviously. It may have some helpful hints, but for buying parts, Murrays is right down the road from S.B. where you live. I strongly suggest you buy parts and equipment from them rather than Sailing Pro. They just drop ship from Murrays anyway. I have had some close friends get burned by SPS in the past. Not isolated occurances but others accross the country getting burned too. There was even one incident I heard about (from the victim) someones CC number being stolen and used in the So Cal area. The only thing that linked it to a certain individual at SPS was the ticket was signed with a nickname that that person knew her by.

Lee

What the heck does your banter about disliking a particular business have to do with my question? This question was not meant as a opportunity for you to complain about a particular business. The question is simple....Which cat is best? Which cat should I buy?

Blade F16.

How about telling everyone what you want to do with the boat.

Pleasure sail only?

Race one design? Race handicap?

Be able to right by yourself?

Spinnaker or no?

And most importantly- what is your budget?

I'm glad I've finished High School <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Nacra 20. Someone had to say it.

Like I said in my post, "Just for fun".
To expound on that, not race, not circumnavigation, just daysail off the Santa Barbara coast and launch from the beach.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say with your comment.
I have a Master's Degree in Education and have re-read my post. I have found no grammatical nor spelling errors. What's your point?

How about answering the other questions?

Hobies are ubiquitous and you can find all parts new or used and they are rugged. The hulls with lots of rocker are intended for sailing off the beach.

It sounds like a boat without dagger boards and without a spinnaker might meet your fun-off-of-the-beach and budget requirements. All of the boats on your list with the exception of the Nacra 5.2 - it has boards - are in this category. The Hobie 14 would only be a good choice if you are exclusively planning on sailing solo. The Prindle 18 might be too large.

If it were me, I'd buy the boat in your list that was in the best condition for the price. I'd also probably give the Hobie 16 a little preferential treatment since it is such a great class. I might also add the Nacra 5.0 (now the 500) and Nacra 5.7 (now the 570) to my list - simple, boardless, fun boats. And the Hobie Wave and Getaway.

Geoff

I don't know you, so I apologise <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> But I just felt that, for a High School Teacher, you were a little aggressive and intolerant. There should be more to a High School Teacher than perfect grammer and spelling. People are trying to help you.

Mike:

All those boats are great, there a few cats for sale on both the Santa Barbara and Ventura Craig's List. I personally like the Prindle for use in the ocean of the coast of Ventura/Santa Barbara. There is even a very nice Hobie 18 in Ventura on Craig's, you may want to consider.

Good luck and if your ever interested in doing some ocean racing in Ventura looks us up, there is always someone looking for a crew.

Budget is important, also important is, is this gonna be trainer cat for more aggressive boats down the line. My personal feeling is that a Hobie 16 is a great boat for knocking around in. Easy to find and easy to sail and cheap. However, if you want to progress as multihull sailor and eventually find yourself having a lot more fun sailing a N20 or F18 or A cat or even big boats than the best training platform out there is a prindle 18-2, hands down, I s__t you not.

If you're indeed a "pretty good sailor", you're might want something a bit more technical than a Hobie 16. If that is the case, pony up a little more cash and consider some of the other options suggested above (something with a spinnaker and with better controls). The boards are definitely something to concern yourself with. If you sail solo, you'll want to lean toward a lesser boat without boards.



If you just want something to dick around in, you can't beat a Hobie 16. The cost is low and there are plenty of spare parts and resources to get them. However, at 200 pounds, I found I was at the outer fringes of it's practical limits, though. It can hold more weight. . .but the leward hull can bog down just as you start flying a hull. Kind of takes the fun and excitement out of it.

Another benefit of a Hobie 16 is that you can pick up an older model for ~1000-1500 and sell it 2 years later for not much less. You really can't go wrong with this. It's a good starter boat . . .but you'll likely get bored with it unless you are racing other Hobie 16 sailors.

The Hobie 16 does have a spinnaker option, now, so if you are a single-hander, it really might be a nice option for you.

Rest assured, you will get bitten by the racing bug. That's when you'll sell your mono-slug and get a Blade or Nacra 20.

I with this guy, chill out.
Buy anything, the sooner you get out on the water the better you will feel.

If you want to just dick around then any cat will do but if you want serious racing and fun then the Hobie 16 is the way to go. There is a great used market for H16’d, active racing world wide, and a new boat is a great option as well. Also the Hobie 16 is the king of the surf, no cat handles better in the surf than a H16. We have a large H16 fleet on our lake with a lot of used and new H16’s. A few have the new trumpet spinnaker system. So anyways it’s a fun boat and due to its design you can continue to improve your skills without the higher price tag of other cats. I have owned a lot of different cat designs (not just Hobie’s) but I always come back to the H16. Also realize that this forum is no friend to Hobie’s so obviously you’re not going to get real good responses related to the H16. Whatever you chose have fun because no matter what model cat you get multihulls are the future of sailing.

" What the heck does your banter about disliking a particular business have to do with my question? This question was not meant as a opportunity for you to complain about a particular business. The question is simple....Which cat is best? Which cat should I buy?"

OK, sorry for trying to pass on inside info to keep your hard earned teaching dollars going where you want them to go. I was simply stating that you have Murrays right down the road because you will find, once you start sailing, you are going to need parts and gear. Which boat should you buy? At this point I could care less. I jumped on here today to inform you that I found a NICE Hobie 16 for you in your front yard for a steal! Now, if you can calm down some, I could let you know about it and the price I negotiated for you. If you have bad dealings with businesses in our sport, we need to know so we all can stay away from them. If you got a fried rat at your favorite Chinese Buffet wouldn't you tell all your friends not to eat there? If you're really in the market for a boat or just want to scold me some more, pm me.

Lee