Pitchpoling, pitchpoling. Rake your mast back as conservatively recommended in the Hobie 16 Tuning Guide and you'll find your pitchpoling problem becomes a near non-issue. I sail my H16 single handed almost exclusively in 15-25 knt winds and I haven't PP'd in ages - and I push it pretty hard (eg wear a wake boarder helmut on the crazy days)
You'll find that adding foot holders/supports, including a pair as far aft as possible for those screaming reaches, makes big wind sailing the H16 a new experience. You become "one with the boat" if you will. You'll see, try it.
I sail Lake Champlain often and a neighbour has a Nacra 5.2. I beat him everytime time! And how can you beat the H16 in the waves?
PS I replaced my wire rigging last year and today the 6 inch section of forestay between the tang and the jib halyard block snapped in 12 knts wind on a close reach. Surprisingly, the rig collapse rather gently over the tramp and I was able to easily remove sails and clean up the rigging. I was 3 miles out - paddled for 1/2 hour then was towed the rest. Mmmmmmm

Good luck someone was around.
Kind of makes you wonder what would happen if a shroud went.

It depends on what you want to do with the boat. If you want to race, then buy the one that has the best racing fleet in your area. If you want to just sail for fun, buy the boat you feel most comfortable with.

I taught myself to sail from scratch on a Hobie 16. I pitchpoled one towards the end of my first season on the water. I never did it again over the next four years I owned the boat. You learn what you can and cannot do and sail her accordingly. Every design has it's idiosyncracies (sp?) and you will learn them.

Plus, isn't part of the allure of sailing that it takes skill and you are constantly learning. It's not like a power boat where you turn a key and all of a sudden you can drive a boat.

You will have fun with either boat you decide to purchase. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

One thing that is nice about the Hobie 16 is that a tired fat guy can get back on it after he falls off. The deck is only inches off the water. Some other boats are way up there.

I can't speak for or against the Nacra but I have owned a Hobie 16 for 20 years and sail both lakes and ocean. I don't care for racing. When I started looking for a used Hobie (I ended up buying a new one) I also looked for a Nacra. I was told that they are lighter and faster but the hull construction was thin and vulnerable to damage. There are many more H-16 out there so you have a better chance of finding a good used one. After 20 years I am amazed at how well mine has held up. I pitchpoled twice in that 20 years and it was my fault. I have no trouble coming about, just backwind the jib. I set the boat up alone and sail solo much of the time yet I have sailed with four of us with no problem.

I believe the Hobie 18 compares more to the Nacra since they both use dagger boards and rounded hulls. The 18 is more of a racing machine. The dagger boards and jib blocks which are in the tramp reduce the effective size of the tramp. I believe the 16 has more room to move around.

Any catamaran will be a wet boat but the Hobie isn't bad. The wettest boat I was on is an Isotope. It is a very fast boat but very low.

Howard

That's a good point. Once you have it righted you still have to pull yourself on board

With the H16 it's a two step process. Therefore theoretically if you are over weight or not really fit the H16 (hull being so close to the water) would actually be a hell of a lot safer in a capsize.

the main comparison between the 5.2 and the h16 is that they both have 2 hulls. they are very different boats.
The TheMightyHobie18 compares to a 5.2 because of the daggerboards, but the TheMightyHobie18 boards are more user friendly.
old 5.2s have a bar that runs fore and aft down the center-a real genius idea...not
In some areas of the country an old H16 is free or close to it. that's an incentive in my book.
as written above, how & where you will be sailing is your main criteria for this decision.
i believe pitchpoling a Hobie is pilot error and can be avoided although i think it is harder to pitch a 5.2. Also the raised deck of the H16 does make the boat easier to drive in heavy conditions as the sailors get hit by less sheets of water.
i would think parts costs would be similar in all the old beach cats. More chance of finding used hobie parts though. the hobie castings are expensive, but nacras don't have many castings. Hobie rudder systems are more user friendly as long as they are maintained. the use of a piece of line to operate your rudders is frought with difficulty. not a fan of the rope-a-dope style of rudder up down.

I have never had a problem with pp'ing a H16 solo, but with two adults and medium air, you had better be on guard. On the 5.2, even with and adult crew, I sometimes have to tell them to move forward to push the hulls down a little. I actually like the bar going through the middle. It makes a good place to put your foot for leverage. I lifted a hull too high once on the H16 and almost capsized because I went sliding down the tramp. The bar is very convenient and despite its name, doesn't get in the way of your knees during tacks. Side note... I'm relatively small so I can duck the boom and tack pretty easily. The H16 tramp is much less cluttered, but once you trim the sails and are moving along, there is plenty of room on the Nacra... again, I am only 150#/ 5'9".
-Rob V.
Panama City
Nacra 5.2