Prindle 18-2
The Prindle 18-2 is the little brother of the Prindle 19. The Prindle 18-2 first came out in 1986 but became popular in 1987 and 1988. A factory promotion with the boats got an instant fleet going in Southern California. The boats also sold well in Florida and in Europe. The Prindle 18-2 looks very similar to the Prindle 19 and the Tornado but sails quite differently than the Prindle 19. The bows are fuller on the 18-2 than on the 19 and the rocker in the hull has changed from the Prindle 19's location. The boat steers much more easily than the Prindle 19. The systems set up on the boats are very similar between the 19 and the 18-2. They both have barberhaulers, downhaul systems, rotation controls, and four way jib adjustment systems. One of the biggest differences between the Prindle 18-2 and Prindle 19 is the class concept. The Prindle 19 is an open class that allows you to buy different sail cuts from different manufacturers. The Prindle 18-2 allows you only one sail from the factory. You must compete with this sail only. This keeps the sailing fair and affordable! You will not be forced to keep pace with the latest sail designs if you wish to stay competitive. The Prindle 18-2 came stock with dacron racing sails but that changed to mylar in 1988. The availability of dacron forced this change. The Prindle 18-2's 233 square feet of sail area make it exciting but manageable by a crew weighing 275-340 lbs combined crew weight. The boat can actually be sailed at 400 lbs or more recreationally and it is still a lot of fun with pleanty of reserve buoyancy available.
If you plan to buy one of these fun and light weight boats (375 lbs) consider the following:
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What year was the boat built? There have been some improvements to the construction since 1989.
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Does the boat come with dacron or mylar sails? The mylar sails are better in heavy wind, and the dacron sails are better in light to moderate winds. Both are equally durable.
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Does the boat have color decks? If so, you will need to cover them to keep them from fading.
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Does the boat have gelcoat (paint) stripes or are they taped on? The taped on stripes are easier to repair in the event of a whoops but the painted do look cleaner.
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Does the boat have a four way jib system on it? The system comes stock, but some owners opted to remove it for fun sailing. You will need this to go racing.
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Push on the decks in front of the main crossbar. There should be some flex, but the deck should not feel "soft".
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What color is the trampoline? If the tramp is black that is very good. If it is blue you will probably need to replace it in a couple of years unless you cover it.
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What type of downhaul system does it have? There should be swiveling cleats at the base of the mast that are either made by PYF or by Harken. I prefer the PYF because it is lighter, but the Harken is very good as well.
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How is the rotation control set up? If the owner has installed a rotation control system that is after market, take a look at whether it goes under the trampoline. Some systems work well, others are a nightmare. Ask the owner for a working demonstration.
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What type of mainsheet system does the boat have. The Prindle 18-2 needs an 8:1 purchase mainsheet or larger to be really fun to sail. This system should be a low profile system if possible. (See your dealer for an example) The mainsheet system should be made by Harken.
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Are the lines color coded? They should be. There should not be any two control lines on the boat the same color. What kind of lines are they? The owner should be able to tell you who makes the ropes. The ropes are very different in quality and you can not just get something that looks pretty, it needs to be high quality, pre-stretch line for the control lines and be soft low stretch line for the sheets.
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Has the trampoline been modified? It is nice to have a larger pocket on the trampoline than what come s stock from the factory. Semi-circle and square pockets with velcro are the best.
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Has the forestay been modified? If there is a quick release type hook on the forestay, you are going to need to replace this item before you go racing. The bridles will also have to be changed if the forestay has been changed.
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Are there notches cut into the rudders? If there are, you will have some fiberglass work to do before the boat is competitive.
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Is the traveller post stock, or has it been changed? Hopefully it has been changed. Only the new boats have a really high quality traveller posts as stock equipment. One of the new style posts can be retrofitted to the boat.
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Does the traveller car have metal wheels or plastic wheels? The rollers on the new boats are all metal and roll much easier than the old style cars. The new cars also have roller fairleads for the traveller sheet. A new style car can be retrofitted if necessary.
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Does the boat have a jib luff control? (Downhaul for the jib) This should be accessible from the trampoline area. This system allows you to vary the jibs shape when racing.
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Does the boat have foot straps for reaching? These should be made of fabric and definitely not of rope covered by plastic. The rope system has been responsible for broken bones in the feet of the skipper! If the boat does not have these, they can be easily installed. They are fairly important if you plan to race offshore.
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The rudder lock down mechanism should be very positive. Go ahead and lock the rudders down a couple of times and test them with your hand by trying to pull them up from the rear of the boat after they have been locked down. Be sure to keep your hands clear of the rudder casting when dropping the rudders on dry land. The rudder should stay in a locked down position until the rudder is pulled very hard.
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Look underneath the hulls to see if there is a lot of beach wear. If you can see the hull beneath the gelcoat paint, that is okay. If you can see fiberglass coming through the brown hull resin, the boat will need a $300 bottom job soon.
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Check at the back of the boat where the rudders connect to the hull. The metal fastener housings are called gudgeons. If there is cracking around the gudgeons, the boat has probably had some problems when beaching. This can be a severe problem so look carefully at the back of the boat.
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Look for worn wires on the mast. Look at the shrouds (side wires) forestay (front wire) and the trapeze wires for broken strands. Also check the bridle wires (very front, attach to bow) for broken strands. Check the diamond wires as well. Ask the owner when he replaced the wires last. Most manuals suggest a five year maximum life for wires even if they have not been used.
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Look for broken strands in the halyards (lines that pull up the sails).
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Look at the sails for broken battens (solid pieces of fiberglass) in sail.
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Look for tears in the sails. Especially around the batten pockets.
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Check the stiffness of the sail material. The newer the material, the stiffer the sail.
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Check the trampoline for tears or holes.
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Look for areas of discoloration in the hulls. This may indicate a repair of some type.
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Ask if the boat leaks. If so, how much in two hours. A few cups of water are okay, but half a gallon or more is unacceptable.
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Look all around the hulls for gelcoat (paint) cracks. Sometimes this is okay, but if the area around the cracks is soft, walk away and look for another boat! Press on the decks with the palm of your hand and all of your weight.
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Ask the owner of the boat to rig the boat with you the first time to make sure that all of the parts are there. Make sure that you look overhead before you stand the mast to make sure that there are no electrical or telephone wires you may hit. Actually get on the boat and pretend that you are tacking. Move the sails, the rudders, and anything else you would normally operate when sailing the boat.
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Ask the owner why he is selling the boat. How long has it been on the market? Are you the original owner? When was the last time you were sailing on this boat.
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Ask the owner what model year the boat is. Then go to the back of the boat on the right hull and look on the back of the boat. There will be a hull number that will end something like "M79L". This would indicate that the boat is a 1979 model. Make sure that the title that the owner gives to you has a VIN # (hull #) that matches the number on the boat. Make sure that the person you are speaking to owns the boat.
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They must own it outright with no "legal owner" listed. If there is a legal owner listed, you must make sure that the lien on the boat has been satisfied. Simply call the lienholder. Make sure that the person selling the boat is the singular owner and that there are not two names listed on the title. If there are two names, then the other person must also sign off and date their interest in the item. To be really sure that this boat is as it appears, contact you local DMV and County Accessors office. Have the Hull numbers for the boat and the VIN # for the trailer ready along with the owners full name and address.
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Taxes and registration. Ask the owner if he has paid his county tax on the boat for the current year. Call DMV and make sure there are no outstanding parking tickets or other citations on the trailer. If the boat and trailer are out of date on registration, it could be very expensive to get the boat and trailer back to current. The certificate of non-operation slips are much more limiting than they used to be so call DMV to confirm you will not halve to pay the additional registration fees and back penalties due.
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If the owner no longer has or has misplaced the certificate of title(s), make sure you have them provide you with a "duplicate certificate of title" along with $14 per lost title to cover DMV fees and processing fees. Do not give payment in full for the boat until the title has been cleared with DMV!
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You must also get from the owner a "BILL OF SALE" which is a standard document available at the DMV. A home made version does not do the trick. When you arrive at the DMV with the bill of sale you will be assessed State of California Sales Tax based upon the amount paid for the boat and trailer. You must get separate bills of sale for the boat and trailer showing correct hull and trailer numbers. It is payable at the time of registration.
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What additional accessories come with the boat? Beach roller, lifejackets, harnesses, wetsuits or sailing gear, spare wires, pins, shackles? Extras are nice, but add no real value to what you should pay for a boat except for a cat box and beach roller. Does the trailer have a spare tire?
There are other things to check over and there is no way we can cover them all in this article. If you use this as a fundamental guide and some common sense, you can make a good purchase! Good luck and always wear your lifejacket.
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