if you’re looking for a boat that is fast, fun and stable, look no further than the good ol’ reliable beach catamarans, which gained popularity in the early 1970s because of one man, Hobart “Hobie” Laidlaw Alter. Alter invented the Hobie Cat and went on to revolutionize beach-cat sailing with nearly 30 different models during his lifetime. The Hobie name lives on as a moniker of the many two-hulled sailboats still out there. But there are now many builders producing excellent alternatives: Nacra, Goodall, Cirrus, Topcat, RS and Topaz, to name a few.
My path to cat sailing is the same as many others. I caught the bug watching my father sail off the beach in Central America in the 1970s in a Laser with his buddies. Soon I had my own yacht, a Styrofoam Snark that I tricked out to be mine. I loved that boat. But one day, a family friend took me for a ride on a lime-green Nacra, and we tore up and down the beach with that boat. I was hooked on the speed, and hanging out in the trapeze blasting through the water.
My father sold the Snark, and that was the end of my monohull days. I sailed Prindle cats off the beach in Miami during college and got my first Hobie 18 SX with wing seats after that. I’ve always loved the speed of the boats because you can go places fast, but as I gained more experience, I started racing, then realized that I wanted an even faster boat. I transitioned into a Nacra F18 Evolution, a great boat and top of its class in the world. I raced around the buoys with world-class sailors, sailed expedition-style races, and even long-distance races. It all evolved from that one Nacra session.
I know that a lot of sailors are reluctant to try beach-cat sailing because of the unfamiliarity of it. Access to trying one can be a barrier too, so the best way to get hooked is to find a rental location when on vacation, a sailing school, or a sailboat dealer with an experience center or club with a beach-cat fleet. It’s good to have someone who knows what they’re doing to walk you through your first experience.
I’m confident that your first ride will, like with me, get you hooked, and maybe thinking how you can get your hands on your own starter beach cat. Here’s where I’d start looking:
The Hobie Wave is an exciting and insanely easy-to-sail catamaran for sailors of all sizes and skills levels. It’s readily available for rental at resorts and beach clubs, both new and used. At 13 feet long and 245 pounds, with a capacity of 800 pounds, this boat can be sailed solo or with a crew of four. It has a simple rig, with only a downhaul and mainsheet—and no boom. The rotomolded hull is virtually indestructible, so launching and docking is stress-free. The Hobie Wave enjoys a cult following among catamaran sailors, as well as a racing class for people of all ages.
The RS Cat 14 is the next step up in the entry-level catamaran world. It’s designed for youths and adults, from novice to experienced sailors. The boat has the potential to grow with you as your skill level improves by adding more sail options to the boat. Durable rotomolded construction makes it a very tough boat. At 14 feet and 275 pounds, with a capacity of two people, the boat is easy to move and set up, which makes it easy to trailer, and to explore and play in different venues. It’s simple to sail, but it also brings in that potential next-level sailing experience on the water.
For a versatile boat that’s ideal for coming into the cat world with something new and modern, the Nacra 500 MK2 is a solid option. With fiberglass hulls, boomless main, no daggerboards, and high-quality hardware and sails, the Nacra 500 MK2 is a fun, fast, and easy boat to sail, with plenty of options to eventually turbo the ride. It’s a good recreational sailboat for youth and adult sailors, as well as a fun boat to race with friends in a class or mixed fleet. It sets up quickly and is easy to transport. Sail it solo, double up, or take four people (including yourself) for a fun day on the water.
With the Nacra 570 MK2, the performance leap from the 500 to the 570 is real. The MK2 version of this boat is the top dog in the recreational-beach-cat market. Its strong and incredibly sturdy hulls, combined with its hydrodynamic and sleek design, make it way faster than the average beach cat, while still staying particularly stable. At 18 feet 3 inches, the boat is light for its size at 364 pounds, so it is easy to move around on land and on the water. If you are moving up from a Hobie 16 or an older 18-foot beach cat, or coming into beach-cat sailing from the sportboat or skiff world, this is a true beach cat that will check all the boxes.
