Nacra 5.2 Buyer's Guide
The Nacra 5.2 is a 17-foot one-design beach cat that Tom Roland drew for Nacra Sailing, built in the United States from 1975 until 1985 with around 2,600 hulls produced. On the used market it presents as a lightweight fractional-sloop catamaran meant for club racing, recreational sailing, and beach launching with one or two crew, and its age means buyers should weigh original fiberglass condition against the lively performance these boats still deliver.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every used Nacra 5.2 shares the same essential plan: a pair of symmetrical fiberglass hulls with plumb stems and reverse transoms, an 8-foot beam bridged by a trampoline, and transom-hung rudders on a tiller anchor. The daggerboards retract to six inches for trailing or beaching, and the boat carries no cabin — it is a recreational sailing dinghy laid out for trapeze work and day sailing rather than overnight use.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A trampoline is commonly fitted across the used fleet, serving as the central working surface between the hulls. Beyond that, the boat's standard inventory is period-correct: a rotating aluminum mast, full-batten mainsail, jib, trapezes, and on-water shroud-tension controls are what define the rig, and buyers should confirm those original systems are intact rather than expecting modern navigation or comfort add-ons.
What to Inspect
The 5.2's hulls are wide at the bottom and narrow at the top to create extra buoyancy, so check that the fiberglass shape is sound and not distorted at the chines where that buoyancy form meets the deck anchor. With retractable fiberglass daggerboards and transom-hung fiberglass rudders, inspect the board trunks and rudder stocks for wear, and verify the rotating mast and anodized spars are free of corrosion at the fittings anchor. Confirm the on-water shroud-tension controls function, since rig tune is central to the boat's upwind performance anchor.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for used Nacra 5.2s is the United States. For a shopper, the checklist is short and structural: sound symmetrical hulls with intact buoyancy form, serviceable daggerboards and rudders, a rotating mast and spars without corrosion, working shroud adjusters, and a trampoline in good condition. A clean example rewards the buyer with a classic one-design cat that still races in vintage fleets.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Nacra 5.2. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $1,800 | — |