Capri 14.2 vs. Lido 14

Don Baker

New Member
Anyone care to comment on the pro's and con's of a Capri 14.2 vs. a Lido?
(Most likely interested in a Mod 3 Capri vs. Lido 6000 series)

For someone who's probably not interested in doing serious racing, how would these boats compare in terms of:

Performance
Stability
Comfort
Ease of Capsize recovery
etc.

Thanks,

DB
 
I know Lido is a four letter word, but.........

I can't believe someone here hasn't sailed a Lido? Or did I cross the line by uttering that name on this site!

:confused:
 
Lido isn't a bad boat or issue. Like the Capri its a nice 14' boat. The Lido is a little faster boat but it is marginal. When C14.2s are sailed right , their great boats too. I like the better stability of the Capri vs the Lido. Also the C14.2s roomy centerboard trunkless cockpit and the boom is a little higher so its less of an issue. I think the C14.2 would also be easier to sell vs a lido when the time comes. Either boat you'll have fun. How many do you plan to sail with at a time? What part of the country are you in? Hope this helps
 
Capri vs. Lido

Thanks Richard. I'm in the Los Angeles area, and would probably sail it mostly in Marina Del Rey. Most likely, I would single-hand it a lot, and occaisionally have one or two others. I'm putting together my list of pro's and con's, and the Capri clearly gets a plus in terms of comfort, for no centerboard trunk, higher boom, and self-bailing cockpit. I've also heard that the Capri might even point higher than the Lido, but not sure? As far as Stability goes, I would have thought that might be a push, particularly with the lower boom on the Lido, but you're the first one who's mentioned to me that the Capri might be more stable? Stability is a consideration for me, since I am a novice. The Capri definately seems to be less expensive, but the Lido definately has a following, having sold over 6000 boats, far more than the Capri. Thanks for the input, if you think of anything else, let me know. If you happen to know anyone knowledgeable, in SoCal, who would be qualified to do an inspection on a used Capri let me know.
 
If your looking at a C14.2 mod 3, I think they come standard with a roller furling jib that comes in quite handy for single handing. As far as the C14.2 out pointing a Lido, I can't say I've seen that one personally. As for stability, C14.2s have a wider, flatter bottom vs the Lido. The C14.2 will get on a plane in the right conditions which can be a real kick. The higher sales numbers for the Lido are due in part to its 1960s lauch date vs the Capri being brought to market in 1984ish time frame. Her is some info on the Lido taken from the MBYC.org website. I hope its helpful. If your coming down to San Diego sometime, contact me and we'll go for a sail on a 14.2.
Richard

History and Description of the Lido-14

At its inception the boat was a sleeper, a 14-ft. beamy low-performance centerboard day-sailor that rarely planed or capsized. Yet despite its unprepossessing appearance, the Lido-14 has grown to immense popularity within the competitive arena along the West Coast, with additional fleets in Texas, Ohio, and Utah. From the outset its simplicity has attracted beginners, juniors, families, and world-class competitors.

Lido 14 history begins with Barney Lehman, boat builder and designer. Barney, best known for his Lehman series of dinghies, had been in development of a 14-foot version of his successful Lehman 10 when he sold his business to W.D. "Bill" Schock. Bill, a successful small boat builder, completed the work that Barney had started by creating a fractional sloop rig, increasing the boat's beam for stability, adding internal seat tanks for comfort and buoyancy, and providing a foredeck and a deck stepped rig rather than the Lehman's traditional keel stepping.

What followed is nothing short of spectacular. Within three short years, almost 1000 boats had been built. By 1970 the total approached 3000. Of these, a very large percentage were involved in competitive racing around the nation. It was common for relatively minor regattas to have 60 or more boats and major regattas having limits of 100. As with all one-design boats of the era, the popularity of the Lido 14 peaked in the mid-70's. By 1980, the total number of boats constructed had risen to nearly 5000 but the number of new boats was quickly decreasing. A testament to the quality of the construction is that boats built in 1960 are still actively racing and will continue to sail many years to come, given a little maintenance and loving care. Perhaps to the chagrin of W.D. Schock Corp., the availability of quality used boats sustains the popularity of the Lido 14, providing an unmatched entry into the wonderful world of small boat sailing.

By 1995, with more than 5000 boats built, the venerable Lido was almost 40 years old. It was then that Lido14 Association members formed a committee to create a modern version of the 'old' Lido to be called the 'new' Lido, a version that would be much less expensive to build yet remain competitive with the old boat. The tremendous effort of W.D. Schock Corp. to revitalize the Lido 14 for the 1990's and beyond led to a reintroduced Lido 14 with a modern two-piece mold design that greatly reduced the complexity and cost of construction while simultaneously improving upon the safety, comfort, and longevity of the design. The "new" Lido 14 was showcased to the nation in the running of the 1996 U.S. Sailing Championship of Champions held in Newport Beach.

The Lido-14 continues to be the chosen boat for those wanting to enjoy sailboat racing at any level: from beginning novices to world and national class competitors. For beginners with their families and friends it is a very simple, safe and affordable entry into the world of sailboat racing with generous guidance from the fleet's experienced members. For experienced racers there is the knowledge that this is a 'tactical' boat and that they can expect to find the most challenging tacticians competing on the race course.


Lido 14 Specifications:


Length Over-All 14 ft.
Draft - Centerboard Up 5 in.
Draft - Centerboard Down 4 ft. 3 in.
Total Sail Area 111 sq. ft.
Main Sail Area 76 sq. ft.
Jib Sail Area 35 sq. ft.
Total boat weight 310 lbs.
 
Don't forget about "support" when thinking about a boat to buy. The many folks who regularly contribute this website are an outstanding source of information and assistance. And we have Ed Jones, who is very active in our website and can answer just about any question that no one else can. When you are far from a fleet this is a big deal!

<Horn tooting on>
I searched in google for Catalina 14 and took the first item I found and made my way here. Then I searched for Lido 14 and took the first item I found and went there. I could not find the same level of information (plus our pictures are way better) on their site as I can here. And I could not find a forum similar to ours.
<Horn tooting off>

OK, I feel much better now. ;)
 
When I was looking for my first boat, it was this forum and organization that swayed my towards the Capri 14.2. Since I was new to sailing and I only knew a few people in my area who sailed, I needed a source of information. Archived, static information is good for reference, but I was looking a place with an active "community" where I could ask questions and discuss the boat and sailing in general. I found that here.
 
Thanks

Thanks for the good input. This will be a tough decision, and may eventually come down to who has the most active fleet where I will be sailing.
 
Don, here is a discussion of all 3 boats by a friend of mine:

who has been a dealer for Lidos and Catalinas (Capris). We were also discussion the American:

"For fit, finish and easy of use and maintenance, I honestly don't think you can beat the C14.2. You'll seldom have problems with the centerboard system and when something occurs it's all easy to take care of and you don't have to worry about lifting the boat up in the air to fix it! Concealed centerboards are notorious for problems when lines break, board swells jams etc. With the open design of the 14.2, everything loads from the top, not the bottom of the boat! You also don't have a centerboard trunk that you have to hop over.........clean and simple.

"The Lido is a great boat, still built today, though numbers produced today (like all daysailors) are way down from in the past. The Lido is somewhat dated, but it is a one design so modification of the boat would kill the one design and mean an entirely new boat -- defeating the purpose. Most of the Lidos around are older and therefore will be more rough.

"The Lidos like the American are more crude than the Capri. Some of this is due to production power of the manufacturer, some of it due to the investment the companies made in the design. You may like the cooler storage on the American, but where do you put anything else? The Capri is the only one with a fairly watertight compartment to store stuff.........anchor, towels, battery, paddle etc. The Capri also has spreaders so the rig will stay with you longer in high winds."

Hope this helps.
 
A stability and persons-aboard consideration

Just my 2 cents worth Don...

I sailed a JY14 solo (very similar to the 14.2, Lido & American) for 5 years. When I got married, my wife (who was new to sailing) found the JY14 "quite tippy". She now LOVES the boat we have moved up to, the Catalina 16.5. Just a wee bit bigger than the 14.2, more stable (a foot wider) and more room in the cockpit.

I mention this primarily for this reason: If you will be sailing MOSTLY alone or with ONE other person, the 14.2 is GREAT. I recently took a trip to Houston, Texas from SE Oklahoma with a buddy so he could go buy a 14.2. I have sailed it with him twice already (and solo) and LOVE it.

Since I am married, my wife and I usually sail together. If we want to take a friend (or two) with us, which we often do, there's plenty of room. IMHO the 14.2 is a two-person boat MAX. I wouldn't DREAM of taking a 3rd person with us in our JY14. I wouldn't want 3 in a 14.2 either. Sure, you "can" but what's comfortable/safe/easy is another thing. If 3 people is NOT going to be a consideration, then your decision is easy. Let's face it, we have to move around a bit when sailing a little boat! When we had our JY14 if my wife and I wanted to take a relative or friend sailing, my wife would kayak with us and two of us would sail. Now with our 16.5, 3 or 4 of us sail comfortably.

Fleet-wise the 14.2 is GREAT. There isn't even a 16.5 association! But what a boat, and usually one for sale out in Cali. There are LOADS of people to talk sailing with on http://www.trailersailor.com as well as classifieds.

Whichever you decide, Happy Sailing. I wish I could have a 14.2 AND our 16.5 but my wife says ONE boat is enough. (Which is ALSO why our 14' Com-Pac Picnic Cat (catboat) is for sale. :D Anyone interested?

Good Luck Don, let us know what you get! Les
 
FYI, there's a yahoo group for the 16.5 at groups.yahoo.com/group/Catalina_16-5

It's not cool like this website, but its there. I've sailed my 14.2 with 2 kids and another adult on board. It's ok like that but not really as much fun as with just one crew. Nice to hear you like your 16.5. I think I'd like the 16.5 more with an aso and a small lifting bulb keel fto make it an old guy sport boat.
 
Capri vs Lido

this thread may be old, but my old boat partner has thrown down and challenged me to a race. Him in his capri and me in my Lido.
Well, I've campagned a capri and while the simple cockpit and C-board design can be nice, I find the Lido a far better boat.
The Lido is faster and with the larger c-board more responsive. The Lido's large trunk is often called cumbersome, but I find it very nice for hiking etc., not to mention getting the c board out of a lido I have found quite simple. On the trailor, one guy holds the boat on it's side and the other pushes the c-board up and out, just like that.
The beachable c-board and rudder can save you a lot of headaches, so does the easy access to thehold under the fordeck.

Well thats my mouthfull.
 
Capris vs Lidos??? So really, what's your point? People like different boats for a wide spectrum of reasons. The good news is people sailing boats they enjoy. Right now for me its my Laser. Keep enjoying your boat as much as we all enjoy ours.
 
I didn't ask.

I didn't start this thread, but someone did and they wanted some opinion from someone who had sailed them both.
I do enjoy mine very much,
thank you
 
Agreed Fan... It is like my car is better than your car... They each have their strong points...

I like my Capri, because it is fast to rig, easy to sail, and I got it dirt cheap. It was a helluva step up from a sunfish, but not nearly as nice as the Capri 22 I really want. The Capri 22, is not really a racer, and not really a cruiser, but it goes fast enough for me to be entertained, but is comfortable enough for our family to day sail on (assuming I can get a slip)...

Otherwise trailering it stinks, and overnighting it stinks. So go figure... the lakes I sail, there is no overnighting, but lots of mountains... if I lived elsewhere, that would probably be a priority.

You have to find your own balance to find YOUR right boat.
 
Monkey Boy,

You said it best in your post," The Lido's large trunk is often called cumbersome...".
Lido's are fun to sail. We have had nice fleets of them over the years down at MBYC. Thanks for checking in with your camparision as I'm sure Don from Dec of 2004 will be able to use it to help him with his decision:D Cheers and Fair winds. Bob

PS Mammoth, that must be some cold water and like 8-9k feet of atlitude?
 
Crowley is cold in the spring as it is fed by snow run off and the owens river, but it warms quickly as it is also fed by Hot Creek wich is volcanic and HOT. It also gets excellent sun as it is far enough away from the mountains to get out of the shadow.
enjoy the beach and your capri.
 
I checked out Crowley Lake on the web. Looks like a cool place to sail. Is there organised sailboat racing held there?

Crowley Lake was created in 1941 by the
construction of the Long Valley Dam.
Elevation 6781'
650 surface acres
45 miles Shoreline
The lake is 12 miles long and 5 miles at its widest point

Whats the best time of year to sail?

Thanks.
 
Hmmm...
Nope!
there used to be some fleets here, mostly Prindle and Nacra. There is only pleasure sailing, but some of my friends have discussed getting organized.
Meanwhile I'll be in San Diego in two weeks for a ride on a sled.
fair winds,
Jeffrey
 
Time of year

Hmm...
well... it is frozen and covered in ice from november to april, may and june are chilly and breezy, july, august, and early september are warm but light and shifty, oct-nov are cold and windy.
 
Lido vs Capri

When I picked up my '86 14.2 earlier this year, I had my brother in law go with me on my maiden cruise. Being a very able small craft sailor I thought it apt that he help rig and pilot the Capri through its courses including a capsize drill. The boat of choice that he sails twice a week is a Lido 14. Needless to say he was very impressed with the Capri's performance. At the top of the list was the Capri's stability, cockpit room, head clearance, high point ability and a really big checkmark for how high the Capri set out of the water when capsized. I had installed a Hobi mast float and when the boat tipped over the cockpit stayed dry. I had a fear of water getting into the forward hatch but not to worry, it was a good three feet or so above the water line. In my younger days I used to skip around in various size hobi's testing the limits but these days im complacent with something a little tamer and dryer. The Capri really fits the bill as it is a great little craft.......
 

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