Best cat for a long trip

No, my 5.5 tonnes is all-up weight ready to cross an ocean with 5 crew. Bareboat is around 4.5 tonnes. When full she zips along quite well - only one other 40 footer beat us across in the ARC - when empty she flies. Not as quick though as my previous 39' tri which weighed in at 3.5T and was good for 14 knots on a reach.

There is a problem with FP cats - a solid laminate in the hulls with no knuckle for stiffening. They must oilcan in a seaway.
 
I'm not wild about the idea of engines right at the back. It's always better to keep the weights out of the ends. The ideal would be engines amidships with shaft drive though with narrow hulls that can be inconvenient. I most certainly wouldn't want to have to work on them at sea even without a gale blowing. It sounds perfect for a bit of coastal marina-hopping but no way for serious cruising.
 
Totally agree. Also don't follow why they should smell of diesel. A good installation should never leak anything into the bilge, let alone diesel.
By the way, I don't hear any oilcan noises on my boat and I don't have any knuckles either. Mind you I can't hear a damn thing over the slamming under the bridgedeck anyway /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
There is a nice St Francis 44 coming up for Sale.

This is what is written about her

[ QUOTE ]
She is FOR SALE and you
can view her complete listing via our family website: yachtscud.com.
You've chosen an excellent vessel to world cruise in, as we just
completed a world circumnavigation with our teen sons recently. SCUD
is a 2002 Mark II, was refit after our world cruise and is ready to go
again. All alternative energy installed: solar panels, wind generator.
These boats were designed to round the Cape of Good Hope, so not only
are they are tough in heavy weather, they go smooth and fast as a
train. We never experienced heavy weather in all our 30 yrs of
extended cruising and living on boats. We love the St. Francis designs
so much, we're buying a bigger one, and going around again for
charter.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can put you in touch if you wish - I have no commercial interest in the matter.
 
No insult taken as I've been doing it for a fair few years, anything from ply to carbon/ kevlar/ epoxy .
The boat was very light, indeed when the owner turned her over off St Anthonys head the only thing that broke was the rig as it hit the bottom.
Boat was towed upright and brought to millbrook, bit of tlc and back out racing, perhaps without so much gusto.
 
$329,000 is very good value for a St Francis. Just checking, was it definitely built by Duncan of St Francis or was it possibly built by Knysna Boats (they now own the moulds and the jury is still out as to whether they have learnt too build a good boat yet)?
 
Did Duncan pass on the Moulds to this company when he went for the St Francis 50?

It would be pretty bad to describe the boat as a St Francis if it was not built by St Francis Marine so I think it id a genuine St Francis - the owners are buying a bigger one - that has to be the old 49 or a new 50.
 
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