Catamarans in ARC 2012

[RichardS]

Catamarans in ARC 2011

There have been various threads about whether cats are becoming more popular as they are still a small % in the UK but higher in the Med and much higher in the Caribbean.

I just noticed that the number of cats in the 2011 ARC is the highest ever. There have only been 80 cats in total in the ARC over the last 10 years and this year there will be 30 cats out of 225 entries.

I reckon if you extrapolate that curve the ARC will be 50% cats in another 10 years!

Is that good, bad or indifferent ...... you decide!

Richard

PS Title is supposed to be ARC 2011 but it doesn't appear to be editable?

 

[Sybarite]

PS Title is supposed to be ARC 2011 but it doesn't appear to be editable?

Try "Go advanced".

 

[Signed Out]

Indifferent. ARC is surely an 'event' for doing the passage in comfort wiith the safety (& pleasure for some) of numbers. Being the ultimate awb and dishwasher platform it's inevitable (sp?) that their ratio will increase. But, as long as boats remain an emotive matter aesthetics will retain importance and they'll never replace monos totally. And cat threads will always be bickerfests, or just dull.

 

[jamesjermain]

I have to say good because, in my world, that means people are realising that cats are the perfect liveaboard vessel with specific benefits in hot climates. Also for people going on to complete the Altlantic circuit, a cat's shallow draught will be invaluable in the Bahamas and up the Eastern Seaboard. I think the proportion might reach 50 per cent rather sooner than 10 years but the growth will then slow sharply.
One disadvantage of the popularity of cats in the Caribbean is that all cat sailors are now considered to be charterers and fair game for the boat boys. Before it was just Beneteau/Jeanneau drivers.

 

[snowleopard]

I built my boat specifically for the trip to the Caribbean. SWMBO isn't a keen sailor and I knew 2 or 3 weeks of tradewind rolling would freak her out so I chose a cat. My previous boat had been a tri which of course didn't roll but I was attracted by the larger space and open deck-level living of the cat.

In the Caribbean, cats are ideal. The lack of roll in open anchorages and ability to slot in closer to the shore than keelboats make them attractive. As for the ARC, It's people coming from Europe where space is at a premium and a big cat is difficult and expensive to moor so there will always be a higher proportion of half-boats than in the Caribbean itself.

p.s. Edit advance allows you to change the title but it only shows up in the thread. The title in the index remains unchanged.

 

[Sandy]

Is that good, bad or indifferent ...... you decide!

For me it makes no difference as we all make decisions about what we sail, each owner will have their own criteria for the boat they buy.

Personally, I don't like boats with two wheels and could never bring myself to buy one, but understand the design principals why it is done.

 

[HoratioHB]

I'm going on a cat - lagoon 380 and not too fussed except for the bloody man with the sledgehammer who wacks the side of the hulls in a stern sea. Cats may be great at anchor but getting sleep can be difficult.

 

[RichardS]

I'm going on a cat - lagoon 380 and not too fussed except for the bloody man with the sledgehammer who wacks the side of the hulls in a stern sea. Cats may be great at anchor but getting sleep can be difficult.

I hope to follow you in a few years time on a similar sized cat so I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on.

Have a safe journey.

Richard

 

[webcraft]

I'm going on a cat - lagoon 380 and not too fussed except for the bloody man with the sledgehammer who wacks the side of the hulls in a stern sea. Cats may be great at anchor but getting sleep can be difficult.

Just about to ARC aboard an Alliaura Privilege 495 and really looking forwward to my first ever catamaran sailing. Never heard about this problem before, but in my limited offshore experience if you are tired enough you will sleep through anything.

- W

 

[Richard Shead]

Check out Yachting World this month , huge cat test and in the solent !

 

[RichardS]

Check out Yachting World this month , huge cat test and in the solent !

OK, that's a sale - I'll buy it tomorrow!

Richard

 

[snowleopard]

I'm going on a cat - lagoon 380 and not too fussed except for the bloody man with the sledgehammer who wacks the side of the hulls in a stern sea. Cats may be great at anchor but getting sleep can be difficult.

When I did the ARC one of the crew who was sleeping in a forward cabin came and stuck her head out of the companionway to ask if the boat was breaking up. We were doing 9 knots in a big sea and the noise was tremendous down forward. I'm told the topsides oilcan in a head sea as well. The aft cabins are usually quieter unless the engines are running. Having your ear a foot from the cylinder hear can make sleep difficult. I'm always on standby so sleep in the saloon at sea

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I have to say good because, in my world, that means people are realising that cats are the perfect liveaboard vessel with specific benefits in hot climates. .

As an ex cat owner I would agree. But there are specific disadvantages in loal day sailing, particularly in the UK. Mooring costs for one, but I have yet to helm a cruising cat thats fun to sail in the way a cruiser racer mono is. And then there is the extra maintenance and cleaning.

 

[Colvic Watson]

Extra costs - only met two marinas that charged us extra; in fact the cat saved us a lot of money because we had the living accommodation of a 35 footer in a 27 foot package. There are downsides but the family loved it to bits and if they're happy, I'm happy. We now have a Colvic Watson 35 and the same beam as the 27 foot Heavenly Twins Cat we had.