CATS

[robertj]

Not the furry kind.
After a disastrous start to a week on the boat eventually anchored in the Truro river near a huge cat.
Over the last few years I've come to appreciate these fine beasts. Living space in abundance, level and the speed under even motor was impressive as he certainly broke the river limit with consummate ease.

Is there any cat owners who can honestly give any downsides (apart from marina costs) which possibly outweigh their good points?

 

[NealB]

I owned a Wharram Pahi 31 in the past, and have owned an old Comanche for six years now.

The biggest downsides, to me, are:

- most cats don't score very well on the row away factor

- they can be very fast off the wind, but many cruising cats are distinctly unimpressive to windward, particularly in a short chop, when some have a tendency to hobby horse.

- the sailing sensation is very different to a monohull. On a reach they slice cleanly through the water with little indication of how fast they are moving....you need to look between the hulls to really appreciate how easily she's moving.

On balance, I'm a cat fan, but am currently looking to go back to a boat that heels over.

 

[RichardS]

NealB is spot on. Setting aside the financial issues, the main disadvantage I have ever found having sailed both on and off for 30 years has to be the lack of excitment on heavyish cruising cats. However, ask SWMBO about this and she will have no idea what you are talking about!

Richard

 

[J Neeves]

We have a 13 year old 38' cat carry fuel and food and drink for 3 months, its isolated where we go, deep freeze, inverter, dinghy, 5hp O/B etc etc and we regularly average 10 knots over 100nm. Averaging 10 knots means hitting 14s and we peak at 17 knots - anyone not excited about averaging 10 knots for 100nm overnight obviously has a very fast car and a much more exciting life than I dream of! We know how fast we are going as all the rigging starts to sing. But if it is sufficient that we might need to tack, so hard on the wind - and this sailing Tasman Sea or Southern Ocean we stay at anchor - ease the sheets quite happy - but a tight beat and big seas, I'd rather a 45' mono or stay in bed. Look at the limited production French cats, Outremer, etc (ours is Oz designed and built) and they will satisfy most people's needs for speed.

2 engines take twice as long to service as one.

We sail as a couple, add another couple and more food, drink etc - really knocks off performance.

Our trailing water gen leaps out of the water at about 11 knots.

Many travel lifts will not take cats, they are insufficiently wide

It is a different motion but it is difficult to be critical of sitting in the saloon, with a pot of fresh coffee, steaming porridge, toast and marmalade, making 8 (or 6 or 10) knots and having 360 degree visability.

Jonathan

 

[Seajet]

I'd agree about the lack of sensation of speed, having owned a Dart 18 dinghy cat and sailed cruiser cat's owned by chums.

However the lack of speed sensation was quite right when experienced friends had a Heavenly Twins, it was slower than tectonic plates and they couldn't sell it fast enough !

The main snag around here is that big cruiser cat's are so unwieldy ashore and take so much space; our club has now had to say ' no more cruiser cat's '.

On swinging moorings and anchorages there can also be the problem that they tend to ride to the wind, rather than the current as neighbouring monohulls do, leading to clashes.