NB - Why have a Forum?

Sea Devil

Sea Devil

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 Aug 2004
Messages
3,906
Location
Boulogne sur mer & Marbella Spain, Guadeloupe
www.youtube.com
I have been pleasantly by surprised how much I enjoy 'clocking' into the YBW Forums - learned a lot too - great to talk about boats and things...

But why do IPC run them? It must cost something - there are the 4 moderators salaries - kimhollamby, paul_lomax, hannah_emanuel, Matthew_Young
- to pay + all the design effort etc.???? Or do the moderators also do something else at IPC?

Maybe I should not look a gift forum in the mouth?
 
1) they get advertising revenue - hence free to users, but should actually make money from the sites
2) they enhance the magazines by being a sort-of destination for boaty types - difficult for others to get a toehold in the same way.
 
I'm just glad this forum exists. IMHO i am further ahaed on my (steep) learning curve than i would be without it, and a bit safer too!
It's also a good laugh and everyone seems to enjoy themselves on here
Bye for now
 
----------Is "Eloise" the new Bambola? If so did you go for a cat? ---------------

Yes Eloise is a Prout 33 - really looking forward to getting aboard on May 11th - quick refit then off to France....

How do other cat owners find handling them in confined areas? Marinas? She seem so wide and I have to find out how they handle going astern - bet the windage is fairly significant?

I have to single hand it all as although my wife Monique is/will be on board she is not well enough to assist in any way. One of the reasons for going for a cat - easy accommodation access - no heeling - less violent movement e.g. falling off waves - I hope!

When I get a better photo I will post it. I was a bit jaded after the last long trip up from New Zealand but now feel really excited at the new form of boat which should encourage some - ditch crawling -
 
Where do you think they get all their copy from for the next few months?

Hmm they think - a lot of discussion on xxxx model this month - Hey Presto! three months down the line you get a review. Coincedence? Well maybe - but when you get the great JJ mentioning AWBs in his articles something must be filtering through...

Donald
 
[ QUOTE ]
How do other cat owners find handling them in confined areas? Marinas? She seem so wide and I have to find out how they handle going astern - bet the windage is fairly significant?

[/ QUOTE ]

i presume that yours has the standard small/medium prout setup, i.e. single central engine with steerable leg? (if so, can't advise - i only do twin prop /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )
 
So you finally did it Mike!
Welcome to the multihull community.
I guess from your description it's a Prout Quest 33 CS. The original Quest was 31 ft long and the moulds were "stretched" to 33 producing what for a little while was one of Prouts most popular boats. But I guess you know that by now! To answer your manouverability question it will be a bit like a Tesco shopping trolley at first I am afraid. Unless you are very lucky and have twin engines (not many did) you have a steerable sillette leg. This gives you some help especially if you remember that it it much easier to reverse into a berth than go forwards using the steering leg as well as the rudders. Think of it as a big rubberdubby with an outboard! Windage is not quite as much of a problem as you might think but one thing you should know is that the lifting mechanism for the leg needs constant attention. Clean and free up all pivot points. Grease liberally all the time and make doubly sure that the cable and lock that holds the bugger down works properly. Its a bit embarassing if you put it in reverse and the leg flips up........ Be warned! I think at sea you will be pleasantly surprised at how well she will go to windward and single handing is a piece of cake. You will find her slam a bit in a big sea but don't be alarmed. They all do it! Just plug on regardless.... Oh and very important. Make sure the foredeck locker drains are free and any water can drain straight through. Treat them as wet lockers and dont put anything in there you want to keep dry. Don't let rope or anything else fall to the bottom and plug up the 'ole as they don't tend to sail very well with both lockers full of seawater..... I joke not! Apart from this I think you will find her pretty snag free and I wish you and Monique many happy miles in her. If there is anything else "Prouty" that you want to know send me a PM.
PEREGRINE (Prout Snowgoose Elite) Is almost ready for her trip down through the French canals now and Sue and I will be off with the tide on 9th May. Hope I don't get stuck in a lock!
 
Mike hi,

Thank you for the tips - particularly about the leg - yes she is a Quest CS33. I will do lots of service to the leg before I launch and then continue - is there a service manual or instruction book about the Silette leg around? Also thanks about the wet lockers....

Not too concerned about single handing at sea - more parking - going to fit some midship cleats - was thinking about a bow thruster but Debbie at the multihull centre who owns the yard said do not bother - so ... just have to see how it goes - as you know the parking problem is getting from the wheel to the midships of the boat to get off with the lines but of course the midship of a cat is the same all the way along!!!!!

If you think of any other tips I am the grateful recipient!

Hope you and Sue have a wonderful time in Peregrine - down the canals and in the Med... Will be a fairly snug fit sometimes - my windage concern was partly cross winds going into locks - found it tricky sometimes in a keel boat...

Fair winds

Safe lockage

regards

Michael
 
Michael my cat has a single, non steerable engine in the middle. Never - yet - had too much probs with windage. OK I am narrower ( well the boat is ) than Perigrine but again did not find too much problems with locks. Once Eileen got the hang of climbing ladders we did ok. That Bolene one is very impressive though - espescially as they moved all that water for one wee cat!!!!

As far as your wife is concerned there is comfort for her and she can put her glass of whatever down and not have to worry about it falling over. The only thing we do before going out, well apart from the ropes and the power cable, is to lay the wooden knife block down and pull the grill pan out from under the hob. Everything else is as is.

Enjoy your cat.
 
mike wilkes

Sounds fine - I must be worrying too much about parking alone... Still got the repair kit if you are all wrong!!!!

Really sounds great - am so looking forward to a new type of boat - from behind the wheel (on land) it looked a bit like a tennis court! Mind you Bambola was longer and only about 3 ft narrower in the beam - but not square!! Looking forward to shallow anchoring and easy sailing and if you are right fairly easy parking -

Thanks for all the encouraging advice.... My mums name was Eileen as well...
 
Re: mike wilkes

Cat parking with a single engine is pretty easy if there is very little wind, or if the wind is blowing on. It is when the wind is blowing off that problems can occur. Single engine cats (like mine can have a bit of a problem. The important point is that a slow glide into your berth is not the best way if there is a wind, cause it will allow the wind to grab hold and ruin your day. keep enough speed to allow the low aspect ratio keels maintain directional stability. The prouts are a bit shallow in the foward area for a bow thruster, probably the only one that would fit would be the Sidepower SP30 or 40 cause the tunnel is one of the smallest on the market, and the hull width required can be a lot narrower than the Vetus.

I was going to fit one to my Catalac, but am now intending changing boats in a year or so, so havent bothered. I do know somebody else with a Catalac 9m who has a Vetus 55, and reckons that it has solved a lot of the problems.

The Catalac is worse than the Prout when the wind is off the pontoon due to the underwater shape, and I frequently singlehand. I fitted midships cleats, but found that my boat really needs them somewhat further aft than midships, but the main genoa winches were in exactly the right place. I invested in a Bosco Boat Hook and the additional wire strop, and since then have found alongsides to be a lot easier. I throw out the fenders, lasso the cleat at the end of the finger berth with the bosco, and take a quick turn with the rope at the marked spot, keep the engine running ahead and the the boat comes alongside under its own power. I leave the engine running ahead while putting the normal mooring ropes in place. - No drama, SWMBO doesnt even have to panic about getting lines on, no back pain, no falling into the water - wish I had done this years ago. If you are down Portsmouth way in a couple of weeks (provided I have actually launched by then! you are welcome to come and see how I do it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Answers

Well you are right that it takes a fair bit of effort and cost to develop and maintain all of the sites on ybw.com.

The forums are just one part of that and yes, we all have day jobs. Matt predominantly develops all of the database-type areas on the marine sites (marine directory, magazine indexes, classified boats for sale and so on), Hannah assists with that and some of the editorial tasks, Paul manages a technical team that develops many websites here at IPC as well as our web server infrastructure and I...well I drink tea and pretend to run various marine and non-marine projects across the company.

Paul enjoys the techie stuff so you'll find him over on the Web User forums from time to time; boating has been my life for the past 30 years or so, hence you find me hanging out here more often than not.

In answer to one of your questions we'll run the forums for as long as we feel they add value to what we are trying to do with the magazines and their sites and for as long as the feeling is that the vast majority of users appear to respect the facilities being offered. We do have instances of forums that have been closed here at IPC when the latter sadly didn't work out - it is my ambition that is should never prove necessary here and that we'll continue to build a broad audience of those wishing to learn about, share knowledge regarding, and discuss, leisure boating in all of its flavours.
 
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