Putting the cat down

Re: Putting the cat down

You have answered my question by your evasion. All subsequent posts by A_7 will now be ignored.
 
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If you want insight you won't get it on this forum!!!!!!!

I think you are seeing a problem that doesn't really exist. :

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No insight here : Pity, I hoped for for more.

No problem : I really wish that was the case but when I see comments about clubs who ban multihulls on the basis of a totally wrong understanding of their dimensions then it seems that really are some who perpetuate discrimination against multihulls.


Enjoy your leg pulling
 
I've come across quite a few marinas who surcharge 50% or 100% even when lying alongside where you take up no more quayside than a mono (Mylor and Mayflower spring to mind). The only one i know to ban multis was the Dart marina before it was rebuilt when each berth had 2 boats rafted (Noss-on-Dart still rafts like this but I don't know if they still operate a ban).

I've never come across a club that bans them but then I've never applied for a club berth.

Some places like Nothney and Ramsgate charge double only if you take up two berths but that does seem fair.

I tried to compile a list of surcharging marinas last year but didn't get enough feedback to make it worthwhile putting the results on my website.

I read your original post as meaning that you thought there was a lot of irrational prejudice about . I think that the answers indicated that it's not as bad as you think. Sorry you got caught up with that bout of silliness but do persevere. Conflicting points of view are often aired forcibly but for the most part it's rational and good-natured!
 
<< Most derogatory remarks are made by people who have never set foot on a cat >>

I hope you don't consider my remarks to be derogatory. I brought a 43' Casamance to Gibraltar and enjoyed the trip very much. However for the feeling of a boat in the water it is not what I would choose for myself.

John
 
Thanks for the return to sanity, Sorry if I sound a bit Po !!!!

I still think that charging 50% more when we actually take up no more space alongside is pretty discriminatory and IMHO the more we can get a dialogue going around this the more people may realise just how silly this is (and then stop it)

I don't mind paying if I really do block out two other boats, that plain fair, but I really do object when the charges are based on the type of hull form not on the actual space taken up.

Unfortunatly I do know of clubs where Cats are specifically excluded (and owners made to feel very unwelcome) despite the fact that the shallow waters around the club are just perfect for multihulls.

I had recently planned to join a cruise to one such club but it was made very clear to me that Cats were banned from using the facilites in question and hence I would end up "set apart " from the rest of the rally despite the fact that the berthing arrangements were "rafting alongside" where there was plenty of space to raft several boats out

WHY !!!!!

Forgive me my whinge, There are actually some really smashing clubs who make multihulls and their owners very welcome. So why is it that some are just so prejudiced when the facts just don't support their actions.

On a much more positive note I turned up at a local club a few years ago to discover their pontoons very busy. However they shuffled a few boats about to find me a space alongside ( how kind I thought !) . After a few minutes a very nice lady came along to thank me for bringing my boat along to participate in their disabled sailing week-end!!!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon giving "trips around the bay" for local youngsters.

We got tons of complimentary comments about the boat and were made very welcome and felt that we are able to give something back (and we had fun!!! )
 
Re: Putting the cat down

Having established that there isn't any prejudice against cats on this forum, perhaps people can explain to my why cat owners are so hell-bent on persuading the rest of us of the errors of our ways? I do get the impression that you are the Jehova's Witnesses of sailing!

Or am I being prejudiced?
 
Re: Putting the cat down

Jehovah's Witnesses are the people who come uninvited to your door to tell you about their beliefs aren't they?

I don't recall ever seeing a thread on this forum where a cat owner opens the batting by saying how superior cats are. There are plenty however where someone defends cats in response to a poster saying they aren't as good as monos. No the JW's round here are exclusively multihull detractors.

Ok, let's try this then - I've never sailed an Oyster but they are obviously unsafe and sail badly. Now do you see why we stick up for ourselves?
 
Re: What about Trimarans?

Never having owned or sailed on a multihull I think I prefer the look of a Trimaran for cruising.

Why are they so unusual in the UK ?In New Zealand they are quite common but you rarely see a cruising tri in our waters.
 
Re: Putting the cat down

Folks

A few insights I have gathered so far from the forum

1) Most of the posters on the forum are not rabid anti multihull ( that's nice )

2) I do agree that multi owners ( self included ) can come across quile zelous but again I think this is usually a form of "pre-emptive" defence because they are so used to negative comments

3) The type of comment which concerns me was that from Capt Courageous who cited the ban by his club because of a totally incorrect assumption about widths and berths.

4) Given that I know this situation exists in the real world outside this forum then my conclusion is that many of those who support Capt C and his club in their views ( but are perhaps not so courageous ) are not willing to enter into an open debate.

My suspicion is that these are the people with the most rabid anti-multi views but they find it easier to make perpeutiate various myths from the safety of the bar because they know that there is no logic to their positions and hence are not willing to try to defend them

Personally I think that much of the mono vs multi thing is a bit of a distraction. There are good multi's and bad multi's just like there are good mono's and bad mono's. I am really happy that we maintain diverstity in the thinks we like to sail

The issue in my mind is actually to try encourage people to drop the whole "hull form" thing when looking at moorings and marina charges. Sure there will be practical issues which need to be addressed but provided we all have an open mind then these can be sorted without too much angst

Parhaps the one conclusion I can draw from this forum is that perhaps there really are only very few people with support for views like Capt C's
 
Re: What about Trimarans?

simple explanation- they take up more space than a cat in harbour, but have less space inside than a mono. if it weren't for the fact that they generally go like greased poo they'd have been dropped years ago.
 
Re: Putting the cat down

there are dozens of cliques in the boating world - cruisers, racers, classics, dinghies, multihulls, mobos, skiers, jetskis, fishermen and professionals to name but a few. within every clique there are those who are totally intolerant of some or all others and your clubs that ban multis are among them. if you enquire you'll probably find they ban some if not all power boats.

on the other hand you have seen that most of the discussion around here is banter though the odd extremist pops up once in a while and gets flamed.

one thing that generally breaks down the prejudice is to try other forms of boating. i've done most things but to date i've never had a ride on a big mobo so that's something i plan to remedy this season.
 
Re: What about Trimarans?

My first "big" boat was a small crusing tri

The biggest advantage was that there was no "deep companionway" for my kids to fall down. Even as toddlers they could safely make it from the cockpit to their den in the forepeak

By many standards it was not that fast ( but did leave loads of fully crewed up racing mono's in its wake )

It was light enough to trail behind a car and to my knowledge the design had never been flipped over

Modern ones like the Dragonfly fold up and go into a standard marina berth ( so standard marina charges I hope )

I think the biggest downside is cost vs accomodation. However if you want a real thoroghbred sailing machine which can still creep into the shallows I would suggest that a tri is pretty good place to start.
 
Re: Putting the cat down

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i've never had a ride on a big mobo

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You should make a big effort because I'm sure you'd enjoy it. There's something aout the long curving wake which is quite mesmorising and addictive. Doesn't need to be a particularly big one. If I was to be honest, I've driven many more motorboats than sailboats over the years.

Let us know how you get on!
 
Re: Putting the cat down

I've had the opportunity to go out on many forumites boats, small, large, powered, sail. I don't often turn down the opportunity to go on anyones boat unless I have other responsibilities <sigh>, and it's great.

If you'd like to try long distance cruising on a small fast powerboat, you are welcome.
 
Re: What about Trimarans?

There have been a few on the forum but they've been pretty quiet of late. I built mine in the 70s. It was a cruiser/racer, built specifically for the OSTAR so flew along pretty nicely. When lightly laden it would do a steady 14 knots reaching in a F5-6. Once loaded down with all the gear needed for cruising it was pushed to do 10. it nominally had 6 berths but the most we ever slept was 4 and it seemed pretty crowded at that.

On our present cat whose external dimensions are the same to within a couple of inches we have had 7 living aboard for weeks at a time in comfort. Speed on the other hand is a fair bit lower though in a good breeze a 9-knot average is normal.
 
Catamaran

If (sorry:when) I go bluewatersailing, it will be on a cat. More room, less draught, better manouvrability in port (two engines, remember), redundancy in engines (if one fails, the other one takes you home), oodles of space, glass stays on the table at anchor .

I've found only three negative points to cats:
- increased maintenance ( two hulls to anitfoul, two engines)
- need to adapt to the movement (different than on a monohull:more jerky)
- the purchasing cost (value retention is better, though)

Chartered a Lagoon 380 last year. What it lacks in the style departement, it gains in comfort.
 
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