Yesterday I grew up.

geem said:
It's definitely apples and oranges. Our pre Elite Snowgoose had a 8ft taller mast, laminate sails, foam core under all the bunks, foam core table and doors. She was light by Snowgoose standards. We had a fast Atlantic circuit in here in 2004/5. We kept her light and as a result, she had good sailing performance. The problem was, we could never carry all the things we wanted onboard. By comparison, we now have two Brompton bikes, two sets of dive gear, kite boards, wing boards, wings, kites, two sewing machines, 500 litre diesel tank, 800 litre water tank, large hard dinghy and we still out perform the Snowgoose.
A modern cruising cat of 44/45 ft is a floating home. My experience of them is they are slow. Slower than our monohull. This isn't their purpose. They aren't designed to sail quickly. They are designed to provide comfortable accommodation with lots of space. Unless you go to a performance cat, where load lugging becomes a problem again, just like our snowgoose, then you have to accept mediocre performance. Lagoon, FP and Leopard are such boats. Quality of construction is also questionable. They are mass produced with cheap materials. They are heavy. Even so, their popularity is increasing. They are not for me
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I agree 100 percent. I love my Prout Snowgeese because it was built in the interim period between established monohulls and emerging catamarans. This caused the early catamarans to be built to monohull standards before it was discovered that the new catamaran buyers were looking for a three story floating apartment. The modern catamaran with it's fly bridge and a galley to serve pot noodles (probably just ybw posters) is good to go.
 
Blueboatman said:
I likened it to sitting in an inflatable dinghy tethered to the dock on a slightly too short painter.
I like Hobie cats though .
And I have never sailed a Wharram
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I sailed a Wharram as crew.for a day. When I saw how the boat is lashed together with bits of rope and string I admit I spent the cruise looking astern for any bits that may have fallen off.
 
KevinV said:
It means "infinite life" - as in it will last forever because you'll never be desperate enough to actually consume the 'orrible thing.
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The direct translation is Friar Bento.
Bento, in Japanese, means lunch box, which is often a metal tin.
But don't order the steak and kidney bento when eating at a Japanese restaurant.
 
BurnitBlue said:
I sailed a Wharram as crew.for a day. When I saw how the boat is lashed together with bits of rope and string I admit I spent the cruise looking astern for any bits that may have fallen off.
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Allows for flexing instead of shearing bulkheads and delaminatingfloors……sailed one downwind in a gale off the Portugesecoast. Very comfortable ride
 
Wansworth said:
Allows for flexing instead of shearing bulkheads and delaminatingfloors……sailed one downwind in a gale off the Portugesecoast. Very comfortable ride
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Do you mean they didn't know how to design / engineer it stiff enough so opted for the bit of string approach 😁
 
Wansworth said:
It’s a tried and tested system!
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I can well imagine it being very effective indeed at that.
And we do love a steadfast comfortable passage without dramas..

Had a small unstayed rig boat for years, and the mast bending simply absorbed the loads put upon it without any twanging rigging transferring them to the hull.

(Also, of course, like a Wharram, no rigging to fail, just bits of string available anywhere pretty much )
 
Wansworth said:
It’s a tried and tested system!
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From the Wildlings Sailing vblog his 40 foot "ocean going wharram carameran" is not only roped together but his mast is held upright with rope admittedly Dyneems. I don't see how the various tensions will play out because the mast whips about like a fishing rod.

He is heading south via Biscay. I really wish him well with the weather because I don't see how a such a loose rig can fight off a lee shore.
 
BurnitBlue said:
From the Wildlings Sailing vblog his 40 foot "ocean going wharram carameran" is not only roped together but his mast is held upright with rope admittedly Dyneems. I don't see how the various tensions will play out because the mast whips about like a fishing rod.

He is heading south via Biscay. I really wish him well with the weather because I don't see how a such a loose rig can fight off a lee shore.
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Ithought most of the Wharram used lower aspect rigs?
 
Wansworth said:
Ithought most of the Wharram used lower aspect rigs?
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Whatever rig they used the difference between fighting to get away from a lee shore and a normal headwind is chalk and cheese. It is the sea state not the wind that makes it sometimes impossible to do it without a seagoing boat exceptional seamanship and good luck. As the depth decreases the waves get higher and then they rebound off the shore creating a jumbled sea state you would not believe. The waves can stop a boat in seconds and the direction of the boat is at the mercy of fortune making it impossible to get going again. Meanwhile leeway will put the boat ashore. I am greatly disturbed by the almost universal advice to sail south inside the 20 meter line to avoid orcas which puts a boat at risk of being embayed. Wharren's are great on the open ocean.

Well, now that I have cheered you all up its time for my dinner.
 
Has anyone ever read any bad experiences of Wharram cats?

I thought I read a lot, but have not read or heard of them performing badly or breaking up.
 
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