sailing big cats

[David McLaughlin]

The pics in the random pictures thread got me thinking (always a dangerous thing). What's it like to sail a cat? I've sailed lots of dingies and worked my way up to my old 25' sloop. That boat went away after taking my wife out in rough seas. She never liked the whole healing over thing either while I loved putting the gunnels under. I've been thinking more and more about chartering a bare boat somewhere south.

[Dantilla]

Kinda like this, I guess....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0oViZ0vSno&feature=share

[enzo1]

cool! ^^^

[pwd72s]

I've sailed both cats and dinghies on a mountain reservoir with shifting winds.

The cat is MUCH faster and not as forgiving. The dinghy will point higher....
You really need to watch and learn sail trim in a cat...but the boat is the teacher.
After you've brought a cat back up a few times, you'll learn to trim.

Oh...and try not to sail a cat in water shallower than the mast is tall....it's quite embarassing to flip & stick the mast in the mud.

Never messed with the bigger boats much, other than crewing for friend Stan Mott while he was in the Caribbean...

[nota]

I owned a Wharram poly con 31

kind of the slow end of big cats

but it did have a F-27 racing tri rig and sails

so not real slow
but not as quick as some of the 50+ foot charter boats are
or the real racers

[Don Plumley]

They are wonderful for cruising about - very livable, no heeling, etc. Great for the family. Sure, you don't get the visceral feeling of the wind, boat heeling over with the spray on your face. But that gets old after a short period of time, so for a multiple day adventure Cat's are wonderful. Plus there's this:

[LeeH]

When I saw the title I thought you meant this:

[tevake]

I'm sure that Oracle boat is just what your wife wants, not.
The challenge is to find a charter boat that still gives you some decent sailing. Most are designed toward the guests comfort, big cabins, lots of heads, low wing clearance, very Conservative rig and sail plan. etc. They still get around OK but do lack the sailing thrills that some sailors are wanting.
Its a matter of finding the balance that suits. Post when you zero in on some particular boats so we can chime in for you.

Cheers Richard

[svandamme]

[krystar]

not a big cat...but has anyone sailed a hobie trifoiler? i hear crazy stories about that thing.

[kach22i]

Closest I've been was on a hobie cat on an inland lake just moving along at a mild pace.

It was like being on a waterbed (when lying down), very relaxing, close your eyes and feel the stress leave your body.

[scottmandue]

Not what you are looking for but...

I had a Hobie 18'

Badass... puff of wind and it accelerated like a muscle car! Nothing in the harbor could keep up with it, even most power boats.

I did have to be constanly vigilant where we were going, think three steps ahead.

I would love to have another one someday... sigh...

[enzo1]

Originally Posted by krystar

not a big cat...but has anyone sailed a hobie trifoiler? i hear crazy stories about that thing.

what kind of stories? They look like fun, dunno...

[T77911S]

i/we had an 18ft solcat. you cal guys may know the boat. very fast.

tacking is the hardest thing to learn/figure out.

i was self taught and i sailed my boat by myself most of the time. here is what i came up with to tack the cat:

pop the jib and let it lose, push the tiller hard to turn into the wind. pull in the main sheet, watch the jib and as it gets into the wind, sheet it in on the, what was the leeward side, then as the jib catches, release the main so the jib pushes the bow around. you have to be carefull. if the boat does not turm, and the jib starts to back the boat up, push the tiller to the other side. as the bow comes around, release the jib and sheet it in on the new leeward side, then sheet in the main.

cats turn like a freight train. releasing the jib in the begining keeps the wind from pushing the bow away from where you are turning, keeping the main sheeted in, helps with moving forward. then once into the wind, the jib is used to push the bow around, then get it moving.

i have never sailed a bigger cat, but i would think they are about the same. mono hull boats point up wind they are sooo esy to tack.

if you keep both sails sheeted in, you will NEVER get past the center wind.

[tevake]

Laird Hamilton used to sail one here in Hanalei years ago when he was getting into the foil thing for tow in surfboards. They do seem very fast in spurts while on foil.