(Disclaimer: This is my opinion and if you don't like it, please don't flame me. Correct me if you might, but don't fault me for expressing my opinion.)

The average beachcat, the ones that we are familiar with on this forum, has boards that are designed to be used in conditions where you have two average sized men going 4-11 knots of boat speed upwind in 3-15 knots of true wind. Go faster, travel with extra crew weight, or sail in higher winds or in very rough seas and then you are over exposed when it comes to your dagger boards.

Bring the boards partially up and this will not only reduce the amount of stress upon them, but will reduce the amount of leverage that they have against the hull at the boards' base where they pass through the hull's keel.

It is my understanding that these boards are designed for 10 knots of boat speed, with standard crew weight. That boat speed will allow these boards to produce a certain amount of lift and that lift will be accompanied by a proportional amount of side force and drag.

If you overload your catamaran, if you go faster than 10 knots, or if you have more than 15 knots of wind, you should probably begin to reduce the amount of dagger board surface area that you have in the water.

This is especially true with high-aspect ratio dagger boards. The forces acting on the bottom end of the board have so much leverage upon the keel line section of the board! Give them a break; raise them up a few inches.

GARY