Howdy gang,

I've recently decided to pursue an interest in owning a sailboat. I used to sail a small dinghy when I was younger.... and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Some friends drug me down to Kemah a few weeks ago, and it wasn't any fun to watch them go by! heheh...

Anyhow, I've done some reading and everything seems to be biased towards keelboats. However, I think a cat might be a good fit. I'm looking for thoughts and feedback about it.

Usage:

1. Day sail in clear lake, lake houston, galveston bay area... perhaps Lake Travis on occassion.

2. Should be able to run singlehanded or doublehanded and would be nice to be able to drag along another friend once in a while. i.e. mostly self and a friend would go sailing but I wouldn't mind being able to drag a third friend along in non-performance mode.



3. Must be able to be towed by Jeep wrangler



From what I can tell the keelboats don't look like as much fun. I also have concluded that I should be looking at a cat in the 16 to 18 foot range.



So here's what I would like to find out:

1. Is a cat more suitable for my goals then a dinghy or small keelboat?

2. Does any of this not make sense?

3. Any good books on cats that anyone can recommend? I read the fleet 23 book but it wasn't terribly interesting... (sorry)

4. I thought about looking for a cat that needed some TLC.... is this a good idea? (i'm very handy with projects and don't mind a project). Where are the best places to look for used cats?

Thanks,

Brian

question 1 : A cat is indeed more suitable than for you intended goals than a dinghy. A small keelboat will do better although a cat will give you more excitment. A Keel boat is leasuyre sailing and a cat is sportive sailing.



Question 2 : In broad terms all you say makes sense. With respect to singlehander, doublehander, third person I must say that that is very tough condition to satisfy well. A keelboat may well be better in this versatility than all other boats. Problem with keelboats however is that they get rather rapidly cumbersom with increasing size (3 persons) and will require bigger investments in time and money.



With respect to a cat the condition to singlehand and doublehand properly is something a few boats do offer but non of them with combine singlehand and triple hand well. So I would advice you to give priority to one side of the spectrum :single-double hand; double-triple hande. and accept that the other side of the spectrum is not really practical. Some will tell you that some boat do all well, but that is misleading at best. A good singlehander puts a set of requirements on the boat that a triple hander would not and vica versa. The two roles are often in conflict with eachother. Example, A triple hander needs to be more robust and heavier with more volume and more sailpower. A singlenhander needs to rather lighter than heavier and limted in sailpower to be safe to sail and to be able to right her after capsize.



Question 3 : rick white cat sailing for the 90's;



Question 4 ; if your handy yes



Boat typs ein order of affordability :



Singelhand-double hand :



Prindle 16

Hobie 16

Nacra 5.0

Dart 18

Mystere 5.0

... (leap in cost) ...

F16's (Taipans, Stealths, Bim F16's, Ventilo Zipo 16)



Doublehander - triple hander :



Prindle 18

Hobie 18

Nacra 5.5

Mystere 5.5

...(leap in cost)...

F18HT's (Bim Javelin 2, Ventilo F18HT)

F18's (Tigers, Nacra inetr18 Nacra F18, Mystere Twister)





I hope this helps



Wouter

Brian,



Yes, a used cat the way to go unless you have the bucks to go new. The upcoming seasons fall, winter and spring (here in NJ) allows for the time to really put on the ritz concerning a project.



There is many locations and boards for cats, especially Ebay in which a Texas fellow has one for for bid.



I also was interested in sailing solo, so for massive ease of use a "14" was elected of vintage era. It was also elected it must be a project.



Mike

Brian,



if you are looking for a dinghy/keelboat, the RS K6 could be in interesting alternative. I am sailing a cat myself, but consider the RS K6 because you can bring non-sailors along as well. While certainly not as exciting as a cat, the boat is very fast and easy to handle.



http://www.rondarboats.com/k6tests.html

http://www.ldcracingsailboats.co.uk/rsk6.asp



Cheers,

Philipp

Hi there,



I LIVE in Kemah, on Clear L. Shores Island. You want local info, email me and I'll be glad to get you in touch with local cat sailor guys.



email vileine18sq@hotmail.com

sea ya

tami

If you're looking used, one to consider is a Hobie-18 with the magnum or SX "wings". You can single hand an 18 up to decent wind conditions - the furling jib gives you options in sail plan on the fly. I've single-handed mine in up to low 20's but I weigh 200+. The wings give you extra leverage for trapping single-handed, and also give real estate for bring along extra friends. I've sailed with four adults - you won't win speed records but it's decent fun. Another good thing about the wings is that if you are squeamish about trapezing, you don't have to - hiking from the wings gives almost (but not quite) the righting moment of trapping from the hulls.



Downside - the boat is a bit heavy, it takes a little muscle/creativity to move it around by myself, but I have. It may also require careful planning for the event you may need to right it by yourself, but this will be an issue for any boat you want for multi-purpose.



The best thing about this option is that the boats are fairly available and affordable on the used and new market. They're pretty robust as well. Maybe not the best option for racing, but certainly a great alternative for what you are looking for.

If you settle on getting a cat, check out the ultimate catamaran buyers guide at the address below. It covers used boat pricing as well.



http://www.sailingproshop.com/catamaran.htm

may i suggest a hobie 17? i grew up on a 16' but sold it years ago. i was always pissed about it bitch-poling, i mean 'pitch' . since moving to the charleston on the ocean i bought a 17'. i have had it a year. i love it. i love the wings to hike out on . the one mainsail is all you need. mine an 87 model that was never used. i had to replace almost everything from roting out to sailing all the time and wearing things out. i usually sail alone but when it gets above 20 knots ballast is needed, and then you really fly.

If you're going to buy an "experienced" boat, let me throw my hat in the ring for a supercat.



I have nowhere near the sailing experience of the other posters on this forum as this is my first summer (here in mich that means 3 months).



Having said that the quote "I don't know art, but I know what I like comes to mind".



I absolutely love my S/C 17, and when talking to other owners, you don't hear many negatives. They are hard to pitchpole, they don't have umpteen lines for sail shape, Aquarius Sail still supports them (Tom is great), and you don't see a lot of them, which is kinda cool.



Anyway, the "test drive" is the free part & I don't know enough about sailing to argue the technical merits of one boat vs. any other...but I spent my $ on a supercat. I think everybody here would agree that whatever you purchase, the important thing is to have fun with it .



fair winds,



davey

I loved every sailboat that I ever owned or sailed. From the 9' SportYak with its plastic lateen sail and oar for a rudder, to the 54' Irwin ketch and all of the Lasers, windsurfers, centerboarders, and Hobies in between. It's where you are (lake, ocean), not the boat that is important. It's the journey not the destination.

With that little bit of Zen behind us let's tackle the problem. The boat that you can sail the most often is the best boat for you. If you can car top a windsurfer or Laser to work with you and then sail in the evening then that may me the right size boat for you. I used to drag my Laser down the beach almost every evening and watch the sun go down from offshore. Would it have been more fun if I were on a beach cat? Maybe, but being on the ocean every night was and is priceless regardless of the boat you are on.

If the need for speed is what sets you free then consider a motorcycle and a Laser or a big beach cat like the Hobie20. I single hand mine all the time, its easy. Catamarans are incredibly stable. Sometimes I carry 8 or 9 people on board and sometimes I tow a tube with a couple of kids behind. Its all fun. One fact of life about all beach cats is that they are all very wet boats. Which is fine as long as you and your guests are prepared, but if your girlfriend doesn't really like to get her hair wet then you might want to get a stable center boarder like a Flying Scott. If you are day sailing with girls onboard then you had better be ready for bathroom breaks if you ever want them to sail with you again. That may require a boat with a small cabin. There are lots to choose from. Like I said, its more about where you are (on the water) than what you are there on. If you are just trying to please yourself then keep in mind that often simpler is better. Sometimes I prefer my windsurfer to the Hobie 20 because it is simpler and easier and it gets me on the water quicker.

One thing for sure is that you will always be on the lookout for the right boat. It never ends.

Best of luck

One boat you might look at is a G-cat.They haven't been built for a while but parts can be had. Its a very simple boat,No boards or extra lines.I have a couple of friends who have them and they love them.A couple other nice features are the front tramp and they perform very well.I had a Hobie 18 mag.for16 years and loved every minute of it.

While it's obvious there are too many cats to list, the Nacra 5.2 didn't make Wouter's list and it's one of the few catamarans that actually had both a single handed and double handed rating a while back (now it's just a weight mod). The boat is great for single or double handing but it does get a bit cramped with three on board....By the way, I've got one for sale! (yes, I paid for an add and yes, that was shameless).



http://webpages.charter.net/jakekohl/

;;;

Dont you hate it when you want an answer and you get opinions?

Hoble 18.

I bought a Hobie 18 last Labor day. It's my first boat, that I have owned, and is great fun to sail. I like the simplicity of it (my fiance' and I can rig it in 25 min.) and it is almost indestructable.
There are a lot of boats out there that will out perform it, but when I see everyone else at the regattas stressing out about pebbles on the beach and getting carpet or PVC H's laid out so they can launch a boat I just smile. The tank-like construction is heavy, but I frequently fly a hull with myself and two adult women(cool) and I have yet to be sent in due to high winds.
I would like to have a Hobie 14 beater, AND a Taipan, but for now I am pretty happy with the ol' Hobie 18. Great boat for a first time buyer, and at least out West, there is a pretty good class going.