| Re: The A Cat
[Re: davefarmer]
#173177 03/29/09 07:26 PM 03/29/09 07:26 PM |
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 613 New Hampshire, USA windswept
addict
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addict
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 613 New Hampshire, USA | If you go to this link there is an email link that you can send a message out to all of us A-cat sailors. You will get quite a few different answers. http://www.usaca.info . Or you can ask Lars guck at Gunkinc.com. He is a great promoter of the class. Or post this question in the A-Cat forum at the bottom of the forum page.
Last edited by windswept; 03/29/09 07:27 PM.
Tom Siders A-Cat USA-79 Tornado US775
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: windswept]
#173183 03/30/09 03:42 AM 03/30/09 03:42 AM |
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 246 Kiel, Germany Baltic
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 246 Kiel, Germany | - You are totally independent (rigging, beaching and sailing) - Fast, according to Texel- and SCHRS-ratings faster as a F18 (and as a Hobie 14-18 anyway ...) - the only class with true innovations (e.g. curved daggerboards) due to less strict class rules compared to F18s or Tornados - it will take enough time to get the most out of your mail before you feel to have the desire for a spin
Kai
F18: C2 / A-Cat: Minelli
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Baltic]
#173187 03/30/09 06:41 AM 03/30/09 06:41 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 12,310 South Carolina Jake
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 12,310 South Carolina | Several have rigged spinnakers but honestly, it doesn't need it. I thought I would miss the spinnaker when I first got my a-cat but after experiencing it downwind in 12 knots for the first time, a spinnaker is completely unnecessary! It's a great boat for all the reasons mentioned above...
Jake Kohl | | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Baltic]
#173295 03/30/09 08:08 PM 03/30/09 08:08 PM |
Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 805 Gainesville, FL 32607 USA dacarls
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 805 Gainesville, FL 32607 USA | 1. Every time I lift my 166 pound high-speed, high-performance boat, my back says "Thank you very much!" 2. Who the hey needs a 450 pound boat?
Dacarls: A-class USA 196, USA 21, H18, H16 "Nothing that's any good works by itself. You got to make the damn thing work"- Thomas Edison
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: ThunderMuffin]
#173307 03/30/09 08:41 PM 03/30/09 08:41 PM |
Joined: Sep 2002 Posts: 3,224 Roanoke Island ,N.C. Team_Cat_Fever
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,224 Roanoke Island ,N.C. | 2. Who the hey needs a 450 pound boat? Those of us that are 240lbs :P Keep telling yourself that.
"I said, now, I said ,pay attention boy!"
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea Isak Dinesen If a man is to be obsessed by something.... I suppose a boat is as good as anything... perhaps a bit better than most. E. B. White
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: ThunderMuffin]
#173339 03/31/09 08:37 AM 03/31/09 08:37 AM |
Joined: Sep 2002 Posts: 3,224 Roanoke Island ,N.C. Team_Cat_Fever
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,224 Roanoke Island ,N.C. | And you'll stay the same non-sailing, over yapping, under experienced,excuse making,bad advice giving, Ronald McDonald boat breaking BEEAAAAHHHCCCHHHH that you are now. :P :P :P :P
"I said, now, I said ,pay attention boy!"
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea Isak Dinesen If a man is to be obsessed by something.... I suppose a boat is as good as anything... perhaps a bit better than most. E. B. White
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Team_Cat_Fever]
#173404 03/31/09 07:57 PM 03/31/09 07:57 PM |
Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 190 lesburn1
member
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member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 190 | I was always a little embarrass that I weighted more than the last 18Sq that I built! It weight in at 220 lb.
lesburn1.blogspot.com
A-Cat USA 49 18Sq 49
member- Royal Society for Making Cool Stuff
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Bajan_Bum]
#173469 04/01/09 09:33 AM 04/01/09 09:33 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 3,116 Annapolis, MD Mark Schneider
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,116 Annapolis, MD | The first call to make is whether you like RACING solo or with a partner. The racing experience is very different and both are fun in different ways. The team aspect of getting the boat to move is a lot of fun as is the private experience of a solo boat flying upwind or down. (if you go solo... make sure you buy beer for your friends with a sloop boat... crewing is still fun as well)
The next big decision is whether you RACE solo with a chute or not. Since you only have two hands... racing a spin boat shifts your attention slightly. You have to get the boat around the corners first and then worry about the fleet. The simpler A cat allows you to race your competitors around the corner a lot more aggressively.
Another factor is the length of the race course that prevails in your area. A short race course will get old fast with a spin boat... (one or two man).
Finally, if you want to race today... it comes down to what is popular in your area right now. Growing a fleet is slow and unpredictable. You rarely see a region with equal numbers in the classes.
Bob Hodges had a great description of the two forms of racing... but I just can't remember it..
crac.sailregattas.com
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Bajan_Bum]
#173470 04/01/09 09:38 AM 04/01/09 09:38 AM |
Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 2,844 42.904444 N; 88.008586 W Todd_Sails
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,844 42.904444 N; 88.008586 W | When you read the rosters at regattas, many of the most seasoned sailors seem to flock to them. I can uncerstand.
If you've seen one up close, everything is carbon, even the carbon is made out of carbon. Every bolt, wire, line, is the lightest possible. They are truely often a work of art, and FAST too.
Years ago, living on the island of Galveston, I had a windsurfer-for the too windy/no crew days; and a P18-2, for the other days. I had the entire summer off- paid (school teacher at the time). Good days.
F-18 Infusion #626- SOLD it!
'Long Live the Legend of Chris Kyle'
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Bajan_Bum]
#173485 04/01/09 10:39 AM 04/01/09 10:39 AM |
Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 6,049 Sebring, Florida. Timbo
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,049 Sebring, Florida. | There are several used A's listed on the A cat website, and try this Classified tab at the top of this page.
Blade F16 #777
| | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Timbo]
#173487 04/01/09 10:51 AM 04/01/09 10:51 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 75 Ljubljana, Slovenia mayhem
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 75 Ljubljana, Slovenia | Over the past 10 years, I am amazed how many active 20ft (n6.0, i20, etc) racers have moved to A-class. Most of the time, I would honestly rather be screaming along with a N6.0+spi, but as I get older I have less time to rig and organize crew. Also, I have less need for the high wind ultra high adrenalin but want a good, full drug, rush even in light wind (which is more common when your sailing days get reduced).
Downwind, the A-class is still fast like spin cats (mostly)if you sail it very, very well. The biggest downside is that they are very fragile. You must handle them with care (especially on land), but their light weight makes this easy. | | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Bajan_Bum]
#173493 04/01/09 11:08 AM 04/01/09 11:08 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 12,310 South Carolina Jake
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 12,310 South Carolina | What about the cost of the A-Cat? And I don't mean in comparison to any other boat. Just ball park figures. I bought a new-looking, well maintained, kevlar 2000 Boyer MKIV last year for $7500 with a nice trailer, two decent mainsails (one had been sailed three times although it was an older sail), a full Kinder yard cover, foil covers, a relatively new harness, and a beach dolly. Believe it or not, it's actually proven to be a relatively competitive boat even with the older designed mainsails (or maybe BECAUSE of the older mainsail!). I've got a new main coming soon and it will be interesting to see what that does for me. If you buy a new boat outright, you're looking at around $20 to $22k and most don't come with a sail (since they're typically custom made to weight and wishes).
Jake Kohl | | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: Jake]
#173509 04/01/09 12:36 PM 04/01/09 12:36 PM | andrewscott
Unregistered
| andrewscott
Unregistered | it's actually proven to be a relatively competitive boat even with the older designed mainsails (or maybe BECAUSE of the older mainsail!). OR MAYBE it sails fast because of the Lose Nut benind the tiller ! | | | Re: The A Cat
[Re: ]
#173510 04/01/09 12:43 PM 04/01/09 12:43 PM |
Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 1,253 Columbia South Carolina, USA dave mosley
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,253 Columbia South Carolina, USA | what he's saying is...Despite all of his boats inadequacies, the skipper is fast! JK JAKEY!
The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" Matthew 8:27
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