hey all,
I am interested in getting a cat . but it gets worse...im only 14...which means my budget is small. but here is the criteria (or however you spell it)
1 small enough so that less than 300lbs can right it
2 it needs to be able to sail with 3 people on it
3 under 3k

Seems pretty difficult to find a cat right for me so im askin the people who would know.
And i can get my dad to pick the boat up if its in florida, mississippi, alabama, georgia, tennessee, and northcarolina.

thanx a ton,
scott

Scott,

I think you have a lot of options available to you. Three people on board, however, depends on how small those three people are. Judging that you are 14 yrs old, I suspect they are smallish.

A Hobie 18 will easily manage three people with comfort enough to sail all day - there are quite a few around for sale too. It's a little more complicated because of the daggerboards but with a roller furling jib, it gives you a great power reduction option. A Hobie 16 would be a little harder to put three people on unless they were all pretty small - the 16 doesn't have a whole lot of reserve buoyancy either. Parts for either are 100% easily available.

Nacra's - size wise, you probably don't want to put three people on anything less than a 5.5 - that can be a pretty powerful boat though too. Parts are very available but a little more pricy.

G-Cats all have a lot of buoyancy and a forward trampoline! The G-cat 5.0 is a great boat (there's a fleet of them here in Columbia). If you can find one, take a look at it - it's a boat with a lot of flexibility (not to mention they're quite fast too). One just sold on ebay not too long ago. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3616058319&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1 . Parts for specific things like the rudder system are a bit tough to come by. Trampolines and sails are readily available.

Supercat 17 (if you can find one in your price range) might be an option too.

thanx jake, your info is greatly appreciated. I agree with you, 3 people on 14-16 cat is a bit awkward. You mentioned the hobie 18...its definanty a possiblity for me and they are for sale everywhere, but the boat I need only needs to hold 3 people for a month, just until my friend (14 yr old) and I can sail without my dad. The thing i have agains the TheMightyHobie18 or any other 18 foot cat is that i dont think we could right it without help. THats why i was leaning towards some thing smaller...maybe a 16' or a dragoon. im not very familar with all of the brands and makes of boats so i dont really know what is available.
thanx for all your help.
scott

Given your second post I would suggest, getting a H16, Prindle 16 or nacra 5.0

They will all take you, your friend and dad for a month and then be pretty much fun for the two of you without big bucks or being to much overpowered. All of these will carry you very well till you both gain weight after 18-20. They are light enough to be easy on the back and can I know the Prindle 16 can be righted by 300 lbs or a little less.

Wouter

In that case, I agree with Wouter - a 16' boat (or thereabout) would probably be your best bet.

P.S., I must say...you sound like you are very knowledgeable about cats already and are going about choosing a catamaran wisely! Kudos!

Hans Geissler ([email protected]) has a G-Cat 5.0 (16') for sale at the factory in FL. These are great boats that can handle a lot of situations.
They are simple to sail, in that they don't have a ton of adjustments (though if you want to race you'll probably start adding adjustment features) and no dagger/centerboards.
They have enough bouyancy to carry about 1000lbs (that's like you and 9 pretty girls), and with the front trampoline they've got the space to seat about 6 people easily.
Though parts are sometimes difficult to find, it's easy to retrofit more accessable parts onto these boats. Hobie rudders can go on the back, a H16 mast tang works just like the stock one, etc.
These boats are built very tough. There is a lot of fiberglass in the keel area so you don't have to worry about hitting rocks when you beach the boat. They have styrafoam blocks in the hull for extra support and floatation.

What can I say, I'm biased At 5'10" and 145lbs, I solo a G-Cat 5.7M (18') on Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico fairly often.

I also started when I was 14yrs old. I had crewed for my neighbor who was 17 on his Hobie 16 and got really interested in it.

So... my dad bought me a 1980 Hobie 14 for $500 in the late fall. So all winter I read: Catamaran Sailing - From Start to Finish by Phil Berman. The next summer I was sailing, making mistakes. Luckily there were a couple of older guys on the beach that were very nice that showed me a lot of tricks. Then, of course the local Hobie fleet helped a lot too.

Spent 3 years on the H14 and I bought a Hobie18mag... then after a stint with a H17, I ended up with an H14 turbo.

I say go with the H14. Just plain fun!

hey im scott's friend who will (hopefully) be sailing the boat with him....
right now he is in florida with his family and he and his dad are looking for a catamaran
so i really hope he finds one
Thanks for all the help everyone
-James [color:"blue"] [/color]

Both are Hans Geisller's boats, a 16 and an 18
Check us out at www.seacats.org for more information. I sailed the 16 for 4 years, its a great boat, easily righted, and fast.

David Mosley
www.seacats.org