Hi, I have a small Catamaran with a large problem. When the wind picks up, my hulls and fiberglass deck become submerged. Is they something I can do to prevent this. Here is a link to some pictures of it.
Also, I am still looking to learn the Make, Model etc.

marshallkel@limestone.on.ca

[/color] [color:"red"] [/color]...dex&include=view_album.php]BeachCats "Unidentified Cats" [color:"blue"] [/color] [color:"blue"] [/color]

Hello G G

Unsure of the boat make, it looks like it has narror low volume bows with hulls that have a built in skeg combined with generous sail area ,-that combination of narrow bow 13 ft Length and proportionately larger sail area lead to the bow down characteristics in higher winds .

Some suggestions to counteract this are -
1 -rake the mast aft more ,--accomplish this by adjusting the stays ,lengthening the forward stay and shortening the sides .-
2 add a roller furler for the jib and roll the jib or take the jib off --per photo ,--when the wind picks up .
3- be sure to move crew and gear weight aft towards the sterns when the wind kicks in .
4 -more drastic ,but you may consider removing the heavier solid deck portion and replacing it with a mesh trampoline -available through your local sail loft or here on Catsailors store , provided the crossbeams are of adquate strength without the deck .The added forward weight of the solid deck is a contributor to the bow down characteristic .

All multihull craft can become overpowered and have this bow down tendancy as the wind increases ,-some much more than others as per this example.
aft mast rake -crew weight aft ,and reduce sail are common to all cats as wind increases proportionately .

Hope this is helpfull --all the best .
Carl

That looks like a unique piece of history...nicely restored too! I don't have any idea what that is either.

However, the design of the boat looks like it will just be prone to submerging the bow. The stern of the boat (with what appears to be the gudgeons where the rudders attach) seems to extend very far aft while the bows are very short in relation to the ****. The bow submarining appears to be largely due to the nature of the design. Ideally the amount of bow out front should look like the sterns do now...if only you could move the **** and mast back closer to the rudders!

Everything that Carl said above is certainly true. Try raking the mast back as much as possible and keep your crew weight as far toward the back as you can in order to minimize this tendancy.

Do you know what kind of catamaran it is?

Hi Jake
responded to being shot by Roxy and Gunner-girl ,-
is this becomming an ongoing trend

How about a review -update on the regatta over the weekend for the forum when you get time ?-would enjoy reading about it and the sail-max team crews racing .
thanks
Carl

How about reefing the main sail? Reefing points can be added by most sailmaker and they should help alot.

If the mast in inserted in the sail sleeve (Laser 1 setup) you can roll the sail around the mast a few times to reduce the sail area. If the sail is inserted in the mast track (regular catamaran setup), you will have to modify it to install a reefing point.
I know that I used to sail with a Hobie 16 in pretty rough (windsurf) conditions and reefing the main really made a huge difference.



Charles Leblanc

Nice boat, remind me a Katyak we had when I was a kid (a small cat, with a sail like a Sunfish). It was quite slow, but very fun to sail on bad weather, the tip would sink sometimes, but the boat would never capsize (and never raise a hull).
The problem could be on the weight of the crew, cats ar more sensitive to weight than other boats, because of the shape of the hulls. This cat is probably for only one sailor.

Usually I am the only one on it. A couple of times I have went out and have had water come over the deck. The bow had gone under. I quickly turned the rutter and released the gib/jib.
The mast is about 20ft high, it attaches to a clip and a pulley is at the top and that is how I raise the sail. There is definately way too much sail for a newbie like myself.
Please forgive the fact that I don't know all of the technical terms.

Cats do this. The smaller the cat the quicker the problem happens. On bigger cats stuffing the bow past the front crossbeam usually happens just before you break something really expensive. On very small cats it's part of the fun. You are not going fast enough to hurt yourself and the boat is easy to right.

From what you said, the boat doesn't pitchpole easily. It just digs it's nose in and goes real slow.

First, try raking the mast back. Rake the mast back until it gets hard to steer or something else bad seems to happen, then rake it forward a little.


Second, Keep your weight to the rear of the boat and hang on. If you go sliding forward, the boat will probably flip over.

Third, Ease the sail. When the nose digs in, release the jib or ease the main. As you get better you will do this just before the nose digs in.

Fourth, If the boat is small enough and light enough use you weight (manhandle it). If you have hiking straps. Sit to the rear with your feet under the straps. When the nose STARTS submerge, lean out and back and pull up with your feet like you are trying to pull the nose up. Sometimes it works

Fifth, Have fun.

Oh my gawd... that was the first cat I sailed on as a kid. My best friend owned it and we had a blast! Yeah, it did like to dig for the bottom but we never pitchpoled it and we always had pile of kids on it. Ah good times!

Dave

Dave, Do you know what the name of the cat is, or where they were made?

I hope you can remember who manufactured it. The man who sold it to my Dad, owned a Marina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and has since retired and moved to Vancouver. My Dad and Brother flipped (is that pitchpoled?) it a couple of times 20 years ago. My mother had to go rescue them. My brother was flung into the sail ! He later wanted my Dad to "Do it again!" lol

Pitchpole is when the cat flips over from the front, not the side.

With the exception of Mary Wells , you're not a catsailor until you've done this.