http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/catsirl/detail?.dir=ee50re2&.dnm=443are2.jpg&.src=ph
Same Event - This years Nationals. This one is "Dermot" I won that event <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Total 27 cats: 9 Dart 16s, 2 Dart 18s, 1 FX-one. The rest were Spitfires, Tigers and Hurricane 5.9s.

Great slide show Dermot! Nice job on the first place too, looks like you had plenty of wind.

Actually, Hobie did originally use linear polyethylene but I believe they went to the cross linked poly about the same time they started making the hulls thicker (or double walled I think). I believe they made the change to increase the durability of the boat (it also made it heavier).

There are resin systems available now that will repair all the poly products. They tend to be very expensive and many were originally developed for the automobile industry particularly for repairing "thermal" bumpers etc, also as glues for bonding metal panels to metal instead of welding as well as metal to any/all types of "plastic" and of course plastics to other, different plastics.

Thanks Tim.
I know that I am "off topic", but there are some video clips taken the evening before the event on www.catamaran.ie No. 1 is a good one of Amy Jayne, driving the Spitfire downwind from the wire.

I just watched it, very nice, where was she sailing?

I wonder if it would make sense to attach a solid, sacraficial strip or sole of plastic to the keels so that they could be replaced when they start wearing down. Some of the big cats do that.

Old Towne Canoe sells a kevlar stip to glue onto the bottom of canoes for that reason, you could probably do the same with any cat, I don't know if it would "stick" to rotomolded plastic though. Maybe Hobie already sells one for their kyaks?

How 'bout screws or rivets?

If its not carbon its crap.

The Dart 16 weighs much less too.

Its in between the Wave and the Getaway in terms of performance. I was disappointed when I rented the Getaway, way too heavy.

This coming from a man with a carbon fiber A cat. I have to wonder why you even mentioned you were on a roto-boat when you think they stink so much?

That is like a jet fighter trying a 2-seater Cessna and commenting on it's performance. What can you know about low performance catamarans? You sitting there all high and mighty on your speed demon, looking back at the rest of the World.

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />Dan

The Dart 16 is not as slow as some people think, sailed singlehanded, it is rated faster than the Dart 18 and the Hobie 16. It points much higher than either of them.
In a force 5, I have seen equal ability crews racing head to head, Dart 16 and 18, both two up. The 16 reached the top mark first because of its pointing ability. The course was triangular - a beat and 2 reaches. The 18 only caught up at the bottom mark and the 16 was ahead again by the top mark.

Tim, The video clips were taken in September on the Friday evening of our Nationals at Lough Derg on the river Shannon.

AHA! So there is capability of "more kick" than the Getaway in a roto boat. Dart 16 faster than the Hobie 16? Oops, I guess Hobie won't be building a speedy roto model (oh yeah, in 10 years...maybe). So there's NOT a market in the continental US for a boat such as the Dart 16?

Dermot,

With all due respect, but your following statement is not true.



Compare the SCHRS (ISAF) ratings : source www.schrs.com (lower number means faster)

Hobie 16 = 1.16
Dart 18 = 1.18
Dart 18 cat boat (1-up only mainsail) = 1.19

Dart 16 = 1.28
Dart 16 cat boat (1-up only mainsail) = 1.26
Dart 16 spi = 1.25

Wouter

Unfortunatly there is no way to repair a storm damaged getaway. Remember they are made of plastic... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

The reason these boats sell well is not because they are made of plastic, it is because they are simple and robust. The reason they are made from plastic is that it is a cheap process, when the boats can be sold in large enough numbers. They can be sold at a similar price to a GRP boat and can therefore be sold at a higher profit. With the big companies profit is important.

The majority of sailors don’t care about performance. And certainly performance doesn’t sell in large numbers. You could make a rotomoulded boat of equal performance to a GRP boat but the complexity required would not make it popular and it wouldn’t sell in large enough quantities to make it financially viable.

As for reparability, they can be repaired, its not as easy as GRP, but you don’t have to do it that often. In fact has anyone ever seen a damaged rotomoulded boat?

So to answer the original question



I think the answer is probably no.

Gareth

Wouter, Wth All due respect - you missed the Dart 16 Sprint = 1.13. Now this does include a spinnaker, but if you take that out, you get approx. 1.15. Lower number than a Hobie 16.
http://www.schrs.com/cgi-bin/doc/schrsratings.pdf

Sorry Dermot,

But why are you comparing a Laser 16 sailed singlehanded with mainsail, jib and spi with a doublehanded dart 18 or a singlehanded dart 18 with just the mainsail ?

Wouldn't it be a better measure to compare this Dart 16 rating with a Dart 18 or Hobie 16 that was being sailed in a similar way ? As in singlehanded with jib and spi as well.

Only then will we get a proper feel for how the Laser 16 can be expected to perform.

Wouter

Wouter, All I said was: "The Dart 16 is not as slow as some people think, sailed singlehanded, it is rated faster than the Dart 18 and the Hobie 16."
I was not including the spinnaker. The SCHRS for the Dart 16 singlehanded with main and Jib was always 1.15.
Basically all I am saying is that even though it is a rotomoulded cat, it can be quite fast.
Why are you calling the Dart 16 a "Laser Cat" That was just the name Laser marketed it under in the US.