Aquacat 12.5 righting & sheeting, line questions, etc.

Hi,

I took my Aquacat 12.5 out in gusty windsurfable winds(10-20mph gusts) and flipped it over. It later turtled in my attempt to get it upright myself. This was my 3rd time out in it and in the highest winds I have ridden. I windsurfed fine that day beforehand.

I didn't have any righting lines and could not flip in back over myself(5'10" and 170 lbs). I searched the web but it is not clear to me how to make some righting lines. My current plan is to use 35feet of poly-e 1/2" rope I bought to make lines to put around each pontoon in the center with a bunch of knots in each line. Would I just leave them hang in the water otherwise or is there some better way to make/use such lines? According to what I read I should be able to right the Aquacat 12.5 by myself; correct?

I was also wondering if my sheeting line(thru V of sail with pulley and other ends go to traveler and cleat) is too short at 13'. I got it uprighted near shore with boat assistance but it blew right back over(in a gusty, swirly onshore wind) on the next sailing try with the end of the line near the cleat and the sail flopping around like a wet noodle.

A third issue is that one pontoon filled with water while the other was dry. I took it out again the next day for a couple hours in lighter winds and almost no water got in so that will be a fall project.

Thanks in advance for any help ............... Bill

For a righting line all you need is comfortable rope probably only about 8 to 10 long. Most attach to the mast base and coil it up on deck. When the boat is on its side, throw the line over the upper hull, grab it and lean back at about 45 degrees. It helps if you can get the bow almost into the wind, allowing the wind to get under the sail and help right the boat.

You might want to check to see if there is water in the mast. Sounds like it. If so, very hard to right

I haven't seen an aquacat in years, but my recollection is that they have (or are supposed to have) a float at the top of the mast to prevent turtling.

sm

It does have a Styrofoam ball on the end of the mast. It helps keep it from turtling but it's not 100% foolproof. I was guessing at what to do and turned it so mast pointed into the wind thinking the wind would push on the trampoline and help right it; wrong.

Glad you're OK.

LIke Rick White said, any thick line, with knots to help hold it, or if you have it, to put in the hook of your trap harness to lean back on and right the boat.

ALWAYS have a righting line- MUrphys law

practice righting it on the grass/beach before you go out next time.
Have fun, be safe

This kind of feels like a joke post because the hulls are barely big enough to support 170 pounds. i remember seeing aqua cats on the race course in the 60's in Miami.
There are aluminum poles instead of shrouds and the mast is all the way forward. You would need to tie a line, maybe 7' long, to each of the "shrouds" and loop it around stuff or bungee it down some how.
You would need to make sure the 3 poles, mast and shrouds, are sealed.
It would not be unusual for the sail to flap violently in a breeze with the sail let out to the end since it is not fully battened.

No joke as my strong 170lbs couldn't right this catamaran by hand though I was lacking in knowledge and experience. It sails fine in medium winds with me on it though the back of the pontoons are only exposed maybe 3" above the water.

I don't see how the mast and triangle shroud, poles could be sealed unless there's a inner rubber stopper or such. The are just aluminum poles held in a cast socket with a regular bolt.

The downhaul line for the sail is extra long so that could be used as the righting line as it's "attached" to the base of the mast. The only problem is that it is quite thin. I could wrap it around my hand and get a decent grip.

You really have to stop with the "pontoon" thingy. They are hulls

EASY old man.

The most obvious righting line system would be similar to a Hobie 16. Get a line that is good on the hands maybe 10'. Tie each end to your main beam stanchions, but put 1 end thru a ring or small block first. Use a bungee to pull the ring aft in order to take up the slack in the 10' line. You can even make a pully system for the bungee if you like.
When you flip, the line is instantly available to pull on right there at the bottom of the tramp.
Personally i like to point the mast into the wind to re-right a small cat. Just make sure the sail is all the way out and you are on top of the new windward hull at the first possible second.
You could use urethane glue and pool noodles to glue plugs in the tops of all your tubes to keep water out. There are all sorts of possible solutions to the water in the tubes problem including a bigger mast float, but that would not be my choice because of windage while sailing.

I think for an Aqua Cat "pontoon" is a better term, Rick.

BTW, isn't "thingy" rather gay? Not that there is anything wrong with that.