Sail selection for DIY inflatable sailing catamaran

Crossposting this from the inflatable forum which seems a bit moribund...


I am in the process of building my own inflatable sailing catamaran. It will have 4.5 meter long pontoons (50cm diameter), and the beam will be about 2.3 meters. The mast will be about 5.8 meters high, and will have a profile for sail rope.

I need to order a mainsail. I think something 7.5-8.0 square meters. I really like the cut of the sails of the Happy Cat and the Minicat 420/460. Does anyone have any idea on the luff/leech/foot of these sails? I know they have at least 4 horizontal battens. Looks like Happy Cat has some kind of boom sewn into the sleeve of the sail. Interesting approach, as I am also going for simplicity and ease of assembly.

Thanks

I regularly sail a Catapult - see http://catapultcats.com/ The 10sq M sail is perfect for the boat and I am seldom overpowered. Look at the dimensions on https://www.schrs.com/ratings.php

Hopefully these sites will give you some ideas.

Thanks for your prompt and helpful reply.

The Catapult is a fantastic design. Too bad they are not making them anymore. Thankfully it inspired the Russians, who will be making my pontoons.

I think the Catapult is a bout half a meter longer, and certainly a bit heavier than my boat will be. I will be sailing exclusively in the Mediterranean off the coast of Israel, not in inland waters, so I am concerned the 10sqm sail may be a bit too much for me.

The other manufacturers of inflatable cats today are using a 7.5-8.0 sqm mainsail, along with a 3.5 sqm jib (which I plan on adding later).

Very useful site thanks.

Why wouldn’t you buy a whole boat from Russians/Ukrainians? There are many intricate details in folding boats. It is hard to make it right from a scratch.
Anyway, Hobie Wave sail will fit your mast.