A-cats: Real boats, or just overdone sailboards?

I mean come on, they weigh less than their one-man crew! They're only 7' wide. There's no room for a second person, just like a sailboard. They have no dolphin striker, no jib... and no respect for tradition!

Can you see the design convergence with sailboards? And further blurring the line, they probably PLANE as well!

That said, I have never sailed one... hell, I've never even SEEN one in real life... for some reason, people don't leave them parked on the beach, lol. Should I stop picking on the little thoroughbreds?

Whoo, boy! This is gonna be good.

Little early in the morning for beer & popcorn, but I'm up for it!

Put on your Nomex Gloves and Shiny Fire Suit............You are in for a Firestorm.

Good Luck

Oh Yea, What have you been smoking???

Should be a Block Buster

This must be a hoax.

I have one

I like mine

I am going to sail it this afternoon

So far everyone who has sailed one, wants one

Enough said

Carl

You are so right. Come on, who would want to sail a catamaran that actually performs well. Cowards I tell you, scum of the earth. Don’t those A cat guys know that cats are supposed to be heavy and hard to sail? I mean the damn things are so light you have to tie them down at night so they don’t blow them away. Insane! How are they going to show the grandkids their cool hernia scars and missing rotator cuffs if the mast only weighs 18 lbs? Heck you might even have to get rid of your Ford Enormous tow vehicle. Next thing you know you are driving a Subaru and eating granola out of your berkenstocks for dinner.
Back in the good old days before the I-20 showed up with their little girly spinnakers, WE knew what real sail area was. If you couldn’t run 700 ft of cloth down wind what good were you? Now some dang wiper snapper wants to go just as fast with 150 ft of sail. Wild thing hell. What kind of thing is that, they must be snorting too much weasel dust?
And all that Carbon, come on don’t people know the only good use for carbon is up in the atmosphere helping to warm the planet so we can sail in the winter in Antarctica.

Next time I see on of those A catters, I am just going to up and kick em in the Jimmies. We will fix their wagons!

Eric Anderson US 28

Eric,
Thanks for the laugh. Well done.

Bill

Hey guys, a comparison to the fastest sailing craft in existence (on non-frozen wet stuff, anyway), has to be seen as a compliment. Don`t let it out that they are "overdone sailboards" or everyone will want one !!

Steve

Everybody already does want one; they're just still trying to come up with the money.

LOL eric your reply was so funny!

Ok as for the topic ... Im getting an A cat so my actions voice my opinion.

Tradition? is that what you want your sail boat to be based on?

"Tradition will win the race!!!.....errrr why am I last?"
Dont blame us when you end up in that situation

Let him keep his tradition! And the whole 3-4 knots that come with it hehehe.

Can't you guys do better than that? Very tame.

Example: How can a boat be any good when its name only has one letter, unless it's an:


Something like that.



This post for demonstration purposes only.

Here is Reefedone's Info:
location: Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Bio: Incredibly dangerous (to myself) [color:"red"]small cat skipper[/color]... does NOT know when to head for the beach. ;')

Apparently the small cat you sail is not very small if you think that the A Cat is more like a windsurfer than a real boat. A-Cats actually sail like a boat not a skateboard. I am active in both catamaran sailing and windsurfing. Other than the fact that they both use wind and water there is not much they have in common. Unless you think that Monohulls and Catamarans have a lot in common. Again wind and water.

I know that you had "tongue in cheek" when you started this post. I just wanted to sate your sadistic tendencies a small amount.

By the way you should find an A-Cat to sail, even if just for a bit. I think you will be looking for the money and making up all kinds of excuses why you "NEED" one.

Later,
Dan

Pat what are you mixing in the kettle?

Finally decide on buying an F16 !

Better performance, better bang for the buck ratio and better class rules !

Yep I said better class rules. Are you A-cat sailors still trying to work out a practical hydrofoil rule. It has only take you 10 years already, and you are still not finished with it !

Wouter


(So now lets see if we can get this rocket to finally burn off the launching patch. Dropping the word F16 class ought to do that !

Your choice, He's just stiring a pot. The hat would be great for our Madhatter party the week before the Madcatter. (must wear a hat at the party)
Madhatter

Good job Wouter. If you can't stir the pot then it ain't gonna happen.

“I mean come on, they weigh less than their one-man crew! They're only 7' wide. There's no room for a second person, just like a sailboard. They have no dolphin striker, no jib... and no respect for tradition!

Can you see the design convergence with sailboards? And further blurring the line, they probably PLANE as well!”

Riddle me this Bat man…
Weight…Does the hull weigh 12-14 pounds?
Conditions…Can it thrive…or even survive in 30- 40 knots of wind? Can it get 15’-20’ of air when launching thru breaking surf? When is the last time you saw one do a forward/back loop? Can you actually surf with it? bottom turns? off the lip re-entries? Round house cutbacks? rollercoaster’s?
Transport….Can you car top, or throw it into the back of your pickup truck and set it up in 15 min?
Speed…When was the last time you saw one do 40 mph? Unless it was on a trailer being pulled by a car or truck?
Sails…Does it have a quiver of sails to adapt to different wind speeds…or the ability to adapt sail selection to focus on speed, or maneuverability depending on the conditions?

Price…Can you buy a state of the art core set up (carbon masts, carbon boom, carbon mast base, hand foiled fin) for less than $5,000.00?

A cat ain’t nothing like a Windsurfer.

Here's the Irish contribution
What about the fact that A sailors have to drop their masts after sailing (takes 2 people) - otherwise they risk delamination from the vibration in the wind, even if the the mast is tied off and the cat well tied down
Also, they are very good at drawing parallel white lines across the dinghy park if you leave them unattended on their launchers for even a minute

Oh - I'm really in trouble now I'm racing at the home of the Irish A Class this weekend !

Seeker'

Yea but can you take a Hot gal in a bikini and a cooler of beer and stay out for hours and not get a cramp or charlie horse!!!! Sailboards are fun, but I still take the cat.

Doug

I don't think I would ever buy an A cat for the simple reason that if I wanted to sail alone I would do it on a windsurfer, much "better bang for the buck ratio".

That said sailing with a freind beats the sad and lonely experience that is windsurfing hands down. And you don't get the feeling of the power of the wind on a windsurfer that you get on a cat.

Gareth
Sponsor me for the London marathon on Sunday
www.runfortheboat.co.uk

Dermot
Here's to ya boy.


My mother grew up on Thornback Road in Kilkenny.
Great little pub called The Rock at the end of the road.

"My mother grew up on Thornback Road in Kilkenny.
Great little pub called The Rock at the end of the road."

There is a great little pub at each end of every road in Ireland.

Jeez, I'll be locked after that lot
My grandmother was from Kilkenny, but I don't know the town very well.

And a few in the middle too.

Hey ! Get back on track You're all only jealous anyway
Tim will be over here next month and he will tell you about the pubs
BTW. Kilkenny is a City (I called it a town)

"Yea but can you take a Hot gal in a bikini and a cooler of beer and stay out for hours and not get a cramp or charlie horse!!!! Sailboards are fun, but I still take the cat."

The Hot girls in bikinis are out there shredding with you (keeps them strong and lean)...the drinks are on the beach in the cooler because you can launch right off the beach at places they would never allow a boat to launch.

Don't get me wrong I love cat sailing...it can be a lot more relaxing...but when it comes to pure performance there is no comparison.

I first sailed a Hobie and Supercat for about 8 years before I got into windsurfing...at the time my cats felt blazing fast. When I started windsurfing I sold the cat. Now that I have another cat (Supercat 17, newer model of the same cat I owned before) it seems like I am towing a string of empty five gallon buckets behind me in comparison to the speeds I regularly reached windsurfing.

Both have their place...it is just a lot easier (once you acquire the skills) to go much faster with much less hassle for much less money if all you want is high performance in a wide range of conditions. It is much more physical sport than cat sailing ...especially when out of the harness surfing and jumping waves. While each sport has its "moments", cranking a forward or back loop (like I am going into in the picture)is hard to draw parallels with...its like trying to describe getting "tubed" to someone who has never surfed...words just don't do it justice.

Regards,
Bob

LOL!... now there's someone with the proper spirit of the thread.

As someone so cogently pointed out, my hidden fear is that I *will* try one, then HAVE to buy one!

BTW, I was just about to try windsurfing, when this KITEBOARDING thaaang came along... what's the story on that? How close to the wind can you get with that wild rig?

One thing about windsurfers, racing them is a LOT more work than catamarans. I raced a Mistral One Design a couple of times. That was way more work than I wanted to deal with.

I'll agree with that statement. Still have my MegaCat with the 10.0 m sail. Tons of work raking that thing back and forth on a light air racecourse. Do they even still do that type of racing?

Broke lots of stuff at South Jetty in Ft. Pierce on big wind in the days of yore... Good times. Still keep my 4.5 m just in case I can drag my fat butt out there and remember how to loop and duck jybe.

Oh, and don't forget you can sail 60 miles to your next beach, even if it's upwind, on a cat a little more comfortably ...

Still like catsailing better, but that's just me... Still do both.

1) One person can put the mast up on their own and we are still quicker than an F18 to rig or de-rig (not that it should matter). 2) No Irish A class has ever taken off down the dingy park or has even attempted it, we leave our boats unattended every time at the top of the slip as we get changed with no issues.

Even if what you were saying were true, it would be a very small price to pay for sailing an amazing cat.

Also on the "Tradition" point raised on another post. Where would most classes be today without the development of the A. What class was the first to have Square top mains, what class was the first to have a Wing-masts, what class was the first to have Wave piercing/reverse bows, the list goes on.
What you see on an A-cat today, you will probably see it on other classes as time goes on.
I am not saying the A-Cat is better than any other, but it is definitely a necessary class and great fun.
For those of you who have never sailed one, you can not comment. Sail one then come back to me a tell me how terrible they are.

ReefedOne said this in the post that started this thread, and I did not understand that at all, because the A-Class has a much longer history and far more "tradition" than most of the cats we see on the water today.

a-cats were around before hobiecats. as were b and c cats.
cats are alot more work to rig and deal with than a winsurf, but you get to sit down whilst sailing.

Rigging depends on your situation. Some people are able to keep their boats on the beach or in a lot mostly rigged, with mast up and rudders on. At that point I think it is a toss up which is more convienient. If I am windsurfing, it will take me about 30 minutes from the time I think about it to be in the water. Board out from garage, board on car, drive board off car, rig. It is about 20 minutes time to sail the cat. Drive to club, put main up, launch. Either fine for me. I do need (prefer) someone (crew) to sail the cat(Formula 18).

Later,
Dan

(*FedEx pirate voice ON*) ARRRRGGGGH!... ha-ha...

A-cats are like 18-squares for women and childen

“A-cats are like 18-squares for women and childen ”

Sycho15 next you will be telling them... young men go standing up (windsurfing/kite boarding)…women and old men go sitting down….LOL...only kidding…sort of…LOTFL

BTW - What's the correlation between an 18-square and an A-cat anyway?

Geez, I don't think I've ever seen an A-Class sailor put a post on this forum with negative comments about another class or boat. Yet it seems there are individuals on this forum who sure like to take pot shots at the A-Class and A-Class sailors. We'll just keep enjoying our boats and y'all have a real nice day!

Bob Hodges
USACA President

It's all in jest. About the only time I "bash" a design and mean it is when Hobie 16s are mentioned.

18 squares are 18' long boats, typically 10-12' wide, with 18 square meters of sail area (roughly 196 sq. ft). They are sailed single-handed and typically only have a mainsail. The class is a development class and was very active and high-tech for quite some time, but people got sick of tilt-trailers or taking boats apart. I would love to have one of these, as I could leave it mast-up on the beach here, and just Cat-Track it to the water.

"Geez, I don't think I've ever seen an A-Class sailor put a post on this forum with negative comments about another class or boat. Yet it seems there are individuals on this forum who sure like to take pot shots at the A-Class and A-Class sailors. We'll just keep enjoying our boats and y'all have a real nice day!"

You know most of us would love to have an a-cat...can't you see the green between the lines? Don't worry...be happy