Small Liveaboard Cat Search

[Southern Star]

Djeeke, I agree with all of your comments on the Fisher as a long-distance voyager, but as a small and inexpensive liveaboard cat, it fit the bill. The Windsong appears to have had the front aluminum cross-member torn from the port hull - and the repair looks decidedly unsightly and unseaworthy. Otherwise (and bearing in mind the proviso about glass sheathed plywood), she looks like she would perform decently.

Brad

[djeeke]

Brad, you have eagle eyes !
If I would look for further info on this one I will certainly ask for clearer pictures of that area !
I really appreciate the time you spend looking at what I throw in here as I have kept you busy these last few days !

[Tropic Cat]

Why don't you have a look at the Catalac 9M in Bremerhaven? That's not so far from Brussels, is it?

1980 Catalac 9m Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[djeeke]

Hi Rick,

You're right, Bremerhaven is only about 320 miles from where I live.
I have seen there are some catalac's for sale. (Talbot also pointed me out to one.)
Honestly they are not on the top of my list, but if the Iroquois cats we are planning to see don't work out we might turn towards a catalac or prout or alike, from what I understand they make excellent liveaboards.

Thanks for the hint

[Talbot]

An Iroquois is a fast cat designed for weekend use, short distance cruises and some racing.

You will often find them with a flying saucer on the top of the mast.


This is because unless you really watch them carefully, they behave like a hobie cat.

It is this class more than anyother that created the concept that catamarans capsize. The flying saucer is a float designed (with a bit of luck) to enable the boat to recover from the capsize.

Perfomance is great

Living accomodation is not!

This design is the total other end of the spectrum from the Catalac.


If you want a bit more performance/less cost then look at the Heavenly Twins - a lot of boat for 27ft.

at about 30,000 Euros, you can find some Prout Quest 31s, but they need a lot of money spent on them.

[djeeke]

Hi Talbot !

Yes, I know about the floating devices, I guess they will keep the boat from completely turning over... (which will allow assistance to get it back on both hulls) I guess the Saucer these days could be replaced by another device, like an inflatable lifejacket, smaller and less weight far above our heads

I guess this means sailing conservative and not think twice but immediately reef, why not? This is how I learnt to sail anyway, if you think the need for a reef might there, just do it !

Living accommodation, we know the Iroquois is a small boat, never been on one but we're planning to see some in the next few weeks (this obviously might make us change our minds, or not, I don't know the exact height in the cockpit but it won't be much I think...)

Most of the time, we would only be two people sailing, it should be big enough for us... (or not...)

One thing we would consider is having a shower installed though, it should be possible, I saw this described in an old ad on Iroquois Owners Association For Sale , second in the list is Iroquois MkII, #83, Pow Wow, they claim to have a shower. I tried e-mailing for information and/or pictures on this but no reply yet...

And yes, Catalac, Prout, and other Cats of about the same age are mostly designed other end of the spectrum and unfortunately this also affected the 'look' of the boat (I know one lives inside) and we (my wife and me that is) think the Iroquois looks great (for its age and our budget).

Djeeke

[Southern Star]

Djeeke, I tend to agree with your assessment: the beam to length ratio is no worse than boats like the Catalac and Prout and, so long as you reef and raise the boards, you are no more apt to suffer from a wind driven capsize than in either of those boats. Yes, displacement is less and that is a factor, but that tends to be compensated for by the substantial reduction in windage compared to either the Prout or Catalac.

Furthermore, it is abolutely incorrect to say that the Iroquois sails like a Hobie - I know someone who owned one for 15 years and NEVER raised a hull. However, with its high SA/D ratio and high aspect main it is decidedly on the performance side of the equation and, unless heavily reefed, is obviously going to be more suspectible to capsizing than the boats to which it is being compared. In addition, of course, while the boards provide more lift and better resistance to leeway, they should be raised in gusty conditions to ensure that you don't 'trip' over them.

The Iroquois will definitely be more of a challenge to sail, but then again, it has the potential to be more rewarding in terms of performance. As to the relative lack of interior space - well, that is a compromise that only you and your wife can decide.

Brad

[Tropic Cat]

I have some news that may be of interest.

There is a Catalac 8M in Brittany, France that went aground and the owner is offering the boat free of charge.

Details are here

I have the owner's phone number. If interested, email me directly

[djeeke]

Originally Posted by Tropic Cat

I have some news that may be of interest.
There is a Catalac 8M in Brittany, France that went aground and the owner is offering the boat free of charge.

Got a very short mail today from the owner...
He is going to get back to me...

[djeeke]

Originally Posted by djeeke

Got a very short mail today from the owner...
He is going to get back to me...

Almost a week has passed
I sent him a little reminder

[Talbot]

I wonder if this is a case of "if it seems to good to be true, it probably is too good to be true".

Probably guaging interest, and selling to highest bidder. The longer this goes on, the less likely the boat is to be recoverable.

[djeeke]

Originally Posted by djeeke

Almost a week has passed
I sent him a little reminder

It is still very quiet...
I guess Talbot is right...
The boat was originally for sale after all...

Reminds me of the fact that I posted an add myself some time ago as I was giving away a camper, a lot of people did come up with $$$ to buy it.
It did go to the first party that reacted but I really should have posted it to sell to the hightest bidder. That would have made a few more $$$ to add on the boat.

[djeeke]

My budget brings me to boats like the Iroquois, OCEANIC MkIII , Prout Quest, Prout Ranger, Sea Cat, Hobart 900 amongst others... These are mostly boats built in the seventies...

I already did get some good feedback on the Iroquois and visited one to get an idea on the boat, unfortunately not in the water so no sailing impression...
Two negatives I have are standing headroom in the salon (but this is often the case on a cat this size and age) and the size of the berths (the doubles are more like large singles).
The Prout Ranger I mention is a 33 ft with 12.8 ft beam, according to the seller it does not seem to have more inside space than any other ranger, just the hulls are extending very far aft. Some feedback I got is that this is a very good (quality) built boat, apparently undercanvassed and not a very good windward sailing ability.

Anybody has any knowledge on any of the other mentioned boats ?

We are not so sure about the well known Catalac or Heavenly twin cats, some fall within our budget, we don't especially like the looks but never say never...

[djeeke]

Originally Posted by Tropic Cat

There is a Catalac 8M in Brittany, France that went aground and the owner is offering the boat free of charge.

Latest news on this one, I finally got feedback from the owner...
He is taking the boat apart and will be selling the recovered items separately...

So this is one Catalac that will never sail anymore...

[Southern Star]

Hey, sounds to me like a great opportunity. And Djeeke, even if you don't like the appearance of the Catalac, they were extremely well built and have proven to be not only comfortable but seaworthy. Further, as I recall there is no core in the hull so repairs should be fairly straightforward.

Brad