Specing a New Cat

[David M]

Originally Posted by BigCat

I cannot imagine designing a sailboat that needs electric winches to operate it, either. KISS is my motto.

Not everyone has Popeye muscles?

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by David M

Not everyone has Popeye muscles?

Nor do I. I have anklyosing spondylitis (similar to rheumatoid arthritis, but of the spine,) gout, traumatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, and bursitis. I can't take NSAIDs, any more, either, as 25 years of them have taken a toll on my kidneys, so I rely on massive amounts of fish oil and herbs to keep my creaking along. But-if anything, this increases my devotion to KISS, as I can't afford to try to overcome tech failures with brute force. Hence, my use of alternative rigs that balance and distribute the forces of the sails. Many people react to a situation like mine by going with power boats, but I not only like to sail, but trust sails more. I go with large rigs that don't need light air sails, and design the rigs to be easy to handle. There is nothing more foolproof than a block and tackle system, and that is what I prefer. I keep even manual winches to a minimum. Unfortunately, my current project requires an electric windlass for the anchor chain, but the windlass (Maxwell Liberty 2500,) at least has good manual backup functionality.