Thoughts on this Cat

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by catsketcher

Don, it looks as though you are seriously considering a cat. Good on you. If you do get one, you will find that unhelpful comments such as these are really rare nowadays. When you share we share an anchorage with mono sailors there is no patronizing or sly digs in the ribs - just open recognition of a different, but not better choice.

It makes a refreshing change from the early 80s when I first got a multi in Sydney - some of my friends were aghast at my slide to the dark side. Now they just come over in their dinghies, because a cat has the biggest cockpit in the anchorage and you can put 5 dinghies off the back no worries. So you may get trolled on the web, very rarely thankfully, but it doesn't happen out there cruising.

100%.....a majority of the prejudice that goes both ways is on here, not in the real world. Try to ignore the useless Internet dribble that the insecure types spew (both ways).
Cruising cool, cat or mono.

[Morph]

Looks a good version of a very popular design that have sailed all around Australia including Bass Straight and Lord Howe Island--no mean feat... Weight is about right for ply, you'll not point quite as well without daggerboards but everything I've heard about them is they are good solid cruising boats that sail well.

[Don107]

Hi all

Thanks for the feedback so far

We have just started looking at multi's and are looking at the ones available locally at the moment

We looked over this one https://www.boatsalestas.com.au/sail...island/211588/ a couple of weeks ago but it didn't have standing headroom for us in the in the center cabin area


We are in our late 50's and are considering a bit of a lifestyle change and moving to something with a bit more comfort than our 28 foot mono for spending more time on the water

I am from Cairns originally and there is not a lot of multi's in Tassie compared to what i used to see in Queensland but the broker i spoke to said they were slowly becoming more popular

Regards Don

[NevilleCat]

That is a beautiful looking boat. In case you don't know the history of her just ask the broker. Understandably they might not be forthcoming initially...

I think the reason it has plumb bows is because not long after it was first launched a massive storm came thru the anchorage (it blew 50kn for hours) and it picked up the mooring and dragged it out to sea into some big waves where, because it was dragging a ton of stuff off the bows it ended up presumably chewing out the original stems and capsizing.
The salvaged boat was bought by a good local boatbuilder who spent some years rebuilding her.
So, yes she has been upside down, but all refurbished, new wiring etc etc as you can imagine. All fittings apparently have been drilled with epoxy filled holes etc...
I haven't seen the boat but it seems like it will have been all done really well and hopefully everything that could be salt-affected has been replaced or refurbished.
I wouldn't let this tale put you off; if I had the budget I would definitely be looking seriously at this one (in fact have made offers on this boat in the past). I think it looks better than the original design with the mods, it's a nice and simple fitout and has an interesting history.
It might even be safer...after all it's already been upside down; what are the chances of it happening again?
The guys on "Take it Easy" love theirs, but now they are living aboard permanently with the extra weight they wish it had a little more bridgedeck clearance.
Ask Kim about it; she was on the beach watching it happen...

[Don107]

Originally Posted by neville2006

That is a beautiful looking boat. In case you don't know the history of her just ask the broker. Understandably they might not be forthcoming initially...

I think the reason it has plumb bows is because not long after it was first launched a massive storm came thru the anchorage (it blew 50kn for hours) and it picked up the mooring and dragged it out to sea into some big waves where, because it was dragging a ton of stuff off the bows it ended up presumably chewing out the original stems and capsizing.
The salvaged boat was bought by a good local boatbuilder who spent some years rebuilding her.
So, yes she has been upside down, but all refurbished, new wiring etc etc as you can imagine. All fittings apparently have been drilled with epoxy filled holes etc...
I haven't seen the boat but it seems like it will have been all done really well and hopefully everything that could be salt-affected has been replaced or refurbished.
I wouldn't let this tale put you off; if I had the budget I would definitely be looking seriously at this one (in fact have made offers on this boat in the past). I think it looks better than the original design with the mods, it's a nice and simple fitout and has an interesting history.
It might even be safer...after all it's already been upside down; what are the chances of it happening again?
The guys on "Take it Easy" love theirs, but now they are living aboard permanently with the extra weight they wish it had a little more bridgedeck clearance.
Ask Kim about it; she was on the beach watching it happen...

Hi Neville

Thanks for that

When it was mentioned in another thread about a Easy 37 that was capsized when that front came through i wondered if it was that one as it seemed to fit the time line with the age of the standing rigging and reference to Salters doing some work on it

We live at Port Huon and had 2 boats on moorings (we had just bought the 28 footer and had the 20 footer for sale) out the front of out house and they were being laid over at around 45 degrees with bare poles and spun around in all different directions

A visiting boat anchored in the bay dragged down on to a local boat on the mooring and the owners on the anchored boat who were trying to sort the mess out reported seeing 75 knots on their wind instrument (when they were looking at it)

I reckon the strong stuff here lasted for around 10 to 15 minutes and came in all of a sudden with no real build up

The forecast on the day was for 30 knots and i remember saying to my wife that i thought the forecast was wrong as there was only about 5 knots before it hit

I am pretty confident that Salters would have done a good job with the repair and it looks pretty good for the price

Regards Don

[Scout 30]

Scary story but the boat looks amazing. Glass over plywood can be a very strong & light way to build a boat so I would not underestimate the strength of the boat just because it's light. Wharrams are built this way & they've been sailed all over the planet. I would want to know exactly what was repaired & how. Pay special attention to the stems & plywood at the bow. If it was done well you should not be able to see evidence of the repair from the outside. If the plywood was scarfed & reglassed correctly it should be just as strong as when it was originally built.

[mindsofman]

if ur cruising down past Bruny and out of
The Derwent,, just make sure its a solid Cat..
you notice theirs not a lot of Cats in the
Sydney/Hobart..,,, got to be a reason.

[Sailorman Ed]

the fit and finish of the pics look very good, just a small cockpit. All those windows would make the salon hot in the tropics.

[reed1v]

Why are you buying a plywood boat in the first place? For that price there are way better construction methods that will not rip apart when constantly bashing in rough conditions. For a nice home moored somewhere it looks good. For oceanic sailing, you will regret it, but by then it will be too late.

[smj]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Why are you buying a plywood boat in the first place? For that price there are way better construction methods that will not rip apart when constantly bashing in rough conditions. For a nice home moored somewhere it looks good. For oceanic sailing, you will regret it, but by then it will be too late.

If done correctly a plywood boat is extremely strong


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Nini]

My husband and I owned an Easy for about 8 years. Agree with all comments- she’s an excellent boat if built well. In your inspection check the windows carefully (both seal and condition) and fresh water bladder. We fitted a Raymarine autohelm which was a great add. I’d also suggest adding a salt water tap in the galley if not there already. They are good sailing boats along the coast and we loved the light weight and super shallow draft. Happy sailing!

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by mindsofman

if ur cruising down past Bruny and out of
The Derwent,, just make sure its a solid Cat..
you notice theirs not a lot of Cats in the
Sydney/Hobart..,,, got to be a reason.

They're not allowed.

[GRIT]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Why are you buying a plywood boat in the first place? For that price there are way better construction methods that will not rip apart when constantly bashing in rough conditions. For a nice home moored somewhere it looks good. For oceanic sailing, you will regret it, but by then it will be too late.

Seriously? Compare plywood to carbon fiber (or fiberglass) in point loading, impact resistance, and fatigue strength. You did say constantly bashing...



Now, your comments on price may be right, I don't know, boats aren't cheap down under. But don't bash wood for fatigue resistance.

cheers.
Paul.

[Mike Banks]

I do not like plywood boats. I have owned them--and the maintenance is on-going and there is a lot of it. Worse if you live in the tropics.

This is the only drawback to timber. In all other respects the material is OK. For its mass it is very strong.

[Harryg]

Having sailed Tasmanian waters for many years you should probably test sail the cat in Tassie's often rough conditions. Also, if polyester resin was used in the sheathing check it thoroughly for delamination.
13m Schionning owner/builder.