Which Cat for blue water cruising

[tamicatana]

@Jeannius: Your assertion regarding FP cats is interesting, because having been aboard Gemini, several different FP, a couple of Leopards and various other craft, my experience would beg to differ. That is to say, FP are certainly not flimsy, not even relatively so.

[Jeannius]

Of the older generation, I've been aboard several Athenas and when scrabbling about in lockers I was astonished to realise I could, in places, see daylight through the fiberglass. You could also feel the deck flexing when you walked on it. Speaking to the charter company I was with at the time, they said they regularly had to replace hatches on FPs due to flexing in the hull.

Haven't been on an Orana but have spent time on the dock on the current 48' FP (name escapes me at the moment) The furniture was creaking and groaning even in quite calm conditions. My own boat tied up right next to it on the dock wasn't making a sound.

There are different levels in build quality in production cats and this is generally reflected in the purchase price. There is a reason Catana and Privilege cost more than Leopard and Lagoon and Leopard and Lagoon cost more than FP

Just my experience. Other people may disagree.

[Cotemar]

Jeannius,

Let us know when you wake up from that bad dream you’re having.
It’s all in the design of FP to be lighter and faster than the other production boats.
This is why they sail so well. Flimsy, not at all.
Faster than Lagoon and Leopard absolutely.

I am sure a Gunboat 47 owner would say your Privilege 435 is flimsy also.

There are thousands of happy FP owners that would disagree with you.

Don’t believe everything you think.

[Factor]

Anyone who says a privilege is flimsy hasn't been aboard one

[Cotemar]

Factor,

I am sure a Gunboat 47 owner would say your Privilege 435 is flimsy also.

[Factor]

I don't have a privilege but it certainly a brand I have respect for.

[dirkdig]

Every privilge i been are built more like a tank than a gunboat,nice machines and well finished.

[CATMAR]

You cant go wrong with a Leopard Catamaran built by Robertson and Caine, Some interesting facts,1. They celebrating their 1000th boat being launched this June. 2. Most of these boats being delivered on their own bottoms around the world. 3.With most of these boats in charter all Leopard Catamarans is designed according to the charter clients feedback and experience. 4. Leopard Catamarans offer well designed and comfortable yachts to sail without sacrificing sailing performance. I've been looking for a well equiped, easy to sail, fast cruising, well priced 44ft, Ive sailed all the yachts in this range and decided on Leopard. Really taking on the catamaran market by storm. Visiting the Cape Town Sales Office soon to put in my order.

[dirkdig]

Went on the 39 and 46 today,some great features on the Leopards.
The 46 is a very nice machine

[eiasu]

There are just the first two Atlantic 47 with MastFoil
in process at Alwoplast (CHILE),
I would not have any doubt wich cat to buy
Atlantic 47 MastFoil™
ciao
eiasu

[Factor]

Originally Posted by dirkdig

Went on the 39 and 46 today,some great features on the Leopards.
The 46 is a very nice machine

I saw them at Sanctuary Cove as well. Mostly I like them, but two things really irk me,
1. the anchor chain system, I am stuffed if I know what you do if you get a crab pot stuck in the anchor - or similar, and
2. Why they call a 37 foot 6inch boat a 39. Although R&C aren't the only ones who do that, the Lipari 41 is actually 39 and a bit feet.

Originally Posted by eiasu

There are just the first two Atlantic 47 with MastFoil
in process at Alwoplast (CHILE),
I would not have any doubt wich cat to buy
Atlantic 47 MastFoil™
ciao
eiasu

Agree, Everthing about Chris White designs seems to be very sensible. One day when I win lotto.

[dirkdig]

I was scratching my head at the anchor set up too.
Also on the 46 from what i coult tell the furling line runs from the side rail up to the steering help creating a huge tripping hazard,little things but they can really irritate you when you are using the boat.

[maxingout]

I have seen all makes and models of cats sailing around the world.

As long as you sail in the lower latitudes heading downwind, most catamarans are up to the task. If you are going to sail to windward in the higher latitudes, you need a higher bridgedeck clearance (which means a bigger cat) to minimize slamming and prevent the voyage from turning into a demolition derby.

I have not seen many structural failures in offshore cats except bridgedeck problems where they was too much pounding. There have been a few cats that were poorly constructed and there was serious delamination in the hull like the Bumfuzzles.

If I was in the market for a catamaran, I would take a hammer and tap out ever bit of the hull and bridgedeck looking for structural issues. Even strong yachts can have structural issues if sailed hard in extreme conditions.

If the hull and deck are sound, then I would look at other things. If the hull and deck have problems, I would walk away from any design.

[AussieWayne]

Originally Posted by Factor

1. the anchor chain system, I am stuffed if I know what you do if you get a crab pot stuck in the anchor - or similar, and
.

First boil the water, put the crabs in for 6 to 10 minutes depending on which type remove and enjoy with a crisp and cooled white wine.
There are always avantages to disadvantages!

Nice to see a Seawind man recommending a Lightwave, Roger would be happy.
Wayne

[Factor]

Originally Posted by AussieWayne

First boil the water, put the crabs in for 6 to 10 minutes depending on which type remove and enjoy with a crisp and cooled white wine. There are always avantages to disadvantages!

See thats my point. You cant get at the pot to steal the crab!!

Nice to see a Seawind man recommending a Lightwave

I may own and sell a seawind, but I sail plenty of multis and have great respect for many of them, and dislike for some. I sailed a 45 to Sydney a few years back, great boat. A few things I would change if I was to buy one, but fundamentally a great boat. Roger is a nice bloke as well.