Wildcat 35

[SteveG58]

I would like to hear from Wildcat 35 owners what they think of their boats?

I have read all the negative comments and aware of the financial matters that led to the demise of the manufacturer in South Africa but still many of these yachts sailed the world!

[belizesailor]

I think this has been done already. Have you searched other threads here yet?

Bottom line: Charter Cats had wildly variable quality of build issues, but also built some solid boats. Just depends on which crew, mostly subcontractors I think, built the boat.

Mine for example, was a good build and has always surveyed well, but I know of others that had structural issues right off the factory floor. Almost all were delivered on their own bottoms from Durban, many out cruising, no loses due to boat issues that I know of ever. So, bottom line, they are seaworthy.

Ive used mine as a liveaboard, charter boat, cruising boat and its served all these purposes well.

[DavidLGCrawford]

We just purchased one in January and are thrilled with it. We had an excellent surveyor go over the boat and especially the hulls (I've heard the stories). We have a 3 inch circular delam on the port hull well above the waterline which we will get repaired next fall when it comes out of the water again.
There were lots of little things found but mostly because it was SA standards and not USCG or Transport Canada. So we replaced all the life jackets, added smoke and CO detectors, added propane shut off, etc.
The boat is NOT a Lagoon, or FP, full of marble counters and luxuries. It's a basic boat, but certainly livable. It is much wider than other cats of this length making the interior similar to a 42'. With 4 queen cabins and two full heads it easily accommodated the four of us living on board and the three who visited for a week.
We moved on board mid January and set sail mid February. We are very much enjoying it and would not hesitate to buy another if we were in the market.

[SteveG58]

Thanks for the response guys and pleased you are happy. Certainly helps me thinking.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by SteveG58

Thanks for the response guys and pleased you are happy. Certainly helps me thinking.

If you find you that interests you, just get a very thurough survey by a cat knowledgeable surveyor. If you find a good one, its a lot of boat for the money. Otherwise, "Run Forrest, Run!"

There were a number of variations in layouts and systems.

The Jaguar 36 is essentially just the next year model of the same boat.

[SteveG58]

Thanks guys. That is my thinking. Putting an offer together subject to the survey! If I don't do it now I never will!

[DavidLGCrawford]

Hey Steve, how did it go? Have you joined the Wildcat club?

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[SteveG58]

Hi David
Thanks for the mail. Sadly, no! Got messed around by a lawyer who claimed to have sole right to sell for 10 days and when I found another agent it had already been sold! Still have 2.5 years to work so will keep looking!

[DavidLGCrawford]

That's too bad. I am really happy with our Wildcat. Hope you find your boat (be it a Wildcat or other) sometime soon.

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[SteveG58]

Thanks for the encouragement! I do keep looking! Enjoy your sailing!!

[belizesailor]

Wildcats for sale seem to be getting a bit scarce (then you have to filter out the bad ones), but I have seen several in cruising venues recently. Most recently in the Grenadines. Appeared to be in very good shape. Im thinking about selling mine...maybe I will get off the fence within 2.5 years.

Good news is that good options in used cats have increased a lot in recent years. A friend just picked up a Lagoon 38 for $160K minus a few $K in repair allowances. Spent a few weeks sailing it with him, good boat. Good buy I think.

[SteveG58]

Thanks. Yes I have noticed that there are fewer wildcats available. And yes there are some older ones which would suit me. I probably do need to find a local (SA) boat! Who knows? Pm or email me sgardner58@gmail.com when ur ready 😊


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[UNCIVILIZED]

What issues are common in "bad ones"? And are you speaking structurally, or cosmetically?

[DavidLGCrawford]

There was a boat named Bumfuzzle a few years back that had a very popular blog. They had never owned a boat and bought a newer Wildcat and had it fully surveyed in Florida. It was fine. Sailed it to Panama and had it surveyed again for some reason. Now it had massive delamination. They set sail for New Zealand anyway. They emailed Charter Cats, the builder, about getting their boat fixed. I will be the first to admit, Charter Cats dropped the ball big time. Bumfuzzle posted all the emails, and the poor responses on their blog. This looked bad. When they got to New Zealand they went to one yard and got estimates on the work needed. Instead of getting a second opinion they went ahead and had this guy basically strip the entire hull down and rebuild it. This guy must have been incompetent, or a crook. Among other things he claimed the keels had been built and then just fiberglassed on so he cut them off and reattached them "properly". I own one of these boats, and the keel is part of the hull, not glued on afterwards. So either he lied or just couldn't see what he was doing.
In the email thread the builder thought the boat had been hit by lightning but the owners claimed it wasn't. The previous surveyor swears there was no delamination when he checked it. Yet a few months after their first survey they decide to have a second survey done? All of a sudden there's huge delam spots? The story just doesn't make sense. It's my belief that they either collided with something, or were hit by lightning. Even the photos on the blog look like a lightning hit. But they insist not, and before Charter Cats got their ball together to send someone to look at it, the owners had got it repaired at a yard that obviously saw these newbies a mile away.
Sorry for the long rant.
The short answer to your question is to watch for structural issues, in particular, delamination. But just make sure you get a survey done, and if your surveyor has any experience (s)he will know about Bumfuzzle. So have the hull sounded and if it's solid, you're good.
Our boat has an area about 3"x4" of delamination on the port hull. It's about a foot above the waterline. We will get it repaired when the boat is out of the water next, sometime in the next year or two. It's not a major issue. If your survey finds delam, particularly if it's below the waterline, just put it in the offer that the seller has it fixed.

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[smj]

I've talked to one owner of a Wildcat and one owner of a Jaguar that had extensive delam, and read about a few others. I believe not all were affected but buyer beware, as said get an extensive survey.


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