Witness Catamaran

[eyschulman]

I would not rush to put a furler on headstay- why don't you try as is for a while-with a blade hanked on- if air is light drop blade leave it hanked on tied down or stuffed in bag-and use a larger sail hanked above blade( try with less hanks most can be removed lets say one third of original # of hanks try to get down to less than 10). This will also allow for a storm jib to be hanked above blade when needed. When larger sail is up and wind increases peel off big sail and raise blade-this works best when the big sail is made of heavy ripstop or other nylon very easy to bag as it comes down soft and compressable-this sail can be bag stuffed with hanks still on so all is under control then the hanks come off after sail is baged- this type of sail also works well as alternate to spinaker.

[Eleven]

there's a lot of good advice here, I was out on a Catalac recently and found her a bit tender sideways, but sound fore and aft. it's since had problems due removal of internal partitions and changes to soles after flooding and sinking.
Check out that there are watertight compartments, that are water tight, and the bulkheads show no signs of stress in them or at the connections. Doubling up in stressed areas will bring the strebgth and rigidity back.
She sails well in light airs from the figures you gave so beware that she may be over canvassed earlier than many cruising cats so understand the reefing system and assess how you can let the sheets fly if you are hit by a heavy gust or wind shift. There's been lots on this recently.
Outboards that lift out of the water will give another half a knot, probably more. And are much easier to service/change when cruising. Depends if you are happy to wait for tide and wind to favour your destination, or are happy to change the destination to suit conditions.
Have a great time and lwarn her well before committing to longer trips.

[Cap]

Hi Dave,

Congrats on your purchase of a Witness Cat. I think these are very solid boats, well made, and built to handle blue water. I looked around for probably three years; did a lot of research and pricing on lots of models of cats before I found Dream Weaver. In the price range that I paid for it, I could not have found a better made cat than this one. Even the older Gemini's were going for more, and they are not built near as well. What year was yours built, do you know the hull number? Check out this web site, if you haven't already, it's for the Witness Cats, http://www.witnesscats.net/index.html. You can send the Webmaster your info and a picture, and he can add you on the site. There’s also some good information on the site. Do you mind me asking what you paid for yours, just curious about what others are going for? Hull number 1 is still around and they are asking 52K for it. I talked to a guy that looked at it, and said that it is falling apart, but the owner won’t come down in price; what a shame.

I've done a lot of work on Dream Weaver, mostly cosmetic, I still have lots to do; it was not a well maintained boat. But again, for the price, I cannot complain. I've spent the winter, and now part of the summer, installing bilge pumps, pulling all the windows to re-seal, re-sealing all the chain plates, and now I have a fairly dry boat. I also had to replace some of the sheets, and a sheave (broke one the last time I took it out). I had to have a rigger come out and resolve the issue that broke the sheave, a bent mast. The headstay was adjusted too tight and was pulling the mast forward. With an in-mast furling system that caused too much tension on the outhaul, causing the sheave to break. I've still have some engine work to do, but both engines run, and it's basically ready to sail. All the electronics need to be updated, and I need to fix a lot of the gel coat, or paint everything, which I don’t really want to do; it seems like the work never ends!

I too plan on retiring in a couple years and doing some cruising while I can. I’ll be 55 when I retire. I’m hoping to have the boat ready to go by then.

Take care....Jeff

[ROODOG]

giday jeff
thanks for that web site i will send some photos etc when i get home out bush at present we paid 85 aust$ for the spirit it was a credit to the last lot of owners apart from the motor (only one ) she is ready to cruise i will put a recon motor 4.107 perkins in this winter i am tossing up on 2 motors cos of the tides up north 30 ft plus but that will be in a couple of years so no rush my biggest problem is the wife filling the boat up with girlie stuff purple curtins cushions etc but what can you do i did draw the line at the salt rock lamp i ended up sleeping in the port bunk that night thats why we got a cat right here from you again good luck dave

[Rotomanu]

Hi Jeff. I know, a long period since this thread. Anyhoo, I'm in the process of buying a Witness Cat and keen to reach out to others that own one. Getting close to 40 years old I can't believe I'm going for it, but it will be a relatively inexpensive way to own a cat. Have you still got the witness cat, or into something else?
regards
Tony from Auckland, NZ

[Rotomanu]

Gidday Dave, Do you still own a witness cat? Seems there are very few around. Im in the process of buying a 1985 model in north island, NZ.
Any advice you can offer, possibly common issues with them, would be greatly appreciated. I've had plenty of monohulls, up to 40' but never a cat.
kind regards
Tony

[Dylkara]

Originally Posted by Rotomanu

Hi Jeff. I know, a long period since this thread. Anyhoo, I'm in the process of buying a Witness Cat and keen to reach out to others that own one. Getting close to 40 years old I can't believe I'm going for it, but it will be a relatively inexpensive way to own a cat. Have you still got the witness cat, or into something else?
regards
Tony from Auckland, NZ

Lucky Tony! Wondered who snapped that up...good buy

Dylan, NZ, Whananaki