Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 12-01-2014, 15:01   #16
Registered User
 
Barra's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Western Australia
Boat: between boats
Posts: 1,022
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Dont get me started on Saffas - they seemingly all moved here to Perth after Nelson took over!

There was one leopard 46 owner who had sailed from ZA and who overwintered at the catana factory in france 4 years back. He was so convinced that his boat was the best he was constantly challenging catanas to races in the local bar, talking up his atlantic crossing as horrendously rough, saying how he regularly sailed past anything with sails etc.

Eventually a catana 431 skipper took him up on it for a case of french vs SA red wine. He took off his dink, dive gear, emptied his tanks, got extra crew etc while the catana went out fully loaded. As you would expect no contest.

Ive got some good saffa mates but they can be a bit one eyed to say the least.

and bring on the cricket, poms dealt with now lets have a crack at some real competition in the yarpies...
Barra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2014, 06:47   #17
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: St. Johns, NF
Boat: 55 Frers Mahog
Posts: 61
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Teleman View Post
Most ZA cats are built for charter, hence the b/deck and weight issues. A very good friend makes his living delivering cats from CT to the Caribbean. His feedback is that most of the boats have various build/rigging issues that the delivery crew has to fix/deal with.
Most of those are built for the charter trade, have wider hulls not conducive to speed sailing. Condohulls is what I call them.

Narrower hulls - semi-displacement - daggerboards - those would include the Catana, Crowthers & DH. Those are built for speed and little if any slamming even in 2m seas. Being able to go upwind in 25kts of wind is important, unless you just want to motor all the way.
__________________
Capt. Abraham
Ghostrider III - 55 Frers Mahogany
ghostrider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2014, 11:41   #18
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 5
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Please google cape 2 rio yacht race 2014. All SA cats still sailing minus one Australian design. Seriously though, it just shows how safe catamarans can be in the right hands. Nine monohulls had to retire due to damage, injuries and one fatality and only one cat had to retire because engine rooms flooded which eventually caused an electrical fire. Must say the Leopard 46 is kicking ass!

May the rest of the fleet continue and finish this race safely in fair winds. Condolences to the yachtsman's family and friends who lost his life while doing what we all love doing.
FAIRWIND is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2014, 19:20   #19
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 897
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Quote:
Originally Posted by FAIRWIND View Post
Must say the Leopard 46 is kicking ass!
The Leopard 46 is a fine boat. Definitely designed for cruising rather than racing.
IMHO it is one of Leopard's better boats.

It is however a Morrelli and Melvin (United States) design. Is it a "South African" boat?
tuskie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-04-2014, 07:37   #20
Moderator Emeritus
 
weavis's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Seville London Eastbourne
Posts: 13,406
Send a message via Skype™ to weavis
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Quote:
Originally Posted by atoll View Post
well somebody has to keep the french,aussies and kiwis from getting too far up themselves.....one of these days they might learn to play rugby as well.......
__________________
- Never test how deep the water is with both feet -
10% of conflicts are due to different opinions. 90% by the tone of voice.
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.
weavis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-04-2014, 07:46   #21
Moderator Emeritus
 
weavis's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Seville London Eastbourne
Posts: 13,406
Send a message via Skype™ to weavis
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Quote:
Originally Posted by tuskie View Post
Hey Sand Crab,
Those Zud Africaans know they aren't the only builders of good ocean going cruising catamarans, but they usually have a good sense of humour. Are you sure they weren't just having you on? They are good at keeping a straight face. Nearly as good as the English.
Heh... Im half South African and English/Irish. I dont believe my face has cracked since Mafeking. Hereditarily speaking of course.

Ive sailed a couple of S.A. Cats. I loved one and the other? not so much. It was design preference, not capability. I would have either as a seaworthy vessel. (No Im not saying which two)

Good value, solidly built and will take Blue water cruising in its stride. But then so will most 40 + cats.......

Im glad the S.A. Market is there because it will keep the French manufacturers on its toes....... quality is not keeping up like it should sometimes..
__________________
- Never test how deep the water is with both feet -
10% of conflicts are due to different opinions. 90% by the tone of voice.
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.
weavis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-04-2014, 07:48   #22
Moderator Emeritus
 
weavis's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Seville London Eastbourne
Posts: 13,406
Send a message via Skype™ to weavis
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnT View Post
However, ZA boerewors is indisputably the world's best sausage!

Yes, true, but they also do not sail to windward very well!
er.... um........ actually...........
__________________
- Never test how deep the water is with both feet -
10% of conflicts are due to different opinions. 90% by the tone of voice.
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.
weavis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-04-2014, 15:54   #23
D&D
Marine Service Provider
 
D&D's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Blue Mountains, Australia
Boat: now skippering Syd Harbour charters
Posts: 1,557
Re: South African Cats Are the Best Blue Water Boats!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barra View Post
...bring on the cricket, poms dealt with now lets have a crack at some real competition in the yarpies...
Yes indeed and we know how that ended, don't we? Odd how there hasn't been much 'chat' about it from our SA chirpers...

Back to the vessels and happily for all of us, there are a lot of solid Water boats">blue water boats out there. "Best" is a big (and, in our view, impossible) call though, especially when there is a very, very large degree of beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder. Better, we suggest, to admire the strengths of ANY and every solid blue water vessel...and leave 'best' on the basis of each to their own...
D&D is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
Africa, African Cats, South Africa, water

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 14:45.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.