Gunboat 62 Blows Doors Off Reichel-Pugh 80

[David M]

UnCut Video - Now Playing "The Fabulous GunBoat 62 Sailboat"

Which boat would you rather be on?

[Lodesman]

Cool video David.
Can anyone loan me a million bucks?

Kevin

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by David M

UnCut Video - Now Playing "The Fabulous GunBoat 62 Sailboat"

Which boat would you rather be on?

the cat of course, but realistically I rather be on mine. I know you are looking at cats have you seen these.

YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

We bought a 97 model two years ago and are pleased with the size and speed. This is a Alex Siminos design same as the current lepoard

[Vasco]

Cool video. Question for the cat people, was that with both electric motors going or only one?

[Saildoggie]

Kinda fouled the mono by running down on her IMHO, made her fall off.

I wonder why the mono didn't a have a reaching chute up at that angle...

[gonesail]

if speed is you want ... get a powerboat. they go faster than any sailboat.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by gonesail

if speed is you want ... get a powerboat. they go faster than any sailboat.

that is not necessarily true you know

[Keegan]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Cool video David.
Can anyone loan me a million bucks?

Kevin

Gunboats are more than $2 million bucks. Lots of profit built into that one.

Keegan

[Keegan]

Originally Posted by David M

UnCut Video - Now Playing "The Fabulous GunBoat 62 Sailboat"

Which boat would you rather be on?

David:

What kind of cat are you leaning towards buying? Why?

Keegan

[David M]

Originally Posted by Keegan

David:

What kind of cat are you leaning towards buying? Why?

Keegan

Hey Keegan!
I really don't know yet. I am in the exploring phase. I have to charter a number of cats first with my wife and I have to get to some boat shows. If possible I would like to see some of the factories where they are built, but that is more out of an excuse to travel than a necessity.

I can tell you which boats I really like initially but I don't know how realistic it would be to purchase one. I really like the GunBoat 48, the FastCat 52 and the Lagoon 57 so far. Remarkably, the Lagoon 50 weighs more than the Lagoon 57! Cats in the upper 40 foot to lower 50 foot range seem to be the sweet spot between comfort and speed versus manageability...but I am not certain of this yet. As I said, I am a newbie to cruising catamarans and simply need to get some sea time on a number of cats before I can make any firm decisions. As far as design specifics go, I am not interested in a fly bridge and prefer a galley on the bridge deck. The boat needs to be one that could be singlehanded in an emergency by my wife such as for a MOB or if I should become incapacitated.

I don't want a boat with a relatively low bridge deck height or is a dog to weather or even off the wind. Fast is fun, even if it is a bit more uncomfortable and one has to live with fewer amenities. I really like the light weight boats that some builders are producing now with the carbon spars and other structural members. Some of the reviews on the gunboats are pretty impressive. I don't mind paying some more for some high technology to generate more speed and safety. There are many more considerations of course.

It's been fun and educational spending a few hours every night doing web searches on catamaran related articles. This website has been a fantastic resource which has led me to other places on the internet.

We plan on doing our first catamaran charter in the early summer in the pacific northwest which is only a two hour flight from where we live. Yeah, we could get rained on but that's life. I have read a few articles now about chartering up there and it looks very appealing. The plan is to charter a Lagoon 38 or 42 or perhaps a 44 and sail the San Juan Islands.

Next year I want to see the Florida and the Annapolis boat shows which apparently have a number of cats. I would like to do some test sails on whatever boats interest me at the end of the shows.

Next year before hurricane season, I am thinking of doing a BVI charter with my brother, a friend and his family on a larger cat. This will help me get a feel for if a couple really could manage a boat in the upper 40 to lower fifty foot size range. With a total of three adult men on board it should not be a problem managing a larger cat. Could my wife and I do it?...I hope to get a feel for it then.

[David M]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

the cat of course, but realistically I rather be on mine. I know you are looking at cats have you seen these.

YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

We bought a 97 model two years ago and are pleased with the size and speed. This is a Alex Siminos design same as the current lepoard

Seaking...thanks for the link. I had not seen them.

I have been looking at YachtWorlds listings of boats for sale. They seem to be the best thing going as far as number of listed boats. I don't want an older cat that is not up to snuff on the new technologies and that is going to take months and months to update, replace and fix all the existing systems, rigging, sails, spars and cosmetic damage. I don't want a boatyard queen...even if they are less expensive initially to purchase. After it is all done, you still end up with an old technology hull.

Perhaps I am being a little too closed minded here?

Thanks

[Vasco]

David M,

Go to moorings in BVI and charter one. While you're there you'll be able to crawl around more cats than you can shake a stick at. It's not only Leopards, you can visit the other companies and see them all. Even the secondary outfits such as Conch has cats now.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Vasco

David M,

Go to moorings in BVI and charter one. While you're there you'll be able to crawl around more cats than you can shake a stick at. It's not only Leopards, you can visit the other companies and see them all. Even the secondary outfits such as Conch has cats now.

Great idea Rick. All those charter companies with cats in one relatively close area sounds like a 24/7/365 boat show.

[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by David M

Next year before hurricane season, I am thinking of doing a BVI charter with my brother, a friend and his family on a larger cat.

You better book it now!

Seriously, to go on a BVI charter before about next July (hurricane season starts June 1, but pulling off a charter early in the storm season is worth taking the risk of a potential cancellation) you ought to be making reservations now.

What is your budget for a cat? That will establish where you are in the market. "Cruise" Yachtworld.com and sort the cat inventory by price. That will tell you a lot not only about what's out there, but also about the market's determination of the relative value of the differing manufacturers, models, etc. Resale values in the aggregate are objective as long as you're mindful of currency exchange rates.

Dave

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by David M

Next year before hurricane season, I am thinking of doing a BVI charter with my brother, a friend and his family on a larger cat. This will help me get a feel for if a couple really could manage a boat in the upper 40 to lower fifty foot size range. With a total of three adult men on board it should not be a problem managing a larger cat. Could my wife and I do it?...I hope to get a feel for it then.

Originally Posted by Vasco

Go to moorings in BVI and charter one. While you're there you'll be able to crawl around more cats than you can shake a stick at. It's not only Leopards, you can visit the other companies and see them all. Even the secondary outfits such as Conch has cats now.

David, I've put these two quotes together for a couple of reasons. What Vasco is suggesting is a great idea for someone who's contemplating buying such a vessel, and your brother may enjoy the effort as well. Your friend may even enjoy it, but somehow I can't imagine his family being as happy about kicking the tires on a bunch of different cats, and calling it a "sailing vacation."

The other thing that jumps out at me is that sailing in the Drake Channel (called "bathtub sailing" for a reason) won't really enlighten you much, as far as determining if your wife can successfully sail such a vessel singlehanded in an emergency (it's unclear to me if your wife will accompany you on the proposed charter.)

If you sail to Anegada or St. Croix, you will at least get some idea of how the vessel behaves in more open waters, but it's a pretty abbreviated version of a true passage. However, your charter company may not allow their vessel to leave the Drake Channel.

Just a couple of thoughts from an interested observer.

TaoJones