Jumping Ship - From a Mono to a Cat

[Eleven]

Well, so many comments here it's a job to know where to start:
Stiff Suspension - a mono rolls (not always right over) and a cat is like a jeep going cross country unless the bows and hulls are very slim which makes them more likely to pitchpole when pressed. Bro and I used to go stand on a bow each on sailing demo's. Only one boat had us scuttling back to the cockpit pretty sharpish and that was in sheltered waters on a french boat with vertical stems and finely tapered bows.
In short seas and an f6 my 30fter was hard to get around on, handhold to handhold being the general technique. On a cruise you find a kindly heading then look for a destination in that direction. Where were you headed for anyway?
Comments on weight and squeeking are quite right. I'd suggest strengthening the structural bulkheads where the history is uncertain, paying attention to the known weak points on the Catana. The solution to squeeking is easy for you, just don't build furniture from floor to ceiling because cats flex when they are supported on two opposite corners. Secure furniture to the wall OR the floor.
You do gets lots of deck space that can be vented below so storage for gas, fuel, wet sail, dirty anchors and so on is easy to install. Just make sure the hatches are solidly fitted and hinge the right way not to be opened by green water over the bow.
I don't know what the rear deck space is like but I'd look to add a forward facing watch seat at the very back end of each hull. It's a lovely spot to stay awake and enjoy good weather. A shallow backed bar seat at the helm is better for wetter days but pleeaase don't fit a windscreen. They're useless in the rain and add drag to a fairly streamlined top shape. makes it difficult to link up with anyone working forward too.
Companionway doors must slam shut if you're swamped from astern. NOT sliding doors in plastic that will allow the saloon to fill with water.
Personally I'd have a serving hatch from saloon to cockpit so the watch can be served hot drinks without the indoor folks getting cold draughts.
Apart from that you just add such cradles and stuff for diving gear as you need. A good diving ladder and an easy place to keep, launch and recover your dinghy all make life easier.
Solar panels (the flexy sort that charge in cloudy weather) will run all your usual boat stuff. Add a petrol genny if you want air conditioning with the petrol stored up forrard away from the dinghy.
I found clip on points for the dinghy really useful when transferring gear/people to the boat. And take the chance to hoik the mast and rewire everything now. I'd use some bendy plastic water pipe to run all the mast cables in to prevent wear and tear.
You've enough experience to make a really good job of a boat you can fit out to your needs. Just don't waste the space. My bro served 12 guests Xmas lunch in his Snowgoose. Generally only the mid or read is fit for sleeping at sea but the forward area of the saloon makes a lovely big proper bed for marina stays if it's curtained off nicely.
I much prefer the galley in a hull. Spills are easier to manage, rough weather is easier to cope with while preparing and cooking, and all the washing up can be left 'till later without making a mess of the lounge.
A framed bimini with soft top and curtain sides is the best bet, good access to the boom and main with easy to change wind and weather protection when you need it.
Make sure you have can rig a storm staysail to keep steerage way so you can ride the worst out without leaving the cockpit.
How I wish I had the chance to build from scratch!!!!! Too many ideas for one boat. But it would be a cat!

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Why not take a holiday and charter one before you stick two years of effort into a style of boat you may not like.

Or it just may confirm that a cat is the best thing to sliced bread and therefore the work will be worth all the effort

Pete

The "charter one for a while" theory is regularly proposed and with good intent. The reality is that chartering a cat will usually give you a handle on the livability aspects, the convenience aspects and the basic issues of the boat - BUT will do little in regard sailing capability etc.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by beneteau-500

why do you say cats are safer i Grew up on cats from an early age but after doing my first melbourne to hobart yacht race on a 40ft in 1978 i changed my view and in recent yrs have sailed on cats but i still find the mono more pleasurable when out sailing

I agree. Step up to a tri if you want great sailing. Better than a cat or a mono.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Seems a bit daft getting a bigger boat, just to have to keep it light, though... What else would you do with all that extra space.

Don't do it Saucy. You are ignoring CRITICAL advice. It's not just a performance issue. It's a safety issue. An overloaded cat is a dog.

[Boracay]

Whichever way you go please take your time.

The main issues involved in cruising don't seem to change whether it's a cat or a mono.

I'd love to have a better boat than Boracay but I just cannot justify it in terms of cost and time so our resolution is to try first, and then if a better boat serves our needs to buy one then.

The cost difference between a ready mono that has to be sold in today's depressed marked and a part built cat may be much larger that you anticipate, and the additional build time much greater.

There was a large cat parked near us in Broken Bay last week. They got the same rough weather as we did, but further north. Imagining taking a large light cat through those short, very steep waves it would not have been fun, maybe even less fun than we had.

A bigger mono with greater beam and better ballast ratio may have been nicer...

[Sand crab]

Eleven, FYI all Catanas have aft helms on each hull. BOB

[downunder]

Saucy,

One point posters have not picked up on is the advantages cats have for diving and ability to access shallow tropical lagoons you will likely be seeking.

A 47 ft cat will be large enough to carry your equiptment and I am sure you will not be going over the top with loading. With a smaller cat (say40ft) you would struggle. there are catana'47's doing it now and doing it in style.

[Dragon Lady]

There are plenty of lightweight foam and hollow core materials to build your interior with to save weight.
I wouldn't use WD40 to stop squeaks as it just washes out any lubricant in the area and makes the squeak worse.
Good luck with the Catana they certainly have a very strong reputation for being good boats.
I don't get the helm position though, good for seeing everything but very exposed.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Eleven, FYI all Catanas have aft helms on each hull. BOB

I believe the original mid 80's Catanas had bullhead mounted helms. The Catana 381 definitely has a single helm at the rear of the cockpit.

[Sand crab]

SMJ, you got me there. I never looked at a 381 in person had to go to the web, You are right about the single helm. Was Catana even in business as Catana in the 80s? I recall an ACTE boat that was the precursor to Catana and then became Catana. I destroyed alot of brain cells back then so my memory isn't so hot. Ain't getting any better either. I forgot all about my F$%kups so now I think I'm perfect. BOB

[smj]

Hey Bob, I believe Catana started building cats in 1984. Those were the true Crowther designs. I could be wrong, seems to be happening more these days

[SaucySailoress]

Thank you, everyone, for some really good opinions and advice. I know nothing about ths boat or Catanas in general. A bit of history is starting to eek through. It was grounded somewhere in Africa. The hull damage has been fixed by my husband's brother-in-law. It is now sitting taking up space in the in-law's yard.

A big bill owed by an old Emirati guy means we should be able to arrange something mutually agreeable to all parties. And if not, then never mind, we keep our boat, the yard keeps the cat, and the old guy keeps his big bill, and noone is any better off than they have been for the last five years!

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Sadly true….we just don’t seem to have that same bi-polar satisfaction for substituting a trust in flotsam over structural integrity when dynamic forces become extreme....

Erm... not quite sure what point you're trying to debate here... Are you agreeing that cats are better?

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

Don't do it Saucy. You are ignoring CRITICAL advice. It's not just a performance issue. It's a safety issue. An overloaded cat is a dog.

Not ignoring it. When we build, we build light. But if there is a fine line between comfort and safety, then that is a factor I need to consider. Our mono might be small in comparison, but I am happy to have both comfort and safety. And compressors are often found on cats, aren't they? A better question might be, "Where and how should we stow all the heavy stuff?" Compressors, cylinders, dive gear, oxygen tanks etc...

Originally Posted by Dragon Lady

I don't get the helm position though, good for seeing everything but very exposed.

I have no idea where the helm is on this boat. On the Catana website I only see new boats - I need to search a little bit more for pictures of the older models, I guess. The helm comment was simply because on our mono we can steer with our feet from a supine position - on all the cats I've been on, I've had to sit or stand up in order top be able to see over the elevated cabin.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Factor

The "charter one for a while" theory is regularly proposed and with good intent. The reality is that chartering a cat will usually give you a handle on the livability aspects, the convenience aspects and the basic issues of the boat - BUT will do little in regard sailing capability etc.

Perhaps, but at the end of a weeks holiday you would know if living on a cat is the bees knees or like living on a fair ground ride. If the answer is yes -want one, then it would provide the motivation to completely rebuild a 47ft cat, no small undertaking.

Pete

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Perhaps, but at the end of a weeks holiday you would know if living on a cat is the bees knees or like living on a fair ground ride. If the answer is yes -want one, then it would provide the motivation to completely rebuild a 47ft cat, no small undertaking.

Pete

That is a sensible idea. Would a new Lagoon 43 give a similar ride to an old Catana 47? I only ask cos it's the only cat up this way in the Gulf, and he'll lend it to us if we ask nicely enough....

[mikereed100]

The Catana is much more performance oriented than the Lagoon, but the Lagoon will give you an idea of what a cat sails like. I really like the idea of buying a shell and putting in your own interior. Most (all) production boats of necesity skimp on the quality of their joinery a bit to keep things profitable. As you know, you will be able to put an interior in that will be the envy of all Catana owners.

One thing that no one has mentioned as yet is that when you make the switch from mono to cat you will unavoidably become more intelligent and better looking. It's just the way it is.

Mike