Thoughts on this Cat

[44'cruisingcat]

It would be unusual for polyester to have been used. Peter Snell specifies epoxy.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by mindsofman

if ur cruising down past Bruny and out of
The Derwent,, just make sure its a solid Cat..
you notice theirs not a lot of Cats in the
Sydney/Hobart..,,, got to be a reason.

Because crusty old salts on the CYCA committee don't want them?


"clause 8.1 of the CYCA General Conditions of Racing with regard to eligibility of boats – “A boat shall be of monohull construction ... "

[jasonleeau]

Hi Don, we have a Peter Snell 37', sister ship to the one you are considering and to "Take it easy'. Purchased beginning this year we have been sailing her non stop since along the qld. coast. Very seaworthy and quick. We have had her in 3m swell, and she revels in it especially on a downwind run. I looked at Cats for 2 years before deciding on this model. Nearly another year finding this particular one. Pros: very roomy saloon, 2 great size queen beds( we swap whenever we dont have friends aboard as both are terrific), one Head - have never seen the point in 2 heads on this or up to 50' boat unless you have two couples living permanently aboard. Large rear platforms to get on and off, easy to sail, easy to maintain motors, Painted hull so easy to repair or modify as opposed to gelcoat, plenty of storage, access to electronics and wiring excellent, exceptionally strong build, well placed bulkheads, able to sit on sand without damage to rudders, shafts etc. simplistic rigging, sail and mast setup. Roomy and sunny Galley. Cons: Yes, they are saturated Epoxy with Epoxy and glass overlay so you must keep them watertight and all penetrations through hulls or decks must be in water tight condition. Ours was professionally built by Hartley Yachts in Cairns and as such is an exceptional build.I have sailed all my life (monohulls) and the Cat takes a bit of getting used to however my wife and I are very happy. You're welcome to call us on 0418 202 406 if you want further info. I looked at that particular boat. I suggest you ask the Broker or ring a local Surveyor to find out the recent history of that vessel. It may have an impact on your decision. Cheers.

[Scout 30]

Every boat on this website is of plywood/epoxy/glass construction with prices getting upwards of a million dollars US on some. These are high quality boats that are stronger than a lot of the glass boats built today.

https://www.devlinboat.com/wordpress1/

[bluenomads]

Originally Posted by StuM

Because crusty old salts on the CYCA committee don't want them?


"clause 8.1 of the CYCA General Conditions of Racing with regard to eligibility of boats – “A boat shall be of monohull construction ... "

If you had a rig in each hull like some, wonder whether you could register two "monohulls" and just claim they were sailing very very close together and just happened to have a couple of (thick!) boarding planks crossing between the two

[catsketcher]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Why are you buying a plywood boat in the first place? For that price there are way better construction methods that will not rip apart when constantly bashing in rough conditions. For a nice home moored somewhere it looks good. For oceanic sailing, you will regret it, but by then it will be too late.

Plywood is a great material for cruising cats - it is light and strong plus it is really well engineered and a designer is able to make use of the almost identical properties in a way that a one off glass builder cannot. Peter Snell talked to me about the fact that a good piece of BS 1088 ply is very strong and a designer can be assured of its integrity, which you cannot do with a glass laminate. Ply is better for engineering closer to tolerances than almost any other material.

My current boat is partially plywood and is 18 years old and stiff, strong and light. The facts suggest that plywood is a great material. There are lots of ply based cats doing sterling service. To suggest otherwise is totally incorrect.

We should not forget that huge numbers of multis have been built of ply, the Searunners, Buccaneers, Wharrams and Easys. Great boats that do great cruising. They don't break up any more than any other material, especially if made with composite reinforcing. Ply is fab and subject to sometimes silly prejudice. Prejudice and ill informed comment is dumb no matter what forum.


As someone who has been involved in multis for 35 years, and who is a history nut, it is hard to take when people reject the amazing history of multis. Sure new Euro inspired condo-cats might be fun for many but that doesn't mean that multis built with the legacy of multihulls from the Australian genre are a less good choice for others. Saying it is so doesn't wipe away the great legacy of the amateur builder and custom designer that gave us such nice boats in Oz. These boats are better for many than a Lagoon or similar - certainly for me an amateur built cat by a custom designer gave me a great boat. Getting a stock one would not have worked out anywhere near as well. Others feel the same way, it is not wrong to make a choice to buy a great boat like an Easy.

[jasonleeau]

Originally Posted by StuM

Because crusty old salts on the CYCA committee don't want them?


"clause 8.1 of the CYCA General Conditions of Racing with regard to eligibility of boats – “A boat shall be of monohull construction ... "

Good One stu!!!!

[Don107]

Hi all

Thanks for all the feedback so far and i value all of the information that has been offered

I have a rdo on Friday so i will give the broker a call and have a look over her and see what she looks like in the flesh

Regards Don

[Don107]

Hi all

I went and had a look at the Easy today and she looks pretty much the same as shown in the advert

I cant really see to much wrong with her

I also called a surveyor down here and asked the question about what the procedure would be to put her in commercial survey with the aim of having her make some money and he said the first thing he would need to do is look at the build plans to see if it was feasible so i asked the broker to see if the original build plans might still be in existence

I then called the designer Peter Snell (a nice guy who was easy to talk to) and he said that there were a couple he knew of in survey but was not sure what modifications had to be carried out in order to meet the regulations

Peter was a bit perplexed as to why the bows were changed from raked to plumb (extended not cut off) when the rebuild happened as he believed it would not be an improvement on his original design

As far as the flipping over incident early in her life the broker (who watched it happen) told me she dragged her mooring in the storm into deeper water and when the mooring chain ran out of length the weight of the block dragged the bows under and she got a gust under her stern and flipped her over

We will see where we end up with this one

Regards Don

[Twoskippies]

Hi Don107,
I see the Cat has been sold. Do you now own her?
I am looking at an Easy Cat 37 myself, moored in Sydney. I am a very nervous potential buyer and I hope to speak to Peter Snell to glean some information before I commit.

Hope to see you on the water some time.

Butso.

[jasonleeau]

Hi Butso, ours may be for sale later this year. You're welcome to call me on 0418202406 to discuss further.
Cheers
Jason.