Cat Boat with no centerboard?

[Tatheelrod22]

I guess I have to admit to a deep affinity for beamy somewhat rounded vessels, as I've owned a Legnos Mystic 30, am now finishing up the restoration of a Herreshoff Eagle, and am currently looking at a Cape Cod 17 ft. Cat boat built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding. Ideally my plan is to buy another Eagle in need of some serious love, and do a complete restoration. I would also buy the above Cat boat to sail while redoing the Eagle, which given where I am in life will probably take 3 to 4 years.

I'm looking for some guidance on whether or not a 17' Cat Boat might sail with only a 21" fixed keel as opposed to a centerboard? I've never sailed a Cat, but understand they can have serious weather helm and why that is. I also know that one of the ways to reduce that can be from raising the centerboard some. That makes sense too. My question is how would you combat weather helm with a Cat Boat that doesn't have a centerboard? Or possibly would the problem be just the opposite in that you don't have weather helm because the boat won't go to windward at all? They made these fixed keel models an option for a long time, so if they totally sailed like a wash tub I wouldn't think that would have been the case?

I joined and posted at a Cat Boat forum tis same question, and this far the only responses have been from people explaining in great detail why Cats have weather helm and more about how you can combat it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Tatheelrod22]

I just moved this post to "General sailing", as I posted in the repair/maintenance section by mistake earlier.