Musto Skiff (etc.) vs. A-Cat

   Hi all,
I'm considering migrating to the UK and am daydreaming about my next boat. I currently sail a 600. How would a non-foiling A-Cat compare to boats like 700 or MPS both upwind and offwind? It's very hard to gauge speed from YouTube vids alone as there are no frames of reference in most of them.

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dohertpk Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 28 Sep 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Post Options Post Reply Quote dohertpk Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Musto Skiff (etc.) vs. A-Cat Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 9:05pm
	Hi all, I'm considering migrating to the UK and am daydreaming about my next boat. I currently sail a 600. How would a non-foiling A-Cat compare to boats like 700 or MPS both upwind and offwind? It's very hard to gauge speed from YouTube vids alone as there are no frames of reference in most of them.

AlexM Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 10 Jan 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 857	Post Options Post Reply Quote AlexM Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 9:11pm
	Just by looking at PY Musto 850 A Class 681 No contest Alex

dohertpk Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 28 Sep 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Post Options Post Reply Quote dohertpk Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 9:16pm
	Yeh I saw that alright. Do you know if the A-Cat PY rating is based on returns or is it a 'look alike' conversion from the SCHRS rating?

piglet Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 04 Jan 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 514	Post Options Post Reply Quote piglet Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 9:25pm
	There not many A-class fleets in the UK compared with 7's & Musto's Big difference in cost too. A-class is a great looking boat though.

dohertpk Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 28 Sep 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Post Options Post Reply Quote dohertpk Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 9:31pm


dohertpk Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 28 Sep 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Post Options Post Reply Quote dohertpk Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 9:35pm
	That's the impression I got alright but hard to gauge by just reading Y&Y. Desperate to get some decent fleet racing in so that would be a major factor.

craiggo Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 01 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1810	Post Options Post Reply Quote craiggo Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 10:03pm
	I used to race my 700 against one of the top A-class guys in the country before he moved to NZ. Upwind in all but drifting conditions a good Flyer or Tool A-class will just sail away at almost double the speed of a 700 or Musto Skiff. On the reach assuming the 700 or Musto can't fly the kite then the A will continue to pull away. The only point of sail where speeds are similar is downwind, where the 700s and Mustos will sail deeper and faster. The new A-class designs with curved boats are undoubtedly quicker downwind in sensible breezes than their predecessors but not sure by how much.

Surfasaurus Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 21 Feb 15 Location: Petersfield Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote Surfasaurus Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 10:04pm
	They are very different boats. The A class will absolutely destroy all singlehanders with the exception of a Moth upwind. I don't know how a modern sort-of foiling A-class would compare downwind. Jeremy Evans of Yachts&Yachting or Dinghy Magazine (I forget which)did a comparison boat test, Musto vs 700 vs Shadow (catamaran of A-class like dimensions + a kite), I was the Musto test pilot and the Musto was the quickest downwind in that race, on that day (F4 - choppy - Weston SC). Speed isn't everything - my personal opinion is that cats don't feel that fast (until you pass other boats) they sort of speed along with minimum spray and fuss. Most planing dinghies feel quicker, even if they are only going half the speed. Depends what floats yer boat. If you want good fleet racing, then it depends on your location. I think Rutland has a good A-class fleet, Datchet, Stokes Bay and a few other locations have good Musto fleets.

Chris 249 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041	Post Options Post Reply Quote Chris 249 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 10:05pm
	Judging from the experience of having raced something similar to an older A (Taipan 4.9), and a quite different cat of similar overall speed (ie a Hurricane 5.9 copy), the MPS may be competitive in light winds downwind. Any other conditions and there's no contest.

dohertpk Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 28 Sep 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Post Options Post Reply Quote dohertpk Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Jun 15 at 10:33pm
	Fascinating stuff guys thanks - there are no cats around me to compare against and I'm the only one in a single handed trap boat so it's hard to get a gauge on these things. Surfasaurus I've read that article - looked like a fun day on the water! I hadn't realised that the difference in speed was that dramatic but, as you say, absolute speed isn't everything.