Dinghy multihulls: Help with cat please.

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Help with cat please.

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Multihulls
Forum Name: Dinghy multihulls
Forum Discription: For those who prefer two (or more) hulls to one!
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=750
Printed Date: 26 Jun 25 at 1:09am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Help with cat please.

Posted By: catsaway
Subject: Help with cat please.
Date Posted: 07 Jun 05 at 10:28am

hi everyone this is my first post in the forum, but i have been reading it for quite a while.

i know that theres a few cat sailors on here so wondering if they can help me with thias dilema?

i can usally be found pottering about in the heron (admitidly its falling to bits) but i really want to buy a cat(not the meow-ing type). something about 16ft, hobie or a dart

now the question i have to ask is, whats all this i hear about tacking cats,
can u make them tack?
if so whats the therory behind it?

or have i got my wires crossed somewhere?

many thanks
Catsaway

Replies:

Posted By: *GM*
Date Posted: 07 Jun 05 at 11:15am

A lot depends on what type of cat you're talking about. Cats which have skegs (like Dart 15/16/18) or have assymetric hulls (like the Hobie 16) will tack pretty slowly and do like to have the jib backed to blow them round onto the new tack. Cats with boards (like the Spitfire, Stealth, F18s etc) will tack much more quickly. Many of the latest boats have a self tacking jib so you can't back the jib anyway - and there are plenty of singlehanders that don't have jibs anyway.

Important things which I've learnt since I started sailing a cat:

go into the tack fast - if you're trapezing, you need to start the tack and then come in off the wire, not the other way around
move weight to the back of the boat and stay on the original windward side until the boat is through the wind on the new tack
ease a lot of mainsheet as the boat goes head to wind
if (when) you blow a tack, steer the opposite way so the boat will reverse out of irons onto the new tack.

Posted By: hurricane
Date Posted: 07 Jun 05 at 6:36pm

they say not sure if its true that a spitfire is the fastest tacking cat.

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lifes to short to sail slow boats!

RIP Olympic Tornado 1976-2007

Posted By: Peter Rhodes
Date Posted: 07 Jun 05 at 7:03pm

that reminds me of a bad joke...

dart 15's or sprint 15's as they will now be known seem popular

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Posted By: Tornado_ALIVE
Date Posted: 08 Jun 05 at 1:07pm

Originally posted by hurricane

they say not sure if its true that a spitfire is the fastest tacking cat.

I would put my money on the A Class.

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http://www.formula18alive.com - www.formula18alive.com

Posted By: hurricane
Date Posted: 08 Jun 05 at 9:49pm

thats what i thought but the spitfires claim they are the fastest (think i smell somthing)

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lifes to short to sail slow boats!

RIP Olympic Tornado 1976-2007

Posted By: Peter Rhodes
Date Posted: 09 Jun 05 at 5:14pm

I heard tornadoes were

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Posted By: hurricane
Date Posted: 09 Jun 05 at 6:15pm

well tornados are the fastest production boat

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lifes to short to sail slow boats!

RIP Olympic Tornado 1976-2007

Posted By: jpbuzz591
Date Posted: 11 Jun 05 at 4:37pm

i heard this was a dinghy thread

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Jp Indoe
Contender 518
Buzz591
Chew Valley Sailing club
Bristol

Posted By: sailor.jon
Date Posted: 11 Jun 05 at 8:18pm

i'm no detective but since the title is " Help with cat please." i'm guessing its a cat discussion

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Jon
Vortex 1169
http://www.yorkshiredales.sc/ - Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club

Posted By: jpbuzz591
Date Posted: 11 Jun 05 at 9:53pm

yeah i understand, but at the same time this is also uder the thread "Dinghy Yarns".

Sorry but I have nothing better to do except complain, and i qam a teenager so thats my job

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Jp Indoe
Contender 518
Buzz591
Chew Valley Sailing club
Bristol

Posted By: Tornado_ALIVE
Date Posted: 13 Jun 05 at 5:00am

This was posted aleast a week before I asked the Ed to create a Multihull thread. If the Ed has time it would be nice to have it moved to the Multi thread along with the other multi posts..... But this takes time.

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http://www.formula18alive.com - www.formula18alive.com

Posted By: Jalani
Date Posted: 13 Jun 05 at 9:53pm

It is highly debatable that a Spitfire is the fastest tacking cat. It's certainly very nimble but then so are the entire 'new generation' of cats with boards developed in the last five or so years.