Ok - it has finally happened.  I got to sail the asian Blade F16 at the club over the weekend.

This is the first time I have ever sailed a cat and I have to say it was a bizarre experience leading me to ask the question - is it always like this???

It wasn't particularly windy - about 8kts I guess - so upwind it was both sitting on the windward hull and downwind it was marginal trapping one-up with the kite up.

Yes the boat went very fast, yes it tacks easily, yes the Blade is very forgiving as we managed to bury the lee bow several times but it always popped up again so all in all a very positive experience.

BUT - I have never sailed something where you feel so totally un-involved in what is going on.   It was truly bizarre! So - is it always like that??

Hi Blobby,

Hope you enjoyed the experience.  I don't understand how you feel un-involved.  Could you explaine further.

Experience the boat in full tarpping conditions or even in excess of 20 knots and I am sure you will come away with a huge smile and maybe a little white......

Blobby,

Maybe you are miss tunes / powered.  In 8 Kts I'd expect you to be a lot more powered up than that, you say you got the bow under several times so there was some pewer there.  It is not the same as sailing a mono.  Gusts produce more drive before healing.  Generally in the light stuff everything is a little more subtle than on a mono, more wind does not instantly translate to heal - remember the boat is 8 feet wide !

As T_A says, wait for more wind and then you will really know what it's about

What I mean by un-involved was sort of a combination of things - the helm felt very sluggish and heavy, very little muscular effort was required, no need to work the boat through the gusts.  Really just lazy point it and go stuff - just too smooth.

As you say though, I need wait for the real wind and then try again - and of course it would be different on a race track with other boats around too.

Helm sluggish, maybe to a laser. The boat should still require constant effort to make it go properly; As you've never sailed a Cat before maybe you were just accepting that the speed you were going was the top speed for the conditions. 

Just remember that you are turning a lot of boat.  16 foot cat = 32 foot waterline (2 hulls).  Guys that are smooth with the stearing are the quickest.  When tacking, a good roll tack helps greatly.  On cats, you can not jerk the tiller around...  Smooth is the key.  Helm should not be heavy.  May be the rudder rake or sail trim was not quiet right.  Should be able to steer with 2 fingers.  Some cats like the F-18 and Tornado are very sensitive to downhaul.  If you are sailing in to much presure with to little down haul, you will get quiet a bit of weather helm.  Trim right and find the groove and you will have a big smile on your face.

You will find that a lot more muscular effort is needed to sail a cat, particularly in the sail controles such as main sheet and downhaul.  With the cat, you do not have a boom vang (kicker) and the sail is a lot more high aspect.  Whilst you can play the main on a mono or skiff with on arm, a cat you will need two and plenty of leg and sholder.

Also a modern rig cat will require masive amounts of downhaul and regularly run 16:1 or even 18:1 purchase.  Cat main sail shapes are very efficent and very powerfull over a wider wind range.  For example the A Class which would have to have the most efficent rig behind solid wing rigs, can be fully powered up in as little as 5 knots whilst still very managable with the same rig in 25 knots.  The F-18 can be fully powered up in 7 knots and sail to 25 knots.  Tornado with its extra beam, powered up in 8 knots and realy comes alive in 25 to 30.

A cat can be quiet an easy boat to sail, but to race and get the most out of it, you will find it quiet difficult and physicaly demanding.

Hope you have the opportunity to try it again in better conditions and just remember even if you are a die hard dinghy sailor, variety is the spice of life.  Try 2 hull, 3 hulls, yachts, sail boards, kite surfing, land and ice yachts.

It's all good mate

If sailed right a cat should be powered up in 5 to 8 knots.  That is all crew trapping and flying a hull.  When it is marginal, moving your weight in and out to keep the hull up is what it is about.  Also, use the apparent (upwind) to induce hull flying and as the speed and apparent increases, flatten the sails, point higher and keep the boat moving.  Form 8 to 10 knots you will not have a problem hull flying.  It is then about making best VMG.  Balancing hight with velocity.

In light breeze, it is all about moving weight in and out, just like on a mono.  On the cats as with HP Skiffs, utilising the apparent wind both upwind and down is the key to making the boat go fast.  As I said before, sailing a cat can be quiet easy and may seem less skilled to the uneducated.  That is why cats are so frequently used at resorts....  Can be easy to sail with good stability (if you like sailing on 2 hulls).

I have sailed many Cats, Skiffs and Monos extensively and can say from my experience that neither is less "involving".  Both whilst simular also display suptle differences in techneque to sail.  I believe that apparent wind boats such as cats and skiffs are more "involving" and challenging as speed is even more so critical.  You also not only play the wind shifts but more emphisis is on playing pressure especialy down wind using 'velosity'  lifts and knocks.  Crew work is also even more critical, because mistakes are punished with even more boat lenghts lost the greater the speeds increase.

OK so the answer to my question is no it's not always like that and it was like that mostly because I didn't know what I was doing.

I can live with that...now just have to see when I can get another go at it!

Buy a cat, you know you want to....

Scooby's still trying to flog his Inter 17 off 

Always working hey mate

Capricorn workin it upwind in pressure

Originally posted by Phil eltringham not very flat tho

Agreed, a little too high there.  But cats go best with one hull just out of the water (from talking to 1/2 boat sailors  this is the most difficult thing they find - FLAT is not fast)

Oh, and the fact cats are F...ing hard work !

fast tri's fly two hulls BTW