J24 (Sail No. 4239) Dartmouth |
Laurent Giles 'Jolly Boat' Exeter |
29er GBR 074 Tynemouth |
List classes of boat for sale |
dart question (or daft question?) |
Post Reply | Page <123> |
Author | |
gozzza
Newbie Joined: 03 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Post Options
Quote Reply
Topic: dart question (or daft question?) Posted: 17 Aug 05 at 9:28am |
Perry, I haven't experienced any chips in the Topcat yet (unlike the Dart18), but the Topcat hulls are a lot more rounded than the Dart18's which are prone to catch on just about any hard surface, and much more solid than the Dart18's. They also use keel shoes which are fitted and left on whilst sailing and offer great protection underneath and would probably suit dragging up a concrete slip. Mike Harrison can get you all the construction info you need if you wanted to follow it up, he's on: If you got some info from him I guess at the very least it'll give you an insight into how one type of boat is built and you can use for comparison purposes. Cheers, Andy |
|
harribo
Newbie Joined: 17 Aug 05 Location: Germany Online Status: Offline Posts: 1 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Aug 05 at 12:29pm |
hello Perry,
Your problem is not really a problem, have you considered a Topcat K2 with an assymtric, this is a very sturdy boat with a lot of volume in the hulls so thereīs not much risk of pitchpoling and itīs boomless!. There are so called keel shoes that are attached to the bottom of the hulls with silicone for protection on rocky beaches etc. Harribo |
|
harribo
|
|
mickymouse
Newbie Joined: 15 May 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Aug 05 at 9:44pm |
Gozzza I've been a bit busy lately but back in touch now. Happy to see you are the proud owner of a K2 Topcat.Welcome and have lots of fun,let us know how you get on. Have you been out or race it yet ? Yeah Y&Y. Seen the Topcat review in the Dinghy Magazine...But what's up or why not with Y&Y there on your door step? Mickymouse |
|
CurlyBen
Really should get out more Joined: 17 Aug 05 Location: Southampton Online Status: Offline Posts: 539 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 17 Aug 05 at 10:17pm |
I've been working at a sailing centre recently which has 2 Dart 16s:
one was being sailed by hirers, and was on a fast reash and sailed
straight up a beach. Damage? 1 rudder capstan snapped, one thread in
the stock bent, some scratching of the hulls. We jury rigged it and
were sailing it again that afternoon. Doubt many other cats can take
that much abuse. I'm a monohull sailor as well, sailed the Dart 3 times
I think - first time was in a 4/5 with novice crew, was quite
interesting!
|
|
gozzza
Newbie Joined: 03 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 05 at 2:44am |
Hey mickymouse where've you been? Wie geht es? Yes I took the plunge and bought a K2. I'm kind of conscious about hijacking Perry's thread so maybe we should chat private or even start a seperate thread, but briefly I haven't raced the K2, having fun blasting around though. One of our club members sailed my K2 in the Nore Race in the Thames Estuary (singlehanded in the end as his crew was taken ill the night before) and scooped a 1st in the non-assymetric multihull class. He'll be out at the Topcat regatta at Lake Garda next month, look out for him and say hello, he's the only British K2 entered, but you can't miss him, he wears a red bandana!! Andy Andy.
|
|
waldp
Newbie Joined: 12 Jan 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 05 at 9:18am |
Hey guys, Please don't worry. The thread was to give me a feel for what cats are out there. All thsi talk of topcats is very interesting, and makes me think its well worth a look. Please by all means don't feel you have to avoid this thread at risk of hijacking it! I might just put a question or two in from time to time! Thanks for the responses. Perry |
|
mickymouse
Newbie Joined: 15 May 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 05 at 9:36am |
`Gozzza I'v been working / playing boats away and living it up, the pounds are up to but to heck with it and keep .Well done to the red bandana i give him a pat on the back at Garda.Do you have the assymetric as an extre on your K2?. I' v just been looking at Chapman sands website in the Topcat Gallery looks like your really having fun back there,off to the worlds too , its all happening at CSSC. Hijacking Perry sounds better but mybe he jumps on board aTopcat by you, be careful he hasn`t got his gun's with him,he likes things bulletproof . Keep blasting around. Mickymouse |
|
gozzza
Newbie Joined: 03 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 05 at 11:35am |
M Mouse, I don't have an assym on the K2 - strange to hear you call it that, I know Topcat refer to it as a "Reacher". Could be the next step though - fanatastic fun reaching back and forth along the Southend-on-Sea shoreline waving at the Essex girls. Yes the Topcat K1 world championships - I believe Topcat are looking to get ISAF recognition and need so many (a dozen or so I think) different countries represented. Tragically as you probably know from the ITCA website ( www.itca.de ), the only British helm entered (Simon White) was killed in a car crash last month. I didn't know him, but by all accounts he seems to have been an extremely popular guy and will be sorely missed. After talking to one of the Topcat reps, we're trying to get a team to represent GBR. Finding an available team to do it is proving pretty difficult. Calor Gas are sponsoring the K2 and have offered to sponsor the K1 also and make a big dent in the team's expenses, and we've got a strong possibility in an almost retired Hurricane & ex-Dart sailor, but it's a lot of hard work arranging it all at this short notice. I really hope we can pull it off in the memory of Simon and for the good of British cat sailing generally. Chapman Sands SC - a lot of people don't realise it, but we were founded in 1957 by amongst others, the Prout brothers who built the world's first production cat - the Shearwater III. The club has seen a lot better times turned out some good sailors and has gone through a slump in recent years, but we're re-invigorating it now and getting back to our roots - catamaran sailing in the Thames Estuary. You might be able to help here - with such buoyant hulls the Topcat has a relatively high freeboard (if that's the right word) compared to the Dart18 say - a fat git like me has a bit of a problem climbing back on board following a mishap, do you guys have any cunning devices that I haven't seen on any of the documentation? Come to that, have any other other cat sailors got any ideas on getting back aboard - except that is for bribing the crew to pull you up or having a rope step-up dangling from the mast step - tried those already. Andy. |
|
mickymouse
Newbie Joined: 15 May 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 05 at 11:38am |
hi Perry As Andy said the skeg's / keel's are rounded so is the bow and gunnels,the deck is moulted on the middle section,so the Topcat hasno sq edges to chip.As all three points keel deck coners are rounded and moulded in the one mould together this give the hulls more sturdiness than some others.The constructor is grp but for sure the gel doesn't chip, sorry to say its not bulletproof . I' ve been racing and cursing Topcats for meny years here and were i sail the wind most times is onshore.The problem is kids are aways in the water when im comeing in and there's no room ,so i must pick my spot roller reef the jib pull the main to the middle to slow down and sail start up the shingle, i shourd take the main down out to sea but that has its probs to.The club next door have a concrete slip,the Topcat there all have the keel protectors silcone on witch runs the full length of the hulls,thay make the same as me. TIP IS not to stand on the slip on a windy day. But nothing happens to the skegs. ITs not right to make a recovery in this way.But have you ever been in the water holding your lovely boat waiting for your crew to get the trailer,only to look up to see a reaching cat (Dart 20)with its rudders up, helm and crew gobs wide open,it was OK thay got me. Mickymouse &n bsp;
|
|
CurlyBen
Really should get out more Joined: 17 Aug 05 Location: Southampton Online Status: Offline Posts: 539 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 18 Aug 05 at 2:45pm |
What's wrong with taking the main down at sea? How long does it take
you to drop it? With the Dart 16s I could drop the main pretty quickly
about 50ft off the shore then sail back under jib alone. Worked well,
no tide though.
|
|
Post Reply | Page <123> |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |