New to Maricats

[munroet]

Hi guys

I race a Laser on a weekly basis but am looking to buy a Maricat. I am new to catamarans so am unsure exactly what to look for what could be wrong with a second hand Mari - can anyone advise? Furthermore, what's the difference between a Mari 4.0 and a 4.3 apart from just the length. I am looking to sail the boat solo and sometimes with my better half.

Your help and guidence would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[ZAX]

mostly the difference between the Maricat 4.0 and 4.3 is length, they share many common parts. If there is a chanc you may want to race the maricat then the 4.3 is yur best bet since the 4.0 does not race within the maricat association and is usually used for hire or resorts.

There are 4 variations of the 4.3 maricat.

The original 14 which has more narrow bows than the others and is becoming more rare. These are quite fast although tend to nosedive more easily than later models and do not support 2 people as well.

mark 1 has the traveller track detached from the rear beam and is more bouyant than the original 14. These still race competitively against the mark 2.

mark 2 has the traveller track integrated into the rear beam and is generally considered to be a nicer boat than the mark 1.

mark 3 it is now possible to get the maricat with foam sandwich hulls and significant structural improvements (stronger). These are available from Brisbane catamarans but unlikely to find one second hand now since the first one made was late last year.

What to look for is similiar to what you would look for in a laser. check the condition of the sails, most that race have white sails now if that helps. check over the aluminium for corrosion as the boats are getting on a bit now. look for cracks in the hulls around the side stays, ahead of the front beam inside on the front decks. Also check around the rear bungs as there is a cast aluminium structure that sometimes corrodes and expands cracking the rear transome. You can check the bottom of the hulls for wear although even if worn this is not expensive to have redone with gelcoat or to do yourself.

Maybe if you find a boat and have specific questions make another post?

Hope this helps!

[munroet]

Extremely helpful, thank you. I hadn't realised there were so many types of different 4.3s.