New Boat

[Connor94]

Hi

I am looking for a new boat and want to try a cat. I need something i can sail 1 up. I am 90kg and dont mind getting wet at all.

thanks for Help

Connor

[humungus2]

I am a Maricat sailor and probably very one sided. I am allso 90kg. I have just started super sloop sailing and found it loads of fun. If it's just some fun you are after then it realy don't matter. If you want fun and compertition then it is a Maricat 4.3 for you. I know where there is one on a trailer for $1,500.00 ready to sail.

[TornadoSport260]

Good to hear your crossing to the 'lightside' (note: dinghy = darkside).

I weight in a 84kgs and sail a Windrush 14 Supersloop, my dad also sails one at 95kgs. We finished 1st & 2nd respectively at the last nationals so weight dosnt really have too much of a difference.

A windrush 14 will be more forgiving in heavy weather than a Maricat due to the banana shape of the Maricat hulls.

Once again i am like mick biased towards my class. But i know where there is one for around $2200 with the sails i used to win the last National titles.

[Dave]

I'll add to the biased comments with one of my own!

If you want to have close and exciting big fleet racing and the opportunity to travel internationally to compete, then consider a Paper Tiger. Check out the website at www.papertigercatamaran.org

Plenty of 90kg types sail PTs.

However, if you want a boat you can drag up the sand or one you can add a trapeze to, then the PT is not for you. Maricats and Windrushes will give you these options as well as being able to race them.

Dave.

[cruiser]

If there is one thing that i've learned Connor, it's that buying a new boat is better than buying someone elses issues, I'm spending about $100 per week on average trying to keep my Nacra 14sq going. I should'vebought a new one, but then i didn't realise how much I'd love it either.

My next boat will be a Nacra as they seem to be built tougher than others i've seen. Windrush and Maricats are bullet proof, but lack the speed of the 14sq and I also have the option of a spinnaker kit when i get the hang of it.

I've selected the Sirroco as my next victim, unless i can get a 14sq built to 2.1m beam, My garage is not as big as i thought.

Give serious consideration to all listed above, as all those guys know their stuff and have loads of experience. All i can offer is a newbie's point of view, which is buy a new Nacra sirocco or 14sq off the shelf with the 5 year warranty.

[TornadoSport260]

to add on cruisers comments. buy something that is raced at your local club.

there are more pt's, maricats and windrush's around than there is any nacra other than the 5.8 & f18 that actively race.

but this thread is a who's who on 14ft cat sailing.

humungus2 is a maricat national champ, dave has been around pt's longer than i have been on the earth and has state titles to boot. i have 2 windrush national titles.

hope this helps

[knobblyoldjimbo]

I'll put my tuppence in. Find a local club, see what they race.

At Mannering Park we have heaps of 14ft cats mostly Mari's and Windy's. It makes a big difference having similar boats to sail against.

When I decided to go 'down' from trailable yacht to dinghy I went to the nearest club (MP) and lo ! they sail cats.

If you're anywhere near there contact Darcy - he'll fix you up. What Darcy doesn't know about cats is probably not worth knowing!

[darcy1945]

Conner, unless there is a large fleet of a particular class racing near you, you should stick with the production boats, Mari, Windy for parts/advice and fleet size. A stock starter boat on reg trlr should cost around $800-$1500 depending on condition, If you intend to race spend $2000-$3000 on a proven boat that is race rigged. If you find something that interests you, get back to this site and ask advice. If you want to sail cat rigged, go Mari/ P Tiger. If Sloop, S/Sloop, go Windy. I sail at 97 kg on both these 14s and still reasonably competetive.

[Mitch M]

Well since this forum is full of biased comments all supporting there own 14ft boats. I thaught I better also mention the arrow catamaran. plenty of 90+ kilo sailors in our class and my arrow just happens to be for sale on this website

[madboutcats]

I agree about Arrow's I've got 2 of them, my kids sail them 2 up all the time about 90-110kg. No good for me and my crew 175kg but when it gets real windy and our sailing is cancelled, I take one out and have a great time. They're light,simple to rig, have a flat bottom so you can trailer them on anything, single hinged centre board you just pull and cleat, easy to right. In a blow you can feel them just get up and plane even with my 100kg on board.

regards Jeff

[tonyquoll]

Hi

I’ve sailed Hobie14, Nacra 14square and have owned Paper Tigers for the past 3 years. I’ve raced against Maricats and Windrush (and fast cats), but not Arrows. They’re all good, with positive and negative elements.

The good thing about Hobies is that they are cheap and common. I’ve seen quite a few Hobie 14 on trailer for $500. Boats and parts are readily available and you’ll probably find others to race against. They’re OK with 2 people on board, so you can entertain friends with it – especially if you get one with a jib.

The bad thing is that they are about the slowest 14 foot cat, and prone to cart-wheeling (nose-diving & flipping over forwards).

The good things about the Nacra 14square is they are very fast, and not strenous to sail, because they have a trapeze. The pointy, displacement hull pierces waves, so is unlikely to cartwheel. Also good with friends on board.

The bad thing is that there are few of them, and because they are faster than 14 foot cats, but slower than all the ‘fast cats’, there’s not much close racing.

The good things about Paper Tigers is they are cheap-ish; $1500 gets a good racing boat, they are about the fastest 14 foot cat, and there’s a strong fleet currently racing. They also have a lot of buoyancy and sit on top of the water, going over waves rather than through them. They tend to stand on the nose instead of cart-wheeling, but it is still possible (I’ve only done it once in 3 years).

The bad about Paper Tigers is that they are light-weight racing boats, so not as solid and durable as Hobies. For example, the PT mast is very flexible, which allows tuning the sail from very full to very flat, but they can fold in half in winds over 25 knots. When you take your friends out, the angle on the hull's underside somehow directs the spray straight in your face, which is both funny and annoying. On your own it's not a problem because you'll be flying above it all, hull in the air.

Criteria you might think about when choosing a boat is:

- do you want to hike out, or use a trapeze?

- Do you want one sail, or a jib as well?

- Do you want cheap knock-around boat, or a fast racing boat?

- What can you afford, and what is available near you?

In the end it doesn’t matter that much; any boat will be great fun. They usually hold their value, so you can sell it for about what you paid and change boats later. However, you’ll probably want to upgrade things and all sailing bits are expensive. My $200 bargain took $1200 in upgrades (sail, mast, ropes, cleats, pulleys) to get to good racing speed.

[darcy1945]

The Hobie 14 does not have any state or national ascn and is no longer built in Aus (correct my if i'm wrong), all of the other 14s mentioned do. P/T and Arrow competitive boats are ply and require undercover storage and more regular maint than the production boats, they also tack easier/quicker than non c/board boats and don't stall as easy.

[Dave]

I can't speak for the Arrows, but competitive Paper Tigers can be either ply or foam sandwich (same weight for both). While foam sandwich requires less maintenance, I would still keep it undercover.

Dave.