Maricat Wanted

[Mako]

Wanted Maricat mk2 race ready in good condition prepared to travel for right boat. Cash buyer.

[knobblyoldjimbo]

Ok, so you're not really serious (or want a real bargain).

Just briefly, Maricat economics 101 goes as folows:

1. find a cat, mk1 or 2 it doesn't matter provided its in good condition, in particular the keel line can get a bit scratched when pulled over the beach. A bit scratched is probably the best you'll get, if repaired then you may have a bit of fairing to do, it really is a case of slapping a couple of layers of fibreglass mat on. Mk1 booms are a bit bendy but mk2 booms can be bought second hand. I've always been lucky with the two mari's that I've had as they've not needed any deck to hull repair but I do understand that this can be an issue so its worth running your hand along the join. Some of the older boats (I understand) didn't take kindly to the sloop rig, the forked forstay cable generated too much inward load on the bows so look for this sort of damage.

2. sails, newer shape is usual now but most used cats don't come with them. Hopefully there'll be a usable sail, usually there'll be an old coloured sail. You'll need to have the clew restitched to allow for the 'modern' mast rake. You'll need to get the bolt rope extended or replaced too as these shrink with age and are the primary reason for old sails not having good shape. There are used racing sails on the market from time to time, Mick is selling a couple of his at the moment (in the for sale section).

3. rigging, you should expect to buy new rigging. About $80 should get you a set of forestays and shrouds. You should also definitely replace the dolphin striker cable, that'd be another $30. While you're at it the mainsheet could probably do with an update but that's not a safety issue.

4. Rudders. Check the transom, most Mari's will need to be fixed (at some stage), the alum backing plate usually corodes and expands causing cracking and lets the water in. Not hard to replace once you've put inspection holes in the back deck. The pivots will probably need to be redrilled to get the blade to 'balance' (that is the leading edge at the bottom is forward of the centreline of the pintles - this reduces the big weather helm caused by raking the mast). You'll probably need to give the rudders a little TLC too, fill in the dents and chunks.

5. Mast. Modern boats use ronstan fittings on both sides to work the 6:1 downhaul. What is usually standard is the 4:1 fitting that you have to be at the mast to work. The ronstans allow you to work the downhaul from the rail. You could also add one to the boom for the outhaul. They're about $65 a pop. There are two types of mast too, one with longtitudinal ribs, one without. The ribs were apparently used for sloop rigged boats (out of the factory). I don't think it really matters if you're sailing cat rigged but if you're going to go sloop the stiffer mast may be important.

6. Mainsheet system. Most of us use third hand yacht blocks, smaller the better but they do need to be inline, ie triple at the top and triple with becket, ratchet and cleat at the bottom. You are allowed 8:1 now. Go get a Harken setup and you'll double your 'investment' a set would cost about $500! I once managed to get a 19mm triple with ratchet and cleat for $65 on ebay, cost me another $65 for the standard triple from Whitworths. I then had to use 7mm line because 8mm wouldn't go through the blocks. Nice setup though and looked good.

7. Trailer. This can be a pain, most cats I've seen for sale (Gumtree and ebay etc) have unregistered trailers. This requires a blue slip so a trip to the weighbridge is needed. Don't leave the cat on, they just want the trailer weight. The tyres are likely to be over five years old so most places will require them to be replaced and it seems that the smaller they are the higher the price! My guys got very grumpy when the 8" tyres on my first boat wouldn't fit on their hydraulic tyre popping machine. They also get touchy when you've used tyre inflators like I did to make sure the boat got back home in one piece, I'd used one of those tyre repair canisters. They use ammonia which is a big workpace issue. Thankfully the second boat I got had 10" tyres which were only $70 each. Probably best to replace the bearings and seals too.

So, once you've done on all of this, even with an Ebay bargain you'll be into the $2k.

However, one of the benefits of Mari's is that even the older ones are competitive. Some are definitely lighter than others though.

On one of the short races this Saturday, over the eight minutes windward/finish sprint course I was right behind one of the foam boats and only a few seconds behind the leader so the older boats can definitely keep up.

KO

[shanker]

Wanted Maricat mk2 race ready in good condition prepared to travel for right boat. Cash buyer.

Hi All,

I have a mk11 that I am wishing to sell also.

Both sails are relatively new Adams sails. The main has had about 3 seasons use and the jib 2 seasons.

6-1 downhaul adjustable either side of the boat, 6-1 mainsheet setup, newer fiddle blocks for the furling jib. All fittings are Ronstan.

Blue decks White hulls.

Gal trailer with single sail box and beach rollers.

My daughter and I raced this boat successfully for 1 1/2 to 2 seasons until we outgrew it. Was very competitive boat.

I am asking $1800.00 ono and I am located in Canberra.

If your are interested please call me on 0408 584 353. I would be prepared to met you somewhere between Sydney and Canberra if that helps.

Cheers

Shane