cat rigged catamaran

The Wyliecat 30 was conceived with
the premise that performance sailing doesn't need to be complicated to be fast and fun. Combining state-of-the-art technology with the time-proven cat rig, the Wyliecat's performance needs to be experienced to be believed. Imagine yourself racing through a fleet of boats much larger, while enjoying comfort, speed and ease of handling. The designs high ballast ratio and exceptional form stability make them a joy to sail in any wind condition.

The 46-foot carbon-fiber mast was designed to bend, allowing the top of the sail to "depower" as the wind increases. The result is a simple and effective self-reefing system...and a boat that anyone can sail!

The Wyliecat 30 is engineered and constructed according to specifications.

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• Cat Ketch Sailboats

Do The Unstayed Rigs Of Cat Ketch Sailboats Really Work?

Cat ketch sailboats are instantly recognizable by their tapered masts and total absence of standing rigging. There's nothing new about free-standing rigs though; they've been around for thousands of years - the Chinese Junk being the best known example.

But we have Gary Hoyt to thank for developing these sailboats for modern day cruising boats.

Hoyt, a former Finn Olympian and Sunfish World Champion, recognised that free-standing rigs would be just as successful on cruising sailboats as they were on his racing dinghies, and set out to prove it.

1977 saw the launch of Hoyt's Freedom 40 cat ketch, of which more than 90 have been produced to date.

Hoyt's early version had aluminium masts, but the development of carbon fibre spars combining strength, stiffness and light weight enabled these sailboat designs to be brought really up to date.

All unstayed masts are keel-stepped as they rely entirely on the cantilever thus provided by the deck for support. The mast is subjected to bending moment only, with none of the compressive forces that a stayed mast has to withstand.

The flexibility of the rig means that it's impossible to get sufficient forestay tension to support a conventional jib, so any such sail is likely to be a blade type set up on a fractionally rigged forestay. More often than not headsails are dispensed with altogether and a single-masted cat rig or ketch rig used - the Freedom 40 being a notable example.

Either conventional booms or wishbone rigs are used to support the clew of the sail. The wishbone rig greatly reduces the risk of head injury from an accidental gybe - a valuable safety feature indeed on cruising sailboats of any kind. Aerodynamically this rig is very clean - few yachtsmen will lament the loss of the rigging-induced whining when it starts to blow, but it does mean there's less to grab hold of when up on deck.

Advantages of Unstayed Rigs on Cat Ketch Sailboats

• Absence of shrouds and stays means less weight aloft;
• Low centre of effort produces less heeling moment than a conventional rig;
• Flexible unstayed mast bends in strong gusts, flattening sail and de-powering it;
• Ease of tacking and jibing - just change course and the sail will flop over onto the other side of the boat without any drama;
• Running downwind is similarly stress free, with one sail out to port and the other to starboard. If the wind pipes up both sails can be eased forward, spilling the wind and steadying the boat.

Disadvantages?

It's often said that they're less efficient to windward than the Marconi Rig (the Bermudan Sloop ), but off the wind they make up for it.

However, if you take a look at this this video of a heavily reefed 40 ft cat ketch sailboat overhauling a 48 foot cutter you'll have few doubts about their windward ability!

Cat ketches clearly have a lot going for them!

Seen alongside the complexity of a conventionally rigged sailboat, it's easy to imagine that the unstayed rigs of cat ketch sailboats represent the future for cruising sailboat designs

The Cat Ketch Sailboat: A Few FAQs...

What is a cat ketch sailboat?

A cat ketch sailboat is a sailboat that has two masts, one at the very bow and one further aft, and no jib. The sails are usually triangular and attached to free-standing masts that can bend and de-power in strong winds.

How do you sail a cat ketch sailboat?

Sailing a cat ketch sailboat is similar to sailing any other sailboat, but with some differences. Here are some basic tips:

• To tack, simply turn the boat through the wind and let the sails switch sides. You don't need to touch the sheets or the tiller during the manoeuvre;
• To jibe, turn the boat away from the wind and let the sails switch sides. Be careful not to jibe too fast or too hard, as this can damage the masts or cause excessive rolling;
• To reef, lower the halyard until the desired amount of sail is left, then secure it with a cleat or a knot. You can reef either or both sails depending on the wind strength and direction;
• To trim, adjust the sheets until the sails are set at an angle that gives you maximum speed and comfort. You can also use the wishbone booms to change the angle of attack of the sails.

What are some examples of cat ketch sailboats?

Some examples of cat ketch sailboats are:

• The Freedom 40, designed by Gary Hoyt in 1977, was one of the first modern cat ketch sailboats. It has an aluminium mast forward and a carbon fibre mast aft, and can carry a small jib on a fractional forestay;
• The Herreshoff 31, designed by Halsey Herreshoff in 1979, is a classic cat ketch sailboat. It has wooden masts and wishbone booms, and can carry a spinnaker for downwind sailing;
• The Core Sound 15, designed by Graham Byrnes in 2015, is a small cat ketch sailboat. It has carbon fiber masts and conventional booms, and is suitable for beach sailing and day cruising.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge,  we believe them to be accurate.

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CATAMARAN SAILING

Sailing gives the ultimate sense of freedom, blasting across the water with no agenda or a care in the world. This couldn’t be more fitting when sailing the RS CATs. Durability, convenience and fun are the hallmarks of the RS CATs. Simple to rig, simple to sail and yet packed full of modern features that make ownership and boat handling an absolute breeze. The RS CATs have stability and space so you can enjoy the excitement alone or with family and friends. A new design protected system for joining the beams to the hulls gives increased stiffness compared to other rotomoulded polyethylene catamarans, with the added bonus of allowing the boat to be disassembled quickly for storage or transport. From fantastic family fun to SailGP Inspire Racing, the RS CATs really do offer all the versatility and the awesome performance you would want.

Even under main and jib alone, the RS Cat 16 sizzled along, its wave-piercing bows doing their thing while a pair of laser-beam-straight wakes stretched out astern. A few minutes later, we hoisted the A-sail, and life became very satisfying indeed.

Sail Magazine, USA

• Catamaran Beach
• Catamaran XL

RS CAT12 – Buoyant, easy handling and fun; bringing simplicity back to the beach

RS CAT 14 – Exciting, simple and pathway-performance for youngsters, families and clubs

RS CAT 16 – the most stylish, easy, exciting and durable beach cat for clubs and families

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The Ideal Boat for Your Summer Sailing Experience

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The RS CAT Design – what makes it unique to others on the market

RS CAT14: Wins Sailing World 2019 Beach Cat Award

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Concept 63 Catamaran

The CONCEPT 63 Catamaran is a thoroughbred cruising catamaran, conceived as a fast, long distance cruiser for a small crew. She delivers exceptional performance under both sail and power and very comfortable accommodations.

While not currently in production, the Concept 63 is available on a custom basis. Call Chris White for details. 

The forward half of each hull is devoted to a private double cabin. Both cabins contain upper and lower bunks, a hanging locker, dresser, seat and storage spaces. Each double cabin has its own private head and shower.

Power The diesel engines are located in dedicated engine rooms, with standing headroom, and all 'round access to the engines. There is plenty of room for auxiliary machinery such as a gen set, desalinator and air conditioning, as well as a work bench and tool storage. Engine size can vary from 45HP to 100 HP. Twin 45's will yield 10 knots. The larger engines have the capacity to push this cat to 14 knots. Propellers are protected by the draft of the hull. Beaching this cat poses no problem for the props.

Dinghy Deck The aft deck is one of the most frequently used and functional spaces on the boat. It's a great outdoor work and play space, with room for out of the water dinghy stowage, fishing, organizing snorkeling expeditions and other watersports.

Safety Features As with all proper multihull designs, the Concept 63 is unsinkable. Each hull incorporates two collision bulkheads forward and a third watertight bulkhead aft. Violation of any of the watertight subdivisions means only a slight variation to boat trim or heel, typically less than 1 or 2 degrees. While not recommended, it would be possible to safely sail long distances with both bows flooded forward of the collision bulkheads.

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The British

'a' class catamaran, association.

The official site for the British 'A' Class Catamaran Association.  Designed to inform new and existing 'A' Cat sailors about UK 'A' Class trends.

ISAF A CAT rules 2013

Top tips from the European #6 and GBR #1 Classic sailor Hugh Macgregor on how to sail and set up the classic boat and rig.

Hugh is a professional sailor and coach.  He has been a multiple Champion across various classes.

I sail a Classic straight board 2009 Tool, with Hammer deck sweeper sail, Saarberg stiff untapered mast, Exploder boom, and Exploder asymmetrical winglet rudders, I am around 100Kg.  The A Cat world is very diverse, my settings will not work exactly the same with your setup, but may help you generate a starting point.  As I write this I am preparing for the Euros in Garda, and am trying to get my boat and myself as prepared as possible, in order to justify the expense of going.  It’s a bucket list, once in a lifetime opportunity to tick off a Garda event.

I have worked hard to optimise my boat, the hull finish is perfect, the foils are damage free, and prepared to 3000 wet and dry, which makes them silent at speed.  I have the rudder blades parallel, with no toe in.  I have spent time adjusting the rudder rake and mast rake to make my boat want to sail in a straight line when powered up upwind, with no weather helm and light steering.  My T foil rudders are set to half a degree of lift, more lift is good upwind, but pushes the bows down too much downwind.  The T foils allow you to safely push much harder downwind, it’s a modification I would recommend.  I bought a Saarberg stiff mast to suit my weight, and Micky Todd (Hammer sails) made a very nice sail to fit both my mast and my weight.  I make extensive use of Micky’s tuning guide, and thank him for his coaching and advice, he showed me what an A Cat can really do.  I have a Harken 40mm 9:1 mainsheet system with 8mm swiftcord, and 2 Harken 60mm auto ratchets to help manage the load.  Good gloves are a must, the high aspect A Cat rig is all about mainsheet action.

A deck sweeper sail is a must have, it moves the power of the rig lower, where you can use it, making the boat faster and better mannered.  A curved boom gives much better control of the foot than a boomless one. I currently sail with about 45mm deflection in my spreaders, and a diamond tension of 26 on the loos gauge, I don’t adjust these unless I change sails.  My rake is to halfway between the aft beams and the transom, about six degrees, I find this is where my boat balances the best upwind.  I go one shroud hole down (seven degrees) for days I should probably not sail, and one hole up (five degrees) for very very light days, but I mostly keep it in the neutral position.  My shroud tension is 12 - 16, if I have more than 14 I cannot get enough mast rotation downwind in light winds, but more makes the boat feel more settled in upper wind bands.  I tie my video tape streamers 1.5 meters up from my forestay fittings, and have them long enough to touch the mast upwind.  It is worth getting a tuning guide from the sailmaker for the sail you use, to give you a starting point for settings.

Sail setup:

My main calibration when I prepare a sail I have not used before is the downhaul.  Firstly, I pull on the downhaul until the sail is at its fullest, ie the most camber in the top half, then put a calibration mark on the mast.  This is now my minimum setting, 0%, I pull it to this setting before the start, and never ease beyond this setting until after the finish, even in the lightest winds.  I then pull on as much downhaul (and mainsheet) as I dare, until the top half of the sail becomes perfectly flat, then mark the mast/sail again. This gives me a range of 0% to 100% for the downhaul.  The downhaul is the main power control you have, it is worth servicing and maintaining your downhaul system to make it as friction free and reliable as possible.  If you cannot consistently get enough downhaul, because of lack of range or purchase, or old knackered blocks, you will be slow upwind.  If you rip your sail with downhaul, it is a sign you need a better mainsail, not that you used too much downhaul.  I have a 24:1 downhaul, as it allows me to adjust it more accurately, and make it easier to ease, with a more flexible mast 12:1 or 18:1 should be adequate.

The outhaul I always have as eased as possible, I try to have it set so 2/3rds of the sail is touching the curved boom when fully powered upwind.  If the boat feels a little sticky, I ease it another inch.  My calibration on outhaul is so I can always set it to the exact same amount, if it is an inch too tight, I find myself very slow upwind.  I never adjust it to the wind strength, for me it’s set and forget.  Power at the top of the mast can be useful, or it can just trip you over.  Power at the bottom of the rig is always helpful, it is your main engine room.

The batten tension should be only just enough to stop sail creases developing across the batten when sailing.  Mark your top batten when you’re happy with the tension, so you can always retie it in the same place, too much top batten tension or too little messes with your head.

Upwind modes:

Note:  traveller always on the centreline.  Video tape forestay streamer always touching the mast.

Upwind Light winds:  before trapezing, approximately 1 - 5 knots wind.

Downhaul - 25%, but maybe up to 50% if very light winds making the rig sticky, or if you have a very full sail, and I usually pull on 50% downhaul for tacking to aid flicking the battens.  Mast rotation - pointing to the daggerboard, I use my foot on the mast base to force it to rotate.  Fore and aft trim - Sitting up at the main beam, or a little ahead, try and get the bow knuckle in the water.  Mainsheet - it is very easy to stall an A cat rig with too much mainsheet tension in these conditions, I try to keep enough twist to avoid stalling, if in doubt let it out.

Upwind Transitioning: from sitting to trapezing, 5 - 8 knots of wind.

This is the hardest mode change to get right, as the apparent wind doubles in this range.  Downhaul - 0% when sitting, but immediately up to 25% when you start trapezing.  Mast rotation - start bringing it back to halfway between daggerboard case and back beam.  Fore and aft trim - I move to behind the shrouds go out on the trapeze, if there is enough wind once on the wire I stay where I can just have the leeward bow knuckle at the water line, but if I am struggling to stay on the wire, I crouch in front of the shrouds, and really immerse the leeward bow, this helps with pointing.  Mainsheet trim:  In this mode, I try to have no twist in the rig whatsoever.  You will find that there is a point when, as you pull in the mainsheet, firstly the twist reduces, then at a certain point, the camber in the upper rig starts to reduce.  It is just before the camber starts to reduce that the rig is generating maximum power, ie minimum twist maximum camber, this is where you need it when you first get out on the trapeze. 

Upwind:  power band, 8 - 13 knots of wind.

This is when nothing that floats can touch an A Cat, it’s a magic carpet ride that makes all other boats look like traffic cones to go around.  Downhaul - This is the range where my downhaul never stays the same for long, in 8 knots of wind it is at 25%, in 13 knots of wind it is at 100%.  Mast rotation:  by 13 knots, it will be pointing at the leeward rudder.  I never bring it further in than the leeward rudder, it is worth having a strop on your mast rotation control system to prevent this.  Fore and aft trim:  aft of the shrouds, keep the bow knuckle just at the waterline, not in, not out.  Mainsheet tension - tension the mainsheet for zero twist as a starting point.  Most people when they transition into A Cats from other boats have a tendency to pinch into the wind too much in these conditions.  If my video tape streamer wants to sit to windward of the mast under full mainsheet tension, I pull on more downhaul to flatten the top half of the rig, to bring the streamer back down to the mast.  If my streamer is to leeward of the mast, I have too much twist in the sail, I pull on more mainsheet tension, and maybe ease a little downhaul, to bring it back up to the mast.  Once the wind increases to the point where I am constantly easing the mainsheet (ie adding twist) to avoid pinching, I have the downhaul on at maximum 100%.  Try to use more mainsheet action and less steering to get through the gusts and lulls, it’s faster.  Remember, easing the mainsheet without pulling on downhaul, increases camber therefore power / drag at the top of the rig, where you least want it.  If there is enough wind that you are introducing twist into the rig, you need to flatten the top half of the rig first.  Downhaul is your primary tool to flatten the top half of the rig.

Upwind, 13 to 22 knots: 

Here is where you guys with C boards and T foils can really take off, if you take a step back to get the first meter of boat out of the water, and keep easing the mainsheet to keep the streamer on the mast, you can get the boat into a skimming mode.  If it all gets a bit too hectic, try dropping the traveller by a couple of inches, try lifting the daggerboards by 150mm, just to calm it down.  If you find you cannot make the top half of the sail flat enough with downhaul in these conditions, you can try getting a stiffer set of top 4 sail battens, or old school would be to turn your top battens around, luff to leech, it all makes the boat a little less twitchy, at the expense of downwind power.

Downwind Modes:

Downwind, Mild thing, 1-5 knots of wind.

Downhaul - 0%.  Mast rotation - off, force the mast to 90 degrees, with your foot or an over rotation control.  Fore and aft trim - sit forward at main beam, to get the transoms out of the water.  Traveller - maximum ease.  Daggerboards - if straight boards, both up, if C board, windward one up.  These are the most difficult conditions to get a A Cat downwind, it is very easy to stall the rig, and very hard to build speed. I aim to keep the apparent wind between 5 and 10 degrees forward of the beam.  Keep the rudder use down to a minimum, keep the tiller extension planted on the deck to reduce movement.  Mainsheet:  Take the mainsheet directly from the clew for maximum sensitivity.  Sheet in and reduce twist very gradually, as you build speed and bear away, but be prepared to head up and ease sheet again if you stall the rig.  Twist is useful in these conditions, as it means at least some of the rig will be working at all times, if you have no twist, the rig is either stalled or working, not very helpful in light shifty winds.

Downwind, Transition, 5 - 10 knots.

Downhaul - 0%.  Mast rotation off.  Fore and aft trim:  start moving aft, in these conditions, I am aiming to keep both hulls on their design waterline, bow knuckles and transoms just skimming.  Traveller - from just inside of leeward hull to 400 mm inside of the leeward hull.  Daggerboards - both up or windward one up.  Mainsheet - Sheet for minimum twist maximum camber, I use the mainsail telltales to help me same as upwind use, but always being ready to ease an armful if it stalls.  Once the breeze gets closer to 10 knots, the traveller starts to act like an accelerator, allowing you to go faster with very little increase in height.

Downwind, Wild thing, 10-16 knots.

My current rule of thumb, if there is enough wind to trapeze and fly a hull consistently upwind, then there is enough wind to fly a hull downwind.

Downhaul - 0%.  Mast rotation - off.  Fore and aft trim - just in front of rear beam to just behind rear beam.  Traveller - leeward toe strap.  Daggerboards - windward one up or both down. Mainsheet:  Sheet for minimum twist, maximum camber and get the boat going fast before trying to lift a hull.  Once up to speed, a quick little luff should unstick the windward hull before a big bear away and lots of playing the sheet to keep it flying.  Prioritise accurate steering and sheeting over moving your weight around.  In 10 knots of wind, I try to get my feet under the leeward toe strap before I pop a hull, in more wind, I try to get both feet under the windward strap and my arse wedged on the aft beam before lifting a hull, I like to be locked into the boat before it leans over too far.  Bear away and ease sheet in the gusts, head up and sheet in for the lulls, and use mainsheet to smooth out the ride height.  If the bow does start going under water, a sharp ease on the sheet will let it pop back up.

I am not agile enough to combine wild thing with trapezing, and I have straight boards so my boat does not generate lift with speed, there are a few modes I am probably missing out here, there are many more qualified sailors than me to explain them.

Downwind, 16 - 22 knots:

Downhaul - 25% - 50%, Mast rotation off, Fore and aft trim - as far aft as you can go.  The convention is to point the boat deep downwind, with traveller up to inside of leeward hull.  Ease sheet a bit and head up to build speed, and bear away and over sheet to calm it down, reversing the airflow over the mainsail leech to luff when required in the bigger gusts.  I very rarely try to fly a hull in these conditions, as on my straight board boat I need all the buoyancy I can get.  Another mode you can play with is to drop the traveller right down, ease the sheet, and keep the apparent wind on the beam, with the sail luffing slightly, and 50% downhaul.  It has the advantage that you can always sheet in for more power and ease for less, it can help you make a leeward mark layline when you’ve misjudged your last gybe, and end up coming in a little hot.  Whatever happens, the further back you can get your bum, the harder you can push it downwind without sticking the leeward bow in.  If you do stick a bow in, you have a good chance of saving a capsize if you are properly wedged in to the aft beam and toe straps, if your bum slides forward, it’s swim time.  Capsizing is slow.

Finally, maintenance - keep your boat in good condition.  A minor breakage can often snowball on the water, a broken trapeze line or tiller extension joint can lead to much greater damage, a planned maintenance schedule can be useful,  2 years for a UJ, 2 years for trapeze strings, 3 years for shrouds, forestay, and their shackles, 5 years for downhaul equipment etc.  Carefully check all your shackles, split rings, rudder fastenings etc after a big day.

Most damage to A Cats happens in the dinghy park, the mast can flap like a sail during a gale, and damage your boat, and push up the insurance premiums for all of us.  To avoid damage, tie your mast spanner to the toe straps so the mast cannot rotate.  Use your tiller extension to pass a line around your mast above the spreaders, and tie it down to the aft corner, this kills any resonance vibration that can damage the rig.  Most importantly, tie your trapeze strings down tightly to hard points either side of your boat level with the main beam.  Don’t leave your mast up in winter.  Finally, tie down your neighboring boats, so they don’t blow onto your boat.

The best way to learn, and to optimise your boat and sailing style, is to come to A Cat events, it’s a friendly class, everyone will help you get up to speed as much as they can.  A Cat’s are pretty bad handicap boats, but in class racing they offer some of the most intense and rewarding racing in the sailing world, accessible to all ages and for a wide weight range, there is not a better place to be on the water.

Tuning Your DNA

A set up guide can be found at http://www.racingcats.com/tuning_support/setting-up.php

Some figures for the set-up:

Toospore rudders 2-3 mm (measure rudders fore and aft at transom level)(always check after reception of the boat).

Rudder raked under the boat: no more than 15 mm (factory settings can be slightly more)

Toe-in daggerboards 3-5 mm (difference fore aft daggerboards) (= standard factory settings)

Daggerboard J  or C board  slider: 1 cm space to the back end (standard setting) for more lift move daggerboard more aft, for less lift move daggerboard forward. Just untighten the screws lightly and use the board as a lever to change the position of the slider

Mastrake: just behind the hatch in light winds, on the transom in medium winds, halfway the transom in stronger winds. (Procedure; keep trapezeline on the deck at the fore stay and see where it touches the hull aft). If you adjust mastrake you might have to adjust sheetlength too.

Polish daggerboards and rudders with grid 600 and then 1000 or 1200. Especially the finish of the daggerboard has a huge impact on the performance.  New boards are not polished yet.

Upwind: traveller always in the middle, reduce mastrotation when the wind picks up.

Downwind: Traveller on hiking strap when doing the wild thing, mast rotation 80-90 degrees

Do not oversheet while doing the wildthing

Keep daggerboards down will doing the wildthing, pull the weather daggerboard up in marginal wildthing conditions. In the mild thing or while going flat pull both daggerboards halfway up. 

In strong winds put the boards up 10 cm.

Position yourself between the side stay and the daggerboard case when you are going upwind. Only step back when the boat is on full speed. Hike before the sidestay in light conditions (see pics Stevie at the Worlds in Cesenatico). Many sailors stand to far back when going upwind especially just after a tack. (Keep fat bottom out of the water)

Use surf wax on the trampoline to enhance grip in tacks and gybes.

Use toestraps if you want to trapeze downwind. You do not need these in the lighter circumstances but if the wind picks up your will suffer from less fatigue.

If you can trapeze downwind some cunningham may result in higher endspeeds and more control.

If  you cannot keep the bow up downwind come out of the trapeze, release the traveller a bit and steer for depth. Less mast rotation may improve control but hurts speed as well if wind is not stable.

Ask your sailmaker for the right amount of spreaderrake and the right amount of diamond tension. Use a loose gauge to measure the tension.

If you go from the windward mark to the offset mark do not step back and keep yourself positioned at the daggerboard case to prevent aggressive bow ups.

If you sail a long distance race reduce the amount of lift by moving the slider .6 cms forward.

Put your daggerboards in the trampoline bag before going ashore, else a board may wash off the boat and may sink.

Do not make jumps on purpose with the boat while reaching This might damage the boards.

Maintenance:

Keep your hulls clean. Wash the boat with water after sailing on saltwater. Transport it either in a box or use lycra covers.

Teflon wax sealer can be applied on both the hulls and daggerboards for less friction.

Put water on your daggerboards before you put these in daggerboard cases. Do not hang a daggerboard in the water if you are already sailing as it can be swept out of your hands.

Keep the screws on the pushrods of the rudders tight else the pushrod pin might rotate.

Check the knot in the daggerboard rope regularly as  the daggerboards might sink if it comes loose.

Drill a 2 mm in the hatch covers to let air out in case of heating by the sun.

Do not drill holes in the beams as the beams are watertight and part of the positive safety buoyancy.

Do not use aceton on the paint to remove glue or stickers but use spiritus/alcohol instead.

Clean travellercar with clean water.

Check trapeze ropes regularly

Mast Setup - Landenberger

Over the past few seasons it has become quite clear that many people who have been experiencing speed or power problems have had little basic knowledge of what they can do with the mast settings. It is clear what do with the cunningham, simply pull on it to get the pressure out of the sail as you need, but often the mast is left unattended to, as a last priority. In fact it is one of the most important speed controls on the boat. It is important to understand how to use it, and what you want to have in the sail shape for different conditions. It is not so easy to just come up with numbers and angles that will suit every mast and sail so I will try to make some key points to help understand this correctly.

The more pre bend set in the mast the more effect mast rotation has on the sail shape.

The effect of the spreaders means that the more the mast is rotated backwards, the more the lower mast section can bend forward (in the direction of the boat) and the stiffer the top section becomes. Leaving the cunningham tension out of the discussion at the moment, the result would be that the sail becomes flatter in the bottom and fuller in the top.

Rotating the mast more forward allows the spreader to start to work and the lower mast section becomes stiffer in the forward direction and the top becomes softer backwards. The result is the sail will become deeper in the bottom and flatter in the top.

Cunningham pressure flattens the sail and will tend to flatten the top more than the bottom since the top of the mast is unsupported and more free to bend. Understanding the sail shape that works best in the differing conditions is then very important. For example in Flat water you would like to have a very even profile through the sail from top to bottom with good power in the top and the possibility to pull the mainsheet quite hard without stalling the back of the sail. On flat water you can sheet hard and point higher. By wave conditions you would want good power down low in the sail and have the top more open and twisted. This gives you power and the twisted top allows the boat to accelerate easily letting you steer around more and power the boat through the waves easier. Generally you can’t point as high as the boat on flat water but because of the waves you can achieve a much better VMG (velocity made good).

The typical example is that with increasing wind the sailor will pull the Cunningham hard but not adjust the mast rotation to go with it. The effect of the Cunningham is flattening the sail, but more in the top. This allows the leech to open. The boat may feel ok but often the leech is to open and you can’t point high enough. This setup can be good in big waves but on flat water the sailor would like to have the leech standing much straighter so they should rotate the mast further back. If you go back to our original points you can see that the mast becomes stiffer in the top and can bend more in the bottom. This is therefore powering up the top and flattening the bottom of the sail. With the Cunningham pressure you can sheet on hard and point high with good speed.

The other typical mistake which occurs, is that the sailor by strong wind, simply pulls the mast back in line with the boom and pulls full Cunningham pressure. Because the mast rotation is too far back the sail becomes too full in the top and too open in the bottom. The sail will have a lot of twist which some sailors think is good for strong wind, but because of the top of the mast reaching its maximum stiffness in the aft direction of the boat the sail will remain too full in the top. The end result is a sail which is twisted to far and with too much profile for the strong wind. The twist causes you to loose pointing ability and the depth is causing excessive drag, just slowing you down. You are in effect going slower and lower than the correctly trimmed boats.

Spreader rake is also another significant factor in setting up you rig. It also plays a part in how much the rotation angle affects the depth of the sail. That can be a whole subject of its own, so for now I make just a few comments. Try to think of pre-bend as controlling the position the mast takes its bend. The more pre-bend you make in the mast the lower the mast likes to bend. The lower the mast tries to bend the straighter the top section becomes. The flatter the pre-bend the more the top section tries to bend. The normal reaction of sailors is to increase the pre-bend for strong wind to flatten the sail and reduce it in light wind to increase power.

Principally that is correct, but it must be incorporated with the rotation to get the right balance in the sail. Like most things, too much or too little can be harmful. It is a great failure made by many sailors to flatten the spreader angle to far reducing the pre-bend in the mast to almost straight. For light wind this is doing more harm than good. The heavier sailors also often request more luff curve because they are looking for power.

With more luff curve and flatter spreaders light wind speed can quickly come to an end. The sail will become very full down low with a deep entry angle from the mast and a very closed leech section. When you get the first wind in the sail you may get a feeling of power, but you may also experience the boat just wanting to fly a hull but not wanting to go easily forward. The boat will not point and will not accelerate.

In many cases it is actually better to go the other way. By very light wind you can increase the pre-bend to open the lower part of the sail and reduce the entry angle of the sail behind the mast. With the rotation angle set correctly to get the head standing up just the right amount you can be very fast. Just remember flat is fast and deep is slow. It has a lot more to do with entry and exit angles of the sail to achieve height and power.

Amongst sail makers there are many different ideas, and history has proven that there are many ways to build fast sails. The most important thing is that the sailor can understand how the sail should work and manage it well. Also restrictions on materials and designs in the boats themselves change the way the sail has to work to achieve the best results. We design our A class sails to allow the mast to be rotated well back. The reason being, that the mast itself creates a lot of profile over the rig and therefore it is very important to be able to reduce the wind age over the mast by rotating back as the wind increases. At the same time the sail must flatten rather than get fuller. That is the secret to success.

Good sailing.

Here are a variety of articals about setting up and techniques.  Not all will be aplicable to your particular boat, but information is power!

National Mosquito Catamaran Council

Mosquito – The Racing Catamaran

MOSQUITO – The racing catamaran

The Mosquito was designed in 1966 by Neil Fowler of Darwin as a one person (on trapeze) cat rigged yacht. Later the jib and the second trapeze were added and the Mosquito became an easily converted one-person/two-person yacht able to be built at home by the amateur or by professional builders but not restricted to one manufacturer.

At first the Mosquito gained acceptance in Darwin and South Australia in MkII mode (two person sloop rig) while in Victoria the one person MkI (cat rig) dominated. Soon after it also became established in NSW, Qld and Tasmania. There are also Mosquitos sailing in South Africa and even Canada (we know of one!).

Although it can be loaded up with an esky for a day cruise (on a quiet day) it doesn’t suit the cruising role; the Mosquito is a racing catamaran.

The Mosquito has been around now since the the late 1960s and in that time its performance has been shown to be consistently good for a 5 metre catamaran, often beating much newer designs around the course. The current YV yardstick is 84 for both MkI and MkII.

While it is fast the Mosquito is not loaded up with excessive sail area. Instead it achieves its performance through efficiency and light weight. The Mosquito has a very low minimum weight; 55 kg for the bare hulls or less than 80 kg fully rigged. It is very easily handled on the beach from trailer to water and back again.

The Mosquito is not as wide as most 5m cats at 2.185m. Combined with the light weight this make it a fairly lively and exciting boat to sail. When it was introduced it was criticised for having a tall, high aspect rig which the “ordinary” sailor would never be able to handle. Times change and these days the Mosquito’s once tall mast could be regarded as a little shorter than the average.

The Mosquito is easily converted from MkI to MkII and although not all skippers take advantage of this some find it convenient to keep a jib and a pair of cleats in the car for when the family want to join in the fun. MkII skippers can easily remove the jib if they want to sail and the crew can’t make it.

The Mosquito can be bought as a complete set of hulls (in fibreglass or timber) for owner finishing but many prefer to sharpen up the plane and saw and create their own. The Mosquito is built from ply using the stitch and glue method. Timber frames are used at the pickup points for the main and rear crossbeams and at the forestay chainplate points. Foam frames stiffen the rest of the hulls. Many builders add extra foam frames as they weigh little for the amount of stiffness added.

Timber hulled boats are finished in two pot paints or varnish. The class rules are structured so the amateur builder can conform without too much trouble and so that although the boat is basically one design owners can individualise their boats with variations in hull internals, rudders, deck layout, fittings and rigging.

Click to see full size imageThe Mosquito has a lot to offer; performance, light weight, resale value, good competition and an active class association plus the ability to change between a one person and two person boat without losing performance.

For more information contact one of the State Associations or NMCC officials. Contact details are available from our contacts page. You can also download an information brochure in PDF format.

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> > Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. 27-03-2008, 13:49   Boat: Searunner 34 and Searunner Constant Camber 44 rigged Cats? I know there has been a tendency towards sloops for several years, but I still like to wonder. and therefore the designs are from the early years of modern design so you aren’t going to see the next gunboat here. (it says it’s a but it looks like a yawl) 27-03-2008, 14:06   Boat: Simpson, Catamaran, 46ft. IMAGINE In St. Maarten when I bought Imagine in 2002. I believe they were asking 1million, but that may have been hearsay. I next saw the in Ft. Pierce in Dec. 27-03-2008, 14:06   Boat: Simpson, Catamaran, 46ft. IMAGINE ? 27-03-2008, 14:27   height of less than 65' for bridges. Where to hang out though? 27-03-2008, 18:51   I've ever seen. The crossbeam on the bow is a 2X8 that may have come from Home Depot. There are so many bad things going on with that boat it's impossible to list them all. 28-03-2008, 07:21   Boat: Simpson, Catamaran, 46ft. IMAGINE , I bet she was sweet sailing in her day though........ 28-03-2008, 10:59   statioin. Most Rube Goldburg thing I have ever seen. When is the last time you saw wire halyards? She's got them. 28-03-2008, 12:13   Boat: FP Tobago 35 30-03-2008, 05:57   Boat: Searunner 34 and Searunner Constant Camber 44 mast with a main sail on a boom and ; both triangular-ish shaped.} . And I agree that dependable and affordable systems make their use more common. But that only explains the use of the system. clippers? Why don’t we have the roller fuller at either end of the boom but instead either a roller system concealed within the mast or boom. Heck, why not a mast with a at one end and jib-like main sail? ? circuit, just in the same way we are seeing square headed mail and the use of carbon fiber, and Kevlar. that I can’t recreate but I think . 31-05-2008, 05:25   Boat: 65 Sailing/Fishing catamaran by Chris White 31-05-2008, 10:43   63. That boat is what I've been using so far as the base design for my next boat. I don't need/want as much "house" so doodling with some changes which should reduce weight - also have been thinking your aft-mast rig may have some advantages over the ketch rig. 31-05-2008, 14:15   Boat: Searunner 34 and Searunner Constant Camber 44 03-06-2008, 11:59   Boat: 65 Sailing/Fishing catamaran , used bad underlying assumptions or came down to misapplication. . 03-06-2008, 12:08   03-06-2008, 12:40   Boat: Searunner 34 and Searunner Constant Camber 44 Thread Tools Rate This Thread : Posting Rules post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are Similar Threads Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post AudreyK Monohull Sailboats 19 14-02-2012 14:22 Michael Klautky Monohull Sailboats 1 04-04-2010 11:39 Ahnlaashock Monohull Sailboats 1 25-08-2009 18:34 slow leak General Sailing Forum 1 24-07-2009 07:05 lobodemar61 Classifieds Archive 0 10-07-2008 20:14 - - - - - - - Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. [{{{type}}}] {{{reason}}} {{texts.summary}} {{#options.result.rssIcon}} RSS {{/options.result.rssIcon}} {{{_source.title}}} {{#_source.showPrice}} {{{_source.displayPrice}}} {{/_source.showPrice}} {{{_source.displayUrl}}} {{{_source.displayDate}}} {{{_source.description}}} {{#_source.additionalFields}} {{#title}} {{{label}}}: {{{title}}} {{/title}} {{/_source.additionalFields}} Aqua Cat 14 Catamaran The larger version of one of the world's most popular one design catamarans brings you performance, simplicity and weight carrying capabilities not offered in other catamarans this size. Featuring wide, flat bottom hulls with turned up bows and a small keel skeg, the pontoon design is unequaled in weight carrying capacity and planing speed. The small keels have replaced the daggerboards used on the smaller Aqua Cat and allow for easy beaching thru the surf. Designed for ocean sailing or inland lakes this cat has it all. The Aqua Cat 14 is ideal for four large adults or where capabilities to support 1,000 lbs. are needed. The boomless sail rig supported by the tubular "a" frame provides simplicity and safety not found in traditional wire shroud designs. One sheetline and a simple tiller arrangement result in sailing simplicity, fun and excitement. Weighing in at 230 lbs. and with a 6-1/2 foot beam, it can easily be car topped or trailered to your favorite spot on the beach. Constructed of hand laid fiberglass, anodized aluminum tubing and stainless steel fasteners, maintenance is at a minimum. The rudder system is durable all aluminum construction with gudgeons through bolted to aluminum plates inside the hull and features wide performance designed aluminum blades. Positive foam flotation in each hull, plus the added feature of the mast flotation ball provide a measure of confidence and safety. Standard features include spring loaded kick up rudders, 105 sq. ft. Dacron two colored sail, a 360 quick release cleat and rudder lift systems. Available with white hulls with red side stripes and four sail combinations, the Aqua Cat offers a performance fun package not to be missed. Experience the Aqua Cat feeling. RESORT SPECIAL VERSION OF AQUA CAT 14 CATAMARAN Exceedingly popular as a resort rental craft, the Aqua Cat 14 has proven itself as an excellent investment. Its simplicity allows use by the most inexperienced and offers a stable, safe and fun filled package for the Hotel Guest. American Sail manufactures a slightly slower version of this popular catamaran for use in resort locations where most sailors are novices. The resort special features a smaller sail (90 square foot), a shorter mast and eliminates the 360 main sheet cleat to require the sailor to hold the rope controlling the sail thus reducing capsize possibilities. *AquaCats Temporarily Unavailable at this time due to supply chain issues. Contact Us for Current Special Discounts and Freight Quote Aqua Cat Parts Click on image to enlarge. The ‘A’ Class Catamaran – Its place at the top table. At 18ft long with a total allowed rig area of 150ft2, but weighing in at a mere 75kg, the ‘A’ Class is very much a Formula One car in catamaran form and in the last few years, developments have seen this class take off more than ever before, quite literally. Anyone with an interest in the hi-tech aspects of sailing will probably know something of the ‘A’ Cat.  They are spread worldwide with large fleets in Australia, USA/Canada, throughout Europe and there is even a growing fleet emerging in Argentina.  They have had some 55+ years of open design resulting in them now being amongst the most highly developed small sailing boat classes on the planet. Some History. Originating from a desire in the late 1950’s by the IYRU (Later renamed ISAF and now World Sailing), to encourage racing and design development of catamarans. They proposed four classes with simple size criteria based on length, beam and sail area, and crucially, with minimal design rules.   The A-Class logo was chosen by the IYRU when their committee decided in 1956 to classify the catamarans into those 4 categories. A, B, C and D as construction classes. To symbolize the two hulls the letter "A" had a double underlign, same  as the B's,  the C's and the D's. From the beginning the A-Cats had the double underligned letter "A" on the sails and it was used on the letter heads. (Examples were the A-Lion, Australis, Unicorn, Quest A, Catalina, Rhapsody a.s.o.).  The ‘A’ class is by far the largest remnant of the four classes.  The ‘B’ class was a 20ft twin hander with 235ft2 of sail and developed into the Tornado and a few offshoots such as the F18.  The ‘C’ class was another twin, but at 25ft with a 300ft2 rig, has become a super sophisticated monster and the pinnacle of small cat design that races for the Little America’s Cup.  The ‘D’ Class was 32ft and a sail of 500ft2 with three crew, but rapidly dwindled away.  Various designs for the ‘A’ bubbled away until the IYRU held trials to seek out the best designs in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ classes and to award them international status.  At the Catamaran Club on the Isle of Sheppey in 1967, the Tornado won the ‘B’ class, and in the ‘A’ class category the British Unicorn competed, along with with several other boats, against Graham Johnston’s Australian Australis design.  At that time the spec was simply to be a single-handed cat with sliding seat or trapeze restricted only by length, beam and sail area.  The Australis design won and gained international class status.  However, the Unicorn design still gained popularity in the UK and Europe. It eventually became a strict one-design class with rules on hulls, weight and mast diameter, which accounts for the vastly different sail shapes now seen on the two boat designs.  Today the Unicorn still measures and is still accepted as an ‘A’ Class cat. So, the free reign given within the ‘A’s development class spec allowed several other designs to arrive, each an attempt to improve on the other.  All modern designs can trace their evolution back to these early boats in one way or another.  Many home built designs turned up, and home building of ‘A’ Cats continues today, particularly in the USA, where home building tends to be more popular. As building and materials technology improved, the stitch and glue plywood built and the glass fibre built boats, in order to save weight and get down to the absolute minimum, needed to be made with the strength only in certain high load areas – shroud plates, beam mounts, foil cases etc., This resulted in the class getting a bit of a reputation for being fast but rather delicate.  Gradually these materials gave way to the carbon foam and carbon nomex sandwich construction. Fast Hull Shapes The Australis hulls were pointed at both ends similar to a canoe, in an attempt to produce a drag-reducing hull.  The designs were often determined by the materials available and nowadays space age construction techniques are possibly one reason that the modern boat is now becoming increasingly popular, as it is producing immensely stiff and strong yet light boats, capable of withstanding hard racing for several years.  Currently, the modern ‘A’ cat bears a striking resemblance to its rather higher profile cousin, the AC45 .  The distinctive Dreadnought shaped bows of the  ‘wave-piercing’ hull design reduces the pitching moment when in waves.  The hull is essentially upside down when compared to many boat hulls.  The widest part is towards the bottom with the result that the hull won’t sink as far before the buoyancy starts to push it up again so floats higher. They also tend to have the beams bonded in making it a very stiff one-piece unit.  Hull sections and profiles continue to change.  The requirements of a boat designed to foil mean that the underwater hull shapes are starting to be optimized for lighter wind sailing, as the hull should be out of the water when it is going fast in a higher wind.  On the latest 2016 boats, aerodynamic drag is now recognized as increasingly more important as the airflow over the boat, with the added apparent wind, can sometimes be as high as 30 or 40 knots.  Beams are now aerodynamically streamlined, smoothing the airflow over the drumskin tight trampoline.  Double skin trampolines are also a new design feature.  Previously the underside of the tramp was a mass of ropes, chords and bungees.  Now these are sandwiched between two airtight skins.  On one new design, the Holland Composites DNA, even the tiller bar is now streamlined to match the rear beams curved profile! There are several elements key to the ‘A’ cats speed and success.  Over the last 15 years much work has been done on the design of foils (rudders and daggerboards).  Initially the foils were all straight as the technology to make them anything else, without risking failure, was simply not available.  However, they could be put in at an angle and canted towards the centerline.  This seemed to give a little lift to the boat, thus making it faster by reducing the drag of the hull when the boat was heeled and flying a hull. They were also made slimmer and longer, and this higher aspect ratio vastly improved the drag effects over a broader chord foil.  Then in 2005, Dutch composites expert and sailor, Pieterjan Dwarshuis, raced in the Worlds with a C shaped foil. This supplied much more lift and helped in getting the windward hull flying when going downwind – doing ‘the Wild Thing’ as it is known in cat circles.  And, as the leeward foil curved under the boat more, it produced much more lift as the angle of attack (Rake) could be adjusted also.  Result – particularly when combined with small winglets on the rudders was that the boats went faster. Within a couple of years these foils became more commonplace and by 2008 German sailor, Bob Baier, had won the European championships using a set.  However, some feared that complex hydrofoils could possibly be fitted to the boat, rendering it fast but impractical and expensive.  So in 2009 a rule was brought in with the intention of preventing this hydrofoiling from happening.  The now famous ‘A’ class ‘Rule 8’ stating that all foils must be inserted from the top of the hull, and that there must be a minimum distance between the tips of the bottom of the boards of 75cm from the centreline.  That seemed to do the trick and for a few years things went along nicely.  But the foil building technology steadily improved and a consistent way was found of producing extremely strong shaped daggerboards from carbon composites. In 2013 the foils had developed from a C shape into a J shape and as a result of redesigned rudder winglets, positioning them at the bottom of the blade, the boats started leaping about like salmon. So the next logical move for this development class boat was obvious and was to make it fly. The boat has about the same power to weight ratio as a foiling Moth so it was assumed that it should be able to fly, but for one crucial potential problem – Rule 8.  This meant that conventional L shaped boards, similar to the AC boats foils, are not class legal.  But thinking around corners is what designers and sailors like to do and before long, designs for foils emerged that complied with the top insertion, limited span restrictions and provided enough lift to get the boat clear out of the water. A movable rake system allowed the angle of attack of the boards to be varied combined with fore and aft movements of the crew weight.  The real turning point came in 2014 before the Worlds in New Zealand.  Many of the America’s Cup crews are also ‘A’ cat sailors.  In fact the most successful ‘A’ Class World Champion is the ETNZ skipper Glenn Ashby.   The ETNZ America’s Cup team took delivery of half a dozen ‘A’ cats and set about with gusto seeing how far they could be pushed.  Improved, redesigned and strengthened boards and rudders started flying around the world on express carriers as they broke and re-broke the foils in an attempt to push the boat to it’s limits.  It worked and the boats started to fly, albeit in the hands of these sailing superstars, but techniques were discovered for getting the boats foiling for longer each time.   As a result of this, Glenn Ashby won yet another world title.  This paved the way for the current developments.  Optimized designs, where daggerboard positions and beams are moved slightly, and newer, more stable foil sections that have lower drag are now arriving, with a Z and J/Z shaped board proving more stable when combined with T or L shaped rudder tips.  However, the holy grail of upwind foiling is still being worked on.  And this is all still done within the restrictions of Rule 8.  The top insert only rule has prevented earlier, more stable, and probably easier foiling to happen if an L shaped main foil were to be fitted.  However, the very fact that it is less stable probably results in a faster boat and the need to raise windward foil, as would be the case of the higher drag L foil, is unnecessary and something a single-handed sailor’s workload can do without. Fast Rigs . The ‘A’ class rules allow you to do anything as long as the total area, including the mast, does not exceed 150ft2.  This area has traditionally seen the greatest developments in the past.  Shape is entirely up to the sail maker based on mast shape and flexibility.  The original masts were flexible tapered affairs as still seen on the Unicorn today.  But in the early 1980s the ‘A’ class moved more towards an untapered wing type mast which was able to be rotated, somewhat like the leading edge slat on an aircraft wing, and thus create the sail shape more efficiently and to adjust it to cope with the windspeed changes created by the apparent wind.   Techniques developed and composite masts began to appear in Europe about 25 years ago.  The sails design paralleled the mast designs.  Initially they were fully battened but conventionally tapered towards the head.   Then, in the mid 1980s the ‘Fat Head’ sail appeared on the ‘A’ cat for the first time.  This lower drag high-aspect ratio rig, much like a glider wing, allowed and helped the boat to fly a hull much earlier downwind with the resultant reduction in drag.  Upwind, powerful 12:1 downhaul and 9:1 mainsheet systems could flatten the sail and when the carbon mast arrived, this was even more efficiently achieved.  As the sail area is the determining factor, not the shape, variations were tried at various times.  Really ‘Fathead’ sails, with the heads at over 1000mm were the thing for a while.  These required the leech to be cut away in a concave manner to conform the area rule, but now the more popular ‘800’ head offers a good compromise of power and heeling moment. Rigid wing type rigs were also seen occasionally.  Back in 1978, at the European championships, a wing sail proved unbeatable in light winds.  More recently designers, such as the US mast maker and ‘A’ cat ace Ben Hall, have experimented with a wing sails.  But, their practical handling off the water still proving troublesome. The most current sail development is the ‘Decksweeper’ sail.  This is a sail that uses the trampoline as the end plate, making it more efficient, similar to winglets seen on airliners.  The sail has its centre of effort lower down, and thus reduces the heeling force created by the fatter head sail and is ideal for a foiling design.  The byproduct of this is that going upwind, where any heeling force, above just flying a hull, is not wanted with either foil design, is that it feels like you have another gear.  Now much more of the power is pushing you forward.  And this is usually sufficient to compensate for the higher drag created by the more complex shaped foils with their higher surface area.  So, faster uphill, faster downhill, what’s not to like?  However, the downside is that when it’s not foiling conditions, the decksweeper is less powerful and thus the C board, or ‘Classic’ boat is still king. The decksweeper was first tried on the ‘A’ cat in 1987 in Australia but proved to be unbeneficial compared with more conventional designs.  It was tried again a few years ago, by former World Champion Mischa Heemskerk, who was interested in exploring it again on a more modern boat design.  The trials were inconclusive and the project was shelved for a while.  Then 2015, in the search for more power but with less sideways pressure, as required by a foiling boat’s need to be sailed flatter, he reappeared with one at the 2015 Dutch Nationals and wiped the floor with everyone, including Glenn Ashby, who was there getting ready for the Worlds a few weeks later.  But you can’t keep that friendly little Aussie down for long.  When he arrived at the Worlds, he’d simply chopped one of his older sails down along the leech, and sewn an extra bit onto the bottom to reach the tramp.  This was enough to get him back on track speedwise, and in a variety of conditions, he managed to beat Heemskerk by an increasing margin each race to retail his World title. Much design work was done over the winter of 2015/16 and two of the major manufacturers both produced more optimized designs.  The Polish Exploder came out with their Ad3, with a design input from the Spanish based D3 Applied Technologies design team.  The other was the Holland Composites DNA F1 design.  A radical looking boat with advanced aerodynamic features and a fully carbon fabric stiff trampoline.  Both designs have proved to be game changers and with little to choose from as regards performance.  Misch Heemskerk won the 2016 Worlds on the F1 with Darren Bundock 2nd on the Ad3.   Both designs foil earlier and are more stable when doing so making them easier to control.  It would appear that the design curve is starting to flatten out again now as regards hull and foil design with these two boats setting the standard of performance.  The ‘A’ Class Future The two foil types are causing a little debate within the class though.  Although all the boats measure as ‘A’ Class cats equally, the foiling/floating thing appears to irk some in a few national class associations.  Some want separate races for foilers, claiming that is not fair now to race both on the same course.  A movement to start a ‘Classic’ class of non-foiling boats has been suggested.  But, most associations simply prefer to split out the results and run a parallel results system.  And, at those lighter wind events, or in areas like Southern Germany, you don’t hear many complaints.  New foiling boats arrive and older second hand straight or C board boats find ready new homes with some being converted to a foiling configuration with new foil cases and rudders, whilst others are sold to the encouraging number of new sailors entering the class.  This is often the best place to start, as it’s not actually a hard boat to sail initially. (The class has a minimum of 5kts and max. limit of 22 kts of wind for racing)  Beautifully fast and responsive yet without many of the unpleasant characteristics that some other cats will catch you out on, e.g. the long bows tend to reduce pitchpoling. The added benefit of being 75kg makes it really easy boat to handle ashore; a true single hander, the only thing where you might need someone else’s help for 2 minutes is with stepping the mast. The next jump looks like it will be in rig design.  It’s open design rules means that it will continue to see innovation and development within its rules as yet more ways are found to make them go even faster. Their ability to be altered, modified and improved will also continue to see the ‘A’ cat being used as a test vehicle for design ideas on larger boats.  Who knows what is around the corner designwise, but the ‘A’ cat should be able to meet the challenge. Log in or Sign up You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser . Junk rigged catamaran Discussion in ' Multihulls ' started by charlesakeem , Sep 21, 2008 . charlesakeem Junior Member I'm back and after learning some i am thinking of a junk rigged catamaran does anybody have some examples of junk rigged cats. Also what challenges do you think i'd face trying to junk rig someones design. Looking to do this in a 35-40 foot range on a motorsailor besides http://tenchiki.net/reality/fun/dragon_wings.html Also any other comments or opinions on junk rigged cats are also welcome.   boat fan Senior Member http://www.2hulls.com/usedcatamaran-2005/China Moon.html http://www.themultihull.com/wharram2/bf8.htm http://www.themultihull.com/wharram2/bf11.htm The first boat , " China Moon " is Pete Hill`s old boat , ( Pete and Annie Hill , of "Badger" fame , look up their well known book , " voyaging on a small income " ) Badger was a Jay Benford dory monohull , but was junk rigged also.After Pete and Anne separated Pete built " China Moon ". Bertrand`s boat , the Wharram Tiki , has a double sided type of junk sail. You need to join the forum to read the full story about both boats ...... http://www.themultihull.com/forum   sandy daugherty Senior Member see www.dunnanddunnrealtors.com He is frequently on the multihull section of Cruisersforum.com No one there is wildly excited about the idea.   Thanks Thanks for the reply guys. That China moon was a real beauty.   http://www.themultihull.com/wharram2/images/bf-05-01-1976.jpg http://www.catamarans.com/news/2005/07/TM_ChinaMoon.asp http://www.wharram.eu/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1098501854 http://www.junkrigs.com/knowledge.htm http://www.towndock.net/shipping/2007_05_01_shiparchive.html http://www.catamarans.com/images/listings/ChinaMoon2.jpg http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/04/s/projects/biplane/index.cfm http://bp2.blogger.com/_SMXAxdvuWco...-1938-extrait-du-livre-du-meme-titre-2-gd.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2204/1682588763_57391161fa.jpg Above: Two 1938 photographs of the junk-rigged catamaran, Kiamiloa. Built and skippered by the French adventurer, Eric de Bisschop, it sailed further than any multihull before it, from Hawaii to the Mediterranean coast of France, via the Cape of Good Hope.   Thanks thanks for all the good info mate. I'm thinking i might go a little hans klaar and build a big old cat and do some trading diesel engines seem to be popular   Advertisement: BigCat Junior Member http://www.flickr.com/photos/25569561@N08/ hosts my collection of photos found online of junk biplane catamarans   Sea Trials and a cruise, Proa WHY NOT? Junk Rigged, very pleased... Pacific proa junk rigged. Junk Rigged Trimaran Anyone know anything about this..... (Swedish junk-rigged proa Akka) How junk rigs work, and why they are better than rm, pacific proa, shunting junk rig, the details...., a junk rig for a pacific proa.... 26 foot catamaran for junk rig junk rig catamaran made from plastic bottles? 1981 52' CSK ketch rigged catamaran No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer Yacht Cruising Lifestyle Everything fun you can do from your yacht 20 Blue Water Cruising Catamarans Under $100k October 13, 2021 by Martin Parker 1 Comment The debate between single-hull sailboats and blue water catamarans has raged since the beginning of time, and it’s unlikely ever to end! Both types of yachts have dedicated followers who are unlikely to ever be swayed by the benefits of the other. A lot of this is based on misconceptions and the influences of the people around them, though. We recommend that if you’re considering a blue water catamaran, get in a few good hours of sailing through varied conditions before making a decision.  What Makes Blue Water Catamarans Great for Cruising? Stable platform s. Bluewater catamarans offer fantastic stability, despite what you may hear from single-hull yacht owners. There’s no high lean angle when sailing into the wind and no need to strap everything down to prevent it from moving. Add to this little or no rolling when moored, and a catamaran is a lovely place to be. Additional Space  An excellent beam to length ratio is essential on bluewater catamarans, and a 40-foot yacht will usually have a 20-foot beam. That gives you a 20-foot bridge deck, plenty of space on the hulls, and even more space forward on the netting. Cruising Speed The amount of wet surface area on a catamaran is significantly reduced compared to a monohull yacht. Without the need for a prominent, heavy keel for ballast, the catamaran can easily outperform a single hull yacht. Shallow Draft s Shallow draft boats allow easy navigation through shallow waters and exceptional stability for maximum comfort. You are far less likely to make mistakes with tide height predictions when sailing on a cat.  Enclosed Cockpit s Bluewater catamarans virtually always have an enclosed cockpit. Not only does this shield you from the sun in winter, but the elements in winter making cruising far more comfortable. Safety  The enclosed cockpit makes sailing safer, plus of course, when you need to get out on the deck, the stable catamaran is not pitching and rolling. Our Top Choices For Blue Water Catamarans Under $100,000 Designed and built by Rajen Naidu, the Rayvin 30 is a 29.5-foot cruising catamaran built for comfort. With a draft of just one meter, there are few places you can’t go on the Rayvin. The hull is constructed of epoxy glass fiber, but carbon-kevlar has been used for added strength below the waterline. Inside, you’ll find three cabins, plenty of space, and even a bath! These are great value blue water catamarans with excellent performance. Prout Snowgoose 37 Probably one of the most well-known blue water catamarans available, the Snowgoose 37 was designed and built by Prout and Sons in the United Kingdom. With a displacement of 6 tons, this is not a light boat, but the 600 square feet sail area gives a healthy hull speed of up to 10 knots. Many people have completed a circumnavigation in a Snowgoose. It has a cutter design, but the overhang is substantial, leaving it susceptible to bridge slam, particularly on a close reach. Over 500 examples were built, with plenty available under the $100,000 mark. Prout Quasar 50 Sticking with Prout, the Quasar 50 was the largest catamaran designed and built by the company. The company was still making the Quasar until its closure in 2020, so you can find plenty of examples. Constructed with fiberglass, the cutter design has a displacement of 10 tons and a sail area of almost 1185 square feet, giving a maximum hull speed of around 14 knots. It has to be said the Quasar is not a pretty boat, but it makes a perfect large cruiser. Catalac 12M Catalac was a British boat building company owned by Tom Lack, hence the Catalac name. Over 600 examples of Catalac’s (9M, 10M, 11M, and 12M) were built. All around, they’re known as solid boats that handle well. Designed as a sloop, the 12M displaces almost 9.3 tons. With a sail area of just 700 square feet, this cat offers a relatively slow hull speed of 9.5 knots. An interesting point is the double thickness hulls, designed to withstand the North Sea weather. Maldives 32 The Maldives 32 is a more modern design by Joubert-Nivelt. It features a short overhang with a netting deck to avoid bridge slam, initially built by Fountaine Pajot in 1988. The Maldives has a light displacement of 3.3 tons thanks to the fiberglass and foam sandwich construction. Add in a sail area of 592 square feet, and the Maldives can cruise at up to 11 knots. The Maldives 32 is an excellent basic boat readily available well under our $100,000 price point. Edel Cat 33 Thanks to the fiberglass construction, the Edel Cat 33 is another light boat, at just 3.6 tons and with a shallow draft of just 2.6 feet. The Edel was designed by Yvonne Faulconnier and built by the Edel company in France, with the first bots being produced in 1985. The 635 square feet of sail is enough for a good turn of speed for such a light boat without over-powering the hull. A notable feature is the very short bridge hull, avoiding almost any bridge slam problems. Endeavourcat 30 Designed by Cortland Steck and built in America by the Endeavour Catamaran Corp, the Endeavourcat 30 is a lightweight 30-foot catamaran constructed using fiberglass with a foam core. It has to be said; the Endeavourcat is not pretty, but you get a lot of space for your money. Another issue is the enclosed bridge deck, making this suitable for gentle cruising only. The sloop-rigged catamaran is a good, reasonably priced starter boat for taking the first dip into blue water catamarans. Island Packet Packet Cat 35 If you are looking for comfort with a bit of style, then the Island Packet Cat 35 could be it. Designed by Robert K. Johnson and built in the USA by Island Packet, the Cat 35 makes the perfect boat for cruising the Keys. The displacement of 6.25 tons gives the boat a solid, dependable feel, while the 2.6-foot draft allows you to explore water-restricted areas. Inside there’re acres of room, but the fully enclosed bridge deck will cause issues in heavy weather. Gemini 105MC The Gemini 105MC is a sloop-rigged boat designed by Tony Smith and built by Performance Cruising in the United States. It was in production for over 27 years, and they delivered over 1000 boats, so there are plenty available to suit most budgets. An interesting design feature is a lifting centerboard, giving excellent stability when down but a draft of just 1.65 feet when lifted. A displacement of 4 tons combined with 690 square feet of sail area gives the 105MC outstanding performance characteristics. With 760 examples of the Lagoon 380 produced, there are plenty on the market at reasonable prices. Built by Jeanneau, it is one of the most popular bluewater catamarans ever made. The distinctive vertical windows offer maximum internal space, and it has a spacious interior, but the tradeoff is a displacement of 8 tons, so performance suffers a little. You can cruise comfortably at 7 knots, and with the short bridge deck, you won’t suffer too much bridge slam. If you can track down a Dean 365, it’s well worth a look. You can find these solidly built boats for $50,000 upwards. Designed by Peter Dean and built by his company, Dean Catamarans, they have an excellent reputation. For a 36 foot boat, the 6-ton displacement is not light, but it does benefit from twin engines, and with the sloop rigging, it can sail downwind at up to 11 or 12 knots. With the genoa providing the main sailing power, sailing into the wind is not great. Sold as a self-build design, the Tiki 38 is a solid cruising catamaran designed by James Wharram. There are plenty available, but all will be different depending on the builder. With a displacement of around 6 tons, it’s not the lightest, and the cruising speed is about 5 or 6 knots. With a ketch rig, using two 30-foot masts, the sail area is around 730 square feet, but you can also use a 530 spinnaker. The draft is shallow at 2.5 feet. The Tiki makes an interesting – perhaps quirky choice. Crowther Spindrift 40 If you are more interested in performance than interior space, the Crowther Spindrift 40 could be an excellent choice. Designed by Lock Crowther, the Spindrift features narrow hulls, reducing the wet surface area and increasing your sailing speeds. The downside is a lack of space. The sloop rigging gives you a total sail area of 791 square feet combined with a light 4-ton displacement, making the Spindrift excellent in light winds. MacGregor 36 Three hundred of the Roger Macgregor designed 36-foot boats were built, so there are plenty available. It’s built as a racing catamaran, so space is at a premium. There is only a trampoline between the two hulls, but the weight saving makes the displacement just 1.4 tons, and with the 534 square feet of sail, you can achieve speeds touching 28 knots. Accommodation is restricted to the two hulls, but there are bunks for four people and a galley in the starboard hull. The Flica 36 was designed by Richard Wood is a proven design capable of crossing oceans. A displacement of 5 tons gives a good balance between speed and stability, and the cutter rigging allows for a main and two foresails. The hulls have been made from ply and fiberglass, which accounts for the slightly heavier weight and strength. The bridge deck offers plenty of space with a small overhang but will suffer from bridge slam in heavier weather. Mirage Yachts 37 Only a few of the open deck Mirage 37’s were produced, but consider them in your search. Designed by David Feltham and built by Thames Marine, the ketch-rigged boats are sturdy and safe. At 7.3 tons, it’s heavy for a 36-foot cat, and the small sail area of just 548 square feet makes it slow, with a hull speed of only 7.4 knots. As a coastal cruiser, it certainly makes sense to give you a comfortable base for exploring. Simpson 35 Wildside The Simpson 35 Wildside is an excellent cruiser, with three double cabins, two of which are across the bridge deck. Roger Simpson is the designer, and he’s well known for his sturdy, reliable boats. The Bermuda rigged sloop design features a fully covered bridge deck, so expect bridge slam if you sail in anything more than slight to moderate conditions. With a displacement of 5 tons, and a small sail area, the performance will never be exciting, but it’s okay for coastal cruising. Gemini 3400 The Gemini 3400 is the predecessor to the Gemini 105 mentioned earlier. If you can’t find a 105 at your price, then a 3400 is a good alternative. Although weighing the same as the 105, at four tons, the sail area is smaller at just 490 square feet, giving a reduced performance. As with all Geminis, the 3400 features retractable centerboards for better tracking when on a close reach, without increasing the draft. The 3400 was designed by Tony Smith and built by Performance Cruising in the US, who still produce catamarans now. Seawind 850 Originally built in Australia by Seawind Catamarans and designed by Scott Jutson, the 850 is a 28-foot cat featuring fractional sloop rigging. At a relatively light displacement of 2.4 tons, the 350 square feet of sail gives good performance and comfortable cruising. The short bridge deck overhang is filled with a trampoline, allowing the 850 to sail in rougher weather without too much bridge slam. The Seawind makes an excellent cruiser despite its 28-foot LOA. Aventura 23.5 Our last catamaran is the smallest in the review. The Aventura 235 is just 23 feet long, has a light displacement of only 0.77 tons, and a sail area of 312 square feet. Two cabins offer four berths despite its diminutive size, making it a comfortable cruiser for a small family. There are, of course, compromises, with just a single outboard engine on the centerline, and internal space is limited. But with its lightweight design, easy handling, and shallow draft of 1.8 feet, it is a perfect first step into catamaran ownership. Blue Water Catamarans Are a Fantastic Budget Option Remember: When buying a bluewater cruising yacht for less than $100,000, compromise is inevitable.  The best advice for buying a boat is to be truly honest with yourself by defining your needs and separating them from your desires.  Need more advice on buying great blue water catamarans? Get a conversation started on our community forum by leaving a question or comment! If you found this article helpful, please leave a comment below, share it on social media, and subscribe to our email list., for direct questions and comments, shoot me an email at [email protected]. Sharing is caring! Reader Interactions July 2, 2022 at 2:52 pm Surprised you don’t list the PDQ 32. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. MB #20512 PO BOX 480 Sevenoaks Kent TN13 9JY Tel: +44 56 0386 9163 Keep In Touch Thank you for reading. Join our online crew and find more about the #boatlife 322 COMMENTS Why a Cat Ketch? You may have noticed that B&B Yacht Designs has several models that are cat-ketch rigged. For example the Core Sound 15 pictured below sailing at our annual messabout.Perhaps you are not familiar with this rig, and think that it looks "old-timey."And, perhaps you think that this rig is not as "efficient" as a "modern" sloop rig.First let us dispel some common myths about the cat ... What's in a Rig? Cat Rig Cat Rig. What's in a Rig Series # 7 - The Cat Rig. Typically speaking, a cat rig is a single mast situated well forward, near the bow, which carries a large single sail and has no standing rigging, sometimes referred to as "unstayed.". An Optimist, Laser or Sabot are common (smaller) examples of a cat rig, but many bigger boats utilize ... Com-Pac Yachts: Trailerable Cat Boats, Trailerable Cruisers, and Our line of modern cat-rigged models (dubbed "A New Breed of Catboat") offer the ultimate in trailer-sailing ease and rig set up. All come with the Mastendr™ quick-rig sailing system that allows for the boom, sail, and gaff to be left installed on the boat while the mast is folded or raised. The shrouds stay attached and the head stay disconnects with the flip of the pre-adjusted ... Wyliecat Performance Yachts: Homepage Wyliecat, founded in 1994, designs and builds custom high tech composite sailing yachts ranging 17' to 66'. New to the model line up is the durable and efficient center console utility, the Wylie Skiff. The Wyliecat was conceived with the premise that performance sailing doesn't need to be complicated to be fast and fun. Combining state-of-the ... The Racing Cat National Mosquito Catamaran Council - Mosquito - The Racing Catamaran. The Mosquito was designed in 1966 by Neil Fowler of Darwin as a one person (on trapeze) cat rigged yacht. Later the jib and the second trapeze were added and the Mosquito became an easily converted one-person/two-person yacht able to be built at home by the amateur or by ... Cat rigged The terms cat-rigged, and catboat, should not be confused with catamarans. Catamarans are not related to the term cat-rigged, though catamarans can be cat-rigged, if they have a single sail and no jib. The term 'cat' may come from the 'cat head', a protruding cross beam, not far behind the bow, or head, of a sailing ship, to which the anchor ... Wyliecat Performance Yachts: Wishbone Cat Rig The only rigging needed to adjust the draft in the sail on a Wyliecat is the "choker" system. This is the rigging system that pulls the wishbone back. When the wishbone is pulled back, the sail is stretched aft and flattened. The carbon mast is also bent back by the choker, which further de-powers and flattens the sail. RADICAL BAY 8000: Biplane Rig Catamaran Several have been hot high-performance machines, like Crossbow II, the 60-foot cat that set the world sailing speed record back in 1980 (36 knots, which stood for six years until it was finally topped by a wind-surfer), and Team Phillips, the ill-fated 120-foot super cat that Pete Goss put together for The Race in 2000, which ultimately fell ... Wyliecat Performance Yachts: Wyliecat 30 The Wyliecat 30 was conceived with. the premise that performance sailing doesn't need to be complicated to be fast and fun. Combining state-of-the-art technology with the time-proven cat rig, the Wyliecat's performance needs to be experienced to be believed. Imagine yourself racing through a fleet of boats much larger, while enjoying comfort ... Cat-ketch A cat-ketch is a sailboat that is rigged as both a catboat and a ketch. Specifically, there is larger mast stepped at the very bow, and a smaller mast further aft. It is different from a standard ketch rig because there is no jib, and the foremost mast is further forward than most ketches. This rig is found on amongst others Norwalk Island ... What Are Cat Ketch Sailboats and Do they Make Good Cruising Boats? Some examples of cat ketch sailboats are: The Freedom 40, designed by Gary Hoyt in 1977, was one of the first modern cat ketch sailboats. It has an aluminium mast forward and a carbon fibre mast aft, and can carry a small jib on a fractional forestay; The Herreshoff 31, designed by Halsey Herreshoff in 1979, is a classic cat ketch sailboat. CATAMARAN SAILING CATAMARAN SAILING. Sailing gives the ultimate sense of freedom, blasting across the water with no agenda or a care in the world. This couldn't be more fitting when sailing the RS CATs. Durability, convenience and fun are the hallmarks of the RS CATs. Simple to rig, simple to sail and yet packed full of modern features that make ownership and ... Concept 63 Catamaran The CONCEPT 63 Catamaran is a thoroughbred cruising catamaran, conceived as a fast, long distance cruiser for a small crew. She delivers exceptional performance under both sail and power and very comfortable accommodations. While not currently in production, the Concept 63 is available on a custom basis. Call Chris White for details. The design ... MOSQUITO CAT The MOSQUITO is a one-design racing cat seen mostly in Australia and South Africa.. Mark I is Cat rigged. SA: 12.5m2 /134 sq.ft. Mark II is Sloop rigged. SA: 14.9m2/160 sq.ft. Originally designed as a one person (on trapeze) cat rigged yacht. Later the jib and the second trapeze were added and the Mosquito became an easily converted one-person ... TECH TIPS I have a Harken 40mm 9:1 mainsheet system with 8mm swiftcord, and 2 Harken 60mm auto ratchets to help manage the load. Good gloves are a must, the high aspect A Cat rig is all about mainsheet action. Rig setup: A deck sweeper sail is a must have, it moves the power of the rig lower, where you can use it, making the boat faster and better mannered. About the Mosquito MOSQUITO - The racing catamaran. The Mosquito was designed in 1966 by Neil Fowler of Darwin as a one person (on trapeze) cat rigged yacht. Later the jib and the second trapeze were added and the Mosquito became an easily converted one-person/two-person yacht able to be built at home by the amateur or by professional builders but not restricted to one manufacturer. Ketch boats for sale 2011 Custom Cat Ketch. US$34,500. ↓ Price Drop. US $305/mo. North Point Yacht Sales | Yorktown, Virginia ... A ketch is a specific type of sailing rig characterized by the arrangement and size of the masts and sails. ... deep vee, catamaran and other. Designed and assembled by a wide variety of yacht building companies, there are currently ... The Ketch-Rigged Cat Maren. Registered User. Join Date: Feb 2008. Location: Eastern Seaboard. Boat: Searunner 34 and Searunner Constant Camber 44. Posts: 949. The Ketch-Rigged Cat. I have a passion for design. This makes me spend a lot of time looking at things and tweaking them, mentally if nothing else. Aqua Cat 14 Catamaran The Aqua Cat 14 is ideal for four large adults or where capabilities to support 1,000 lbs. are needed. The boomless sail rig supported by the tubular "a" frame provides simplicity and safety not found in traditional wire shroud designs. One sheetline and a simple tiller arrangement result in sailing simplicity, fun and excitement. The 'A' Class Catamaran The 'B' class was a 20ft twin hander with 235ft2 of sail and developed into the Tornado and a few offshoots such as the F18. The 'C' class was another twin, but at 25ft with a 300ft2 rig, has become a super sophisticated monster and the pinnacle of small cat design that races for the Little America's Cup. Cat ketch trimaran Ketch Rigged Catamaran …excerpts from Chris White's sailing report aboard his client's Concept 63, ketch rigged catamaran design HERON _____ Sunday, October 25, 1998, I joined Bill Shuman owner/builder of the new Concept 63 catamaran HERON and crew Joan Welsh for a sail down the east coast of the USA. Junk rigged catamaran boat fan Senior Member. Above: Two 1938 photographs of the junk-rigged catamaran, Kiamiloa. Built and skippered by the French adventurer, Eric de Bisschop, it sailed further than any multihull before it, from Hawaii to the Mediterranean coast of France, via the Cape of Good Hope. 20 Blue Water Cruising Catamarans Under $100k The sloop-rigged catamaran is a good, reasonably priced starter boat for taking the first dip into blue water catamarans. Island Packet Packet Cat 35. If you are looking for comfort with a bit of style, then the Island Packet Cat 35 could be it. Designed by Robert K. Johnson and built in the USA by Island Packet, the Cat 35 makes the perfect ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat trimaran yacht