Best Daysailor
Nutsy,
A Catboat is a good boat for the Sound. They big sail is great for the
light air of the Sound and the Mast stepped that far forward does make
for great cockpits and sailing with one string is great; BUT Remember a
Catboat is a Catboat and a Gaff Rigged Catboat is the worst kind.
If you don't know what I'm talking about it is WEATHER HELM. The curse
of the Catboat. With that big sail mounted on the pointy end, when you
let that big sail out the center of effort get way outboard and forward.
With that leverage that far forward is the reason for that barn door
rudder on the other end of the boat.
With those huge rudders there is a tendency to over control. You really
have never experienced sail terror until you've had an accidental Gybe
with a Gaff Rigged Cat Sail in a freshening breeze.
If you can keep smiling during a Goose Wing Gybe or a Round Up, a
Catboat is a fun boat. I like them. I learned to sail big boats on one.
Remember that the "Friendship Sloop" was designed to relieve some of
that Catboat tendencies
Ole Thom
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