For those who haven't seen this.

Check out this Gunboat 62 blasting by a RP 80

Click on Safari Video

http://www.gunboat.info/home.html

The cat has a smaller sail plan, sails flatter, and is faster. Of course,
Dennis Connor proved this a few years ago, but what the heck... great vid.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Bart Senior" wrote in message
...
For those who haven't seen this.

Check out this Gunboat 62 blasting by a RP 80

Click on Safari Video

http://www.gunboat.info/home.html

What wipeout?

I was waiting for the thing to flip over.

Cool music.

Joe

The only thing that video shows is the inability of the cat to point.
The RP80 driver had to bear off about 20 degrees to avoid being t-boned
by the show off cat driver. I suspect that if a destination were
upwind the RP80 might just beat the Gunboat to the pier.

The RP can be indeed faster. I read in Latitude 38
the RP-80 beat the GB-62 in another race. I don't
recall the circumstances or point of sail. I'd guess the
RP would be faster directly downwind and as you
said, closehauled, while the GB-62 would perform
better on a reach.

The Gunboat does offer advantages in comfort over
the sleds that make it a clear winner for passagemaking.


"rgnmstr" wrote in message
ups.com...

The only thing that video shows is the inability of the cat to point.
The RP80 driver had to bear off about 20 degrees to avoid being t-boned
by the show off cat driver. I suspect that if a destination were
upwind the RP80 might just beat the Gunboat to the pier.

"rgnmstr" wrote...
The only thing that video shows is the inability of the cat to point.

Some cats can point. It looked to me like the Gunboat was not trimmed in
hard either.

The RP80 driver had to bear off about 20 degrees to avoid being t-boned
by the show off cat driver. I suspect that if a destination were
upwind the RP80 might just beat the Gunboat to the pier.


Seems quite possible under many conditions. But the cat still has some
advantages: less heeling, shallow draft, etc etc

Bart Senior wrote:
The RP can be indeed faster. I read in Latitude 38
the RP-80 beat the GB-62 in another race. I don't
recall the circumstances or point of sail. I'd guess the
RP would be faster directly downwind and as you
said, closehauled, while the GB-62 would perform
better on a reach.


Probably so, the ad for the Gunboat touts a screecher over an asymmetric
spinnaker... don't see why you couldn't fly an A-sail anyway.

The Gunboat does offer advantages in comfort over
the sleds that make it a clear winner for passagemaking.


One advatnage of a cat that appeals to me after our recent trip is that
they are usually easier to steer straight in a following sea. But the
jerky motion might be less comfortable than the mono's corkscrew roll.
Every boat has it's plusses & minusses.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I'd like to find out for myself. I'm pursuing some
factyory tranatlantic delivery work on one of these
just to find out if I like them on the ocean.

There are few US built catamarans. The Manta 42
which has a low bridge deck. I wonder if this is the
reason why I see them for sale often. And the
Mainecat 40 which has only canvas for protection
in the deckhouse--not exactly comforting protection.

I think the gunboat 62 is a fine vessel, but at $2.2 million
I would rather built a custom cat out of aluminum.

For an interesting link on a one-off Aluminum cruising
cat with a high bridgedeck, check out this link.

http://malvm1.mala.bc.ca/~bigras/o7/o7.htx

This fellow built an impressive boat, and then sold it just
after he finished the bulk of the work, due to a divorce.

It cost him $70k to build hull and deck. Spars are
homemade. I would have bought a better boom.

Overall an impressive job, but not worth the $10k
he made for his labors--which works out to $3.33/hr
or less.

"DSK" wrote

One advatnage of a cat that appeals to me after our recent trip is that
they are usually easier to steer straight in a following sea. But the
jerky motion might be less comfortable than the mono's corkscrew roll.
Every boat has it's plusses & minusses.

Notice how the rude dude in the cat goes to windward of the boat he is
passing. Rude, rude, rude.

L

--
Enjoy my new sailing web site
http://sail247.com


"Bart Senior" wrote in message
...
For those who haven't seen this.

Check out this Gunboat 62 blasting by a RP 80

Click on Safari Video

http://www.gunboat.info/home.html

I noticed that to. I guess the cat builders paid the Mono hull to
accept such abuse.

Did you see the sea anchor the Keel Boat was pulling?

Joe

What's wrong with it? It was a race wasn't it?

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Lonny Bruce" wrote in message
news:nEOUd.70383$uc.4932@trnddc04...
Notice how the rude dude in the cat goes to windward of the boat he is
passing. Rude, rude, rude.

L

--
Enjoy my new sailing web site
http://sail247.com


"Bart Senior" wrote in message
...
For those who haven't seen this.

Check out this Gunboat 62 blasting by a RP 80

Click on Safari Video

http://www.gunboat.info/home.html