On Thu, 05 May 2005 14:45:01 GMT, Chuck H wrote:

Jeeze, it's been a while since I went there. I had plans to go larger
than 23' but life got in the way of really living, as usual.... :-

I write this to keep the dream alive! G

The following is food for thought before you spend tens of thousands
on a cat, if you have not had much to do with them until now. Not to
put you off, just to think about, as I have in the past, and from
experience.

An excellent book, although now dated (but the principles remain) is
"The Multihull primer" by DH Clarke, if it's still in print.


BOOK STORE at the SHIP'S STORE - WWW TRIKINI PROJECT... prepared to
feature books dealing with multihulls, boat building and multihull
sailing. ... Multihull Primer: DH Clarke / Published 1976 (Hard to
Find) ...
www.trikini.com/ShipStore/Amazon1.htm - 19k - Cached - Similar pages


Sailing-Books.com: Amazing Sailing Book Selection and Prices. We'd
....... 1999 - ISBN: 096184065X. Multihull Primer by DH Clarke List
Price: $21.95 Released: June, 1976 - ISBN: 0846412659. High speed
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Thanks 'Old Nick' for the reply. Like you said I've received no replies
except yours, so I knew there must not be much interest in this type of
boat. I really hadn't thought about the things you mentioned. Good
points, and they got me to thinking about it more thoroughly. I guess
even if I don't plan to sell the boat it's something I should keep in
mind since "stuff happens". Never know.

5 years....G Bet ya!

I've been sailing recreationaly, monohull not catamarans, off and on for
a long time. I haven't before given much thought about live-aboard but
I'm drawn toward a catamaran for that for various reasons. The Jarcat
CC29 design looked to me like it provided a lot of practical living
space in a fairly small overall size which would be easier to handle
than a large mono, or large cat for that matter, with reasonable
performance under sail.

Cats are funny. You can pay the earth for the "right" secondhand one,
but then see them going for peanuts. I am not sure what the criteria
are, but obviously name is important.

From what I see for sail in the papers, cats are either trailerable or
40' long! Problem is, 30' cats are either Wharram designs, which
survive anything, but are like living in two 30' cigars G, or like
the Jarcat, which has huge accommodation but can have seaworthiness
problems with all that windage and deck area. Hull-only designs are
considered 30-35' as a minimum for liveaboard. My

They often sit waiting for sale for a long time. Small market. Depends
where you are. If you are in a area where there are a lot of cats
sailing, you obviously have a better chance of seeing buyers. You have
more competition, but a prime boat will sell.

When looking at cruiising cats, allow for berth width. Most berths are
designed for length. So although you are only 30' long, you are as
wide as a 50' (??) boat. remember that. Course you can beach most
cats, so that's an option.

Cats are not necessarily easy to handle. Any boat that can do 25 knots
as claimed for the CC29 (IIRC) is a fast boat. They tend to do things
a lot faster than monos, and of course a tipover is pretty final. If
you sale for performance, you need to be right on top of things, in
order to stay there G. Having said that, I know cats (and actually
went aboard one) that have ridden out storms that would made a
landlubber of me for the rest of my days G. I also knew a guy who
was blown ashore onto a beach and simply surfed in, boards up, then
refloated later after checking things out.

Another aspect of speed is that they have high windage and little
weigh. Working in a limited mooring space can be a lot trickier than a
mono. I had a 23' cat (Crowther inter 23'), and mooring and maneuvring
through mooring areas was a reall art in a breeze, either under sail
or with an o/b. I actually reckon that cats need a bigger aux motor
than monos. Sometimes you just have to _get_ there.

The more living space on a cat, the more problems with pounding,
windage etc.


Do you know of any comparable designs which might have a used boat
market for them in Americas?

I really can't help with resale values etc. I live in Oz and have been
out of the market for some time. Surf the web, or ook in the for
sales. See what's going. Do your research. You may even find one to
simply buy, for not much more than built price. Make sure you get any
boat professionally surveyed.

See if you can find a multihull forum or two and ask around

All this looking around will give you time to think. Try to get a sail
or two on a 30' cat, in the ocean. Maybe crew on one, just on coastal
races/cruises?