Hi All,
Hitched a ride today on a buddy's cat while I'm (still) waiting for my
parts
to arrive from whitworths ;-)
I was super impressed by his boat; a nacra 5.8, the type with the boomless
main. Most of my cat experience has been in smaller 14-16 foot cats, and
this was a big step up it seemed. The hull form was much more substantial
with plenty of reserve bouyancy even with 3 on board. On top of this, the
boat in general was much more of a boat; substantial mast section, all
control ropes well laid out, very solid tramp, overall just very solid.
The most impressive thing though, was the performance! I've flown the
hull
on most of my cats, but I've never spent so much time flying as we did
today. This boat was so effortless, so stable, that you had it under
control at all times. Flying the hull on the smaller cats I've owned has
always been a bit hair rasing, they were so light it didnt take much to go
beyond the point of no return.... boy was i impressed!
So much so, that I was tempted to run out and buy one. But lets be
realistic; we dont get a lot of wind up here, there are not many people i
know who will go sailing, this boat is a bit much for one to rig, and
definitely too much for one to sail in anything over 5 knots.
guess I'll just stick to my cobra :-(
Shaun
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