I am now the proud owner of a timber cat rigged Taipan 4.9. I bought the boat off a guy over 4000km away (still in the same country though - that's Australia for you). It'll be about eight (agonising) weeks before I actually get my hands on it though.
I hope to convert it to a sloop then to F16HP over the coming 12 months. I'll need to replace the mast as the mast on this boat is a cat mast. I was speaking to someone who knows and he said that the cat mast is faster than the sloop mast when the boat is sailed cat rigged - about 2 or three 3 minutes over about 90 minutes.
This same chap also regularly races his Taipan 4.9 cat rigged against Nacra 5.8's with spinnakers. At his club the 5.8's start 5 minutes before the Taipans on the same course and in light to medium winds he always catches and often passes the 5.8's!!! Put a kite on and he'll severely embarrass them.
He's a top sailor evidently - even the T4.9 sloops rarely beat him.
Rob Wilson.
Taipan 4.9 AUS 175
Rob-
Congrats on finding a boat! Sorry you will have to wait 8 weeks to get it- But it must be getting to be winter down under?
Keep us updated on your boat and let me know if we can help out in any way-
Kirt
Thanks Kirt,
As you say winter is approaching but I live in the far north of Australia - Far North Queensland actually - and we sail all year up here. It's very tropical. The water and air temperature never get below about 25C (80F), I don't even own a wetsuit or wet weather gear - it's shorts and a t-shirt all year.
In fact winter is the best time to sail up here. Sometimes in the summer it gets a bit hot and humid.
Thanks for the offer of help.
Rob.