A cats and carbon

Glad you liked it. If you are buds find any A2 videos, let me know.

Doug

ummm....helllo. videos please. I'm dying here being drowned in 29'er videos with my cohort at work...I need some ammo.

What kind do you want? If you want the A cat Javelin. Sent me a email link. www.thebeachcats.com has some good ones. 3 Amigos on our site is good. www.tcdyc.com You will have to register to get them.

Doug Snell
dsnell4 at houston dot rr dot com
Hobie 17
Soon to be Nacra A2

I have it on good authority that A cats can be trailered safely in cradles and that supporting them at the crossbars is not absolutely necessary.

Comments please.

Peter Johnstone dragged his XJ to Florida and back on cradles, but he had some foam padding between the cradles and the boat.

Some Acat video footage in here.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1186696782152203881&q=Rimini

Good idea!

Phil Kinder made him some sweet cradle covers with foam that fit over the standard cat cradles.

http://www.kinder-industries.com/

Phil also makes really nice whole boat covers for A cats, and tramps too.

Bill,

Undamaged length of the Hall Spar is 21' 7.5", but there is an area that had been repaired by Melvin up near the hounds included inside that length.

Doug,

I LOVE my A2! I weigh 182# naked first thing in the morning after going to the head (lightest I ever am ). I use the medium stiffness spar from Hall and this is the one recommended by Pete Melvin and happens to be the stock A2 mast from Performance when I bought the mast from them.

I am finding the leaqrning curve to be much steeper than any of my other boats (H16, 18 Square, N5.5Uni, Inter 17R) and am stuggling getting up to speed downwind. I can't seem to get the angles right, and am realizing that I need to head up some to be competitive in Portsmouth racing. Unfortunately, I haven't had much opportunity in my first year on the boat to sail head-to-head with many A Cats.

Pete Melvin recommended to me that I use cradles in lieu of supporting from the crossbars, so that is what I do. No problems with mine so far, but only have trailered it this way for about 3000 miles.

Les:

I am pretty much sold on the A2. Pete Melvin told me to contact Ben hall and have him build a spar to my weight. We have a local hotshot at 250 that is deadly, but has LOT of time on the boat. Bob Hodges and Bob Webbon both said you just need a LOT of time on the boat. Christopher and I are working out a spinnaker system using a homemade snail from Bill and working on pole system. I want it to play with until maybe later the class starts using them. If not be fun to play and in Portsmouth races on Wed nights

Doug Snell
Hobie 17 with reacher and squaretop
Soon to be Nacra A2
www.tcdyc.com

Doug,

I was at Performance Catamaran a couple of weeks ago and saw all the new stuff they have for the A2 since mine was built. The beams are clear coated, new molds for the rudders and dagger boards, and new dagger board trunks that have slots in them for up haul and down haul lines! Wow, would it be nice to have the ability to bring up and down the leeward board from the windward side! I think it is the best boat in the world, but I admit that I am biased!

I spent some time thinking about rigging a spinnaker for my A2, but decided that it is not the right thing for me. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed sailing the I 17R for 5 seasons and learned spinnaker sailing and even enjoyed downwind more than upwind. But I have been trying to get the downwind technique right on the A2, and when I seem to hit it right, the boat really flys! The A2 is much more exhilarating than my I 17R, 18 Square, or any other of the cats I have owned. It is VERY sensitive to down haul, mast rotation, and out haul. I think it will take me a LOT longer to get close to the potential of this boat than it took me on any of the others. That being said, with only one season on the A2, I can already think of things I would do different on all of the other boats I have owned. The feedback of what changes you make to the mast and sail is so direct and immediate that I think differently about what is the priority in changes to the "engine" of any sailboat. All in all, I am really happy with the stock A2 and think I will get the most enjoyment trying to get the most out of the stock setup, rather than adding the spinnaker (or any other modifications) to the A2. This is where I came out on the whole issue of adding the spinnaker (and I spent all last winter thinking of how I would do it!). Just mt 2 cents.

Les:

I will still will sail the boat a lot stock, just want the option as i have never sailed a spin on cat

May want to join these if you aren't already.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HoustonACat/ Although local may have some good info later.

http://www.usaca.info/

Doug

Les,
Can you take some pictures of the new uphaul and downhaul systems on the daggers?

Thanks

Bill

Bill,

I have only seen the boards and daggerboard trunks and heard Jack Young tell me about it. I did not see any boats completely assembled, as they are shipped from the factory disassembled. Maybe someone reading this has an A2 with this feature...anyone?

There are two lines attached to the daggerboard. One at the top to pull the board down and one above the bottom of the hull, so as not to drag in the water, to pull the board up. Those lines are run to opposite sides of the boat so you have control of them where you need it.

Ok, but when does it pay off to use them?

Rolf,

I't just means the leaward plate can be raised (the depth of the hull)/lowered(fully) without going over there which can be exciting single handed when windy.

Simon, I understand this.

To rephrase, under what conditions and on which courses do the A-cat class find it beneficial to raise one daggerboard?

There has to be a quite large advantage to having this system onboard, as it clutters up the boat, adds weight and complexity. I could guess based on my own experience and knowlegde, but would like to hear the fasit.

Here a picture of the system as seen on a Taipan 4.9 (F16)

Rolf, the system is handy when singlehanding. With one short and sharp pull perpendicular to the line both boards can be pulled up or pushed down. It is handy when rounding a crowded mark. In the picture only the uphaul line is fitted.

Alot of crew want to pull up their board when transitioning from upwind work to a reach or downwing leg; this tends to calm the boat down. Boats with long daggerboards can feel trippy on these courses with a fully set board.

Wouter

Seems to me when sailing in areas that have grass it would be quite nice to be able to cycle the leeward board without having to go there.