This link may have been posted here before but it is worth reposting. The article was written by Steve Dashew, it's a great read and has many photos of the early days of catamaran building and sailing. You'll find some info on the P-cat, the Shark, the Tornado and other boats here.
http://setsail.com/catamaran-history-the-early-days/
That's a really interesting website. Thanks for sharing.
Edited by philzy on Jul 23, 2012 - 11:33 AM.
I've seen the article before, but thanks for posting it again. It's a great look at the history of catamaran building.
For what it's worth, Sea Smoke, which is mentioned in the article, is still in use. If you ever get out to the Island of Hawaii, Ocean Sports does charter cruises on Sea Smoke. I've been out on it under motor power for a whale watch, but never under sail. But I've seen it with sails up on several occasions. It's a neat boat. The first time I saw it I was struck by the high aspect ratio of the rig. It's built more like a giant beach cat than a cruising cat. Reading the article you posted finally explained why. First and foremost, it was a racing boat. Makes sense.
Thanks again.
Tom