Just bought an old Cat on a trailer. 4m loa 2m beam 7m mast. Dagger boards and 2 part alloy mast. Single main, no jib.
The only ID are 2 small plates with "Felix" on them and a picture of a cat with its tail up!
Looks very interesting, I have no idea what it is but should make for an interesting sail. Hopefully you have all the pieces and parts and can get it out on the water soon.
Are there any numbers/letters stamped into the transom? They may be faint or nearly painted/gelcoated over.
Number 1 Sails seems to still be in business, try calling/sending pics of the sail with signature, he might still work there.
Number One Sails
New Road
Middlestown
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
WF4 4NS
Tel: 01924-274073
edited by: Edchris177, Jul 06, 2010 - 12:19 AM
-- Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap --
I have now had a quick look at it and there seem to be a few things missing and it all looks a bit confused.
I telescoped the hulls and the beams do not seem to be fixed. The mast does indeed rotate with the front beam. The beams slide in to a glassed in tube and there appears to be a mounting-pin hole on the top of the fixed tube near the outside edge, on the top. Unfortunately if you pin the front beam the mast is horizontal! Maybe that is just a transport hole for use on the trailer? The rear beam, which the main-sheet mounting fixed centrally, has no fixings at all and just sits in the glassed in fixed tube. This, effectively makes the tramp a structural component and all that is holding the 2 hulls together when sailing! Is this right?
It has a 7 metre, 2 part "Jack Holt" Mast with a fixed track and 3 mounting tags about 2.5 metres up from the base. The boom is just a "push-on" tube with a couple of mounting tags below. Presumably they hold the main-sheet and the one at the front perhaps some form of down-haul/boom-vang? Doesn't appear to be any mounting. There is also no out-haul so I am presuming the sail is loose-footed, battened and perhaps takes the mainsheet directly with the boom just holding shape?
Too wet to get the sail out in the garden so that will be the next stage.
There are a pair of rear-stays that fit to the mast tabs and mount just forward of centre on the hulls and also there is a mount on the tip of each hull, presumably this will need a split stay that runs into a single, with bottle screw adjustment, that then runs to the 3rd front tab on the mast. Got a bit of nylon rope and a pully doing that job, just for now!
-- Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap --
Since the boat is UK manufactured, why not try to reach a seasoned beachcat dealer in the UK who has been around awhile? They might know of this boat. You might also try a British forum.
I'm not sure we can say for certain that it was built in the UK, though the sail was for sure. It may not be an original sail.
TopCat Europe made a boat that sounds very much like this one in Germany.
In 1975-77 two Germans built a "boat that was simply plugged together", & had dimensions matching this one. They produced 60 from 77-79, then moved hull production to Italy, but kept HQ in Germany.
The idea of asking around at cat dealers with history might be a good bet.
edited by: Edchris177, Jul 08, 2010 - 04:55 PM
-- Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap --
Bumping a very old post! I am researching a 'new to me' 1970s Sussex Cob sailing dinghy mfg by the
Pearson Bros. Ltd. Arundel Sussex UK. While researching, I ran across an archived article post from NYT Jan 23, 1970 titled 'British Accents Take Charge of 'Boatyard' on Fourth Floor'. Under the Pearson Bros. Ltd. bullet; PEARSON BROS., LTD. — The Felix catamaran, the Bonito single‐handed racing dinghy and the Bobbin nine‐foot sailing dinghy, all fiberglass cartoppers, are entered. This reference to the Felix Catamaran may be this elusive cat. As there is very limited information on the Pearson Brothers UK, more research will be needed to verify.
-- AJ
Barefoot 12 Proa Outrigger
Coastal NC, USA --