Hi All,

I'm in the Annapolis MD area and am looking for something fast and fun. I've been looking at a trailerable, smallish (14-20ft) boat that can be beach or boat ramp launched, sailed solo, that I can consistently put into the mid-high teens if I feel gutsy. I had a friend recommend an A-Cat, although he has little experience with them.

I'm a little concerned as I've never owned a multihull. I have background in sailing those speeds solo on monohulls, but am concerned that I may hurt myself if the learning curve is pretty steep. Is jumping onto an a-cat and sailing conservatively possible?

An A-Cat would not be a good first choice for a beach cat. The latest boats are extremely fast, technical, fragile, and unforgiving. You would not start driving with your first car being a 500 horse power Corvette or your first motorcycle being a 600cc super-sport bike because the power and technical skill required to drive them would make learning the basics extremely difficult and unsafe - the same logic applies to beach cats. Sailing an A-Cat "conservatively" really isn't an option - boats like that actually handle better when they're being driven hard (the way they're intended), not when they're being babied by a novice.

There are plenty of mid-level single handed beach cats that will offer all the performance a newbie could ask for and on a much more user-friendly platform. After several years, you will have the skills and experience to decide if an A-Cat is the right next choice for you.

sm

If you're looking for a "bumper cat" to get started on look for a Hobie Wave or Getaway. There's a reason they are the resort cat of choice. They're priced higher than they should be in my opinion. Personally, I like a SuperCat 15 or 17. These are kinda hot for a newbie though.
Dogboy is right about the A cat. That's a true racer.
There seem to be a lot of Prindle 16s on the market just now. If you can find one with solid hulls that would be a cheap entry point.
I sail the lower Potomac and Rappahanock with some other SuperCat owners.We're beached till next season.
I live in the DC metro area. I would be glad to help you transition into cats. Shoot me a PM.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--

In my limited experience cats are far more stable and forgiving than some monohulls. I've had my H17 out in conditions I would never have considered with the 49er I used to sail.

Hmmmmm. as soon as you said "entry level solo multihull" I thought of the Foiling UFO from Fulcrum Speedworks. Fast, simple, relatively inexpensive....and it foils:

http://www.fulcrumspeedworks.com/UFO/who-we-are/


Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with these guys. Just think they make a cool boat

Brad in Jax
Hobie 16 (dead)
Hobie 18 (sold)
G-Cat 5.7 (for sale)
Stiletto 27 Championship Edition

Look for a Weta trimaran. Easy to get going, a nice learning curve, and wild sailing once you are gutsy enough to pull out the spinnaker in good wind... Excellent community, videos on YouTube, good resale value...

hi person9334,
just wondering if we shouldn't ask you a few questions about yourself before recommending a cat?
for example.....male/female? approx age? approx weight? height?
do you expect to sail alone most of the time, have two onboard or more? will they be novices?

as an 'older' sailor, i know fitness/fatigue is a factor the older i get. how agile would you say you are?

once we know some of these basics, the size and type of cat may be more obvious to us.
glad you're thinking of joining us!
j

--
Aquacat 12 (sold)...'87 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'03 Nacra Inter18 (sold)
Venture 15 (sold)....'89 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'91 Nacra 5.8NA (sold)
'99 Nacra Inter20 (sold)
--

arch

hi person9334,
just wondering if we shouldn't ask you a few questions about yourself before recommending a cat?
for example.....male/female? approx age? approx weight? height?
do you expect to sail alone most of the time, have two onboard or more? will they be novices?

YES! Easy to make assumptions based on our own experience, we need to know more.

The OP says " I have background in sailing those speeds (mid to high teens!) solo on monohulls".

Now unless he is kidding himself, the only monohulls that can do that kind of speed require very athletic crew, or hurricane force winds, or being towed by a car down the highway. In other words someone capable of sailing a trapeze dinghy at 15-19 knots solo would probably find an A-Class very easy, and possibly cheap as well since the fastest dinghies are also very expensive.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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DamonLinkous

In other words someone capable of sailing a trapeze dinghy at 15-19 knots solo would probably find an A-Class very easy

I highly doubt that anyone who has never owned a beach catamaran before, regardless of their level of prior sailing experience, would find a modern A-Cat "very easy" to sail in any conditions stronger than a light breeze.

I agree that the OP should provide a little more background info on his sailing level and what he is looking for in his first beach cat IF he is actually looking for a recommendation for a first boat. Of course there are countless threads already about what would be a good choice for a first beach cat, so doing a search of the forum(s) would be a good place to start. His original post was really about whether or not an A-Cat would be an appropriate first catamaran and the answer is that for 99% of people, it would not be an appropriate first boat.

sm



Edited by Dogboy on Dec 13, 2017 - 01:15 PM.

I would question an A cat as a first boat from a durability standpoint as well. The Chesapeake and it’s tributaries can get skinny in places, an A cat wouldn’t survive too many mistakes as well as some of the other suggestions



Edited by jalex on Dec 13, 2017 - 02:38 PM.

I will be that 1% that disagrees. You can learn on an A-Cat with a couple of provisions.
First, while you are getting used to her, limit yourself to a 15 mph wind speed, (just as white caps start) until you are pretty comfortable. As the wind comes up, you can expect to put her on her side a few times while you get used to how fast you need to react. This is not serious once you know how to right her.Tipping sideways usually happens in slow motion as the wind goes off the sails. Catamarans more nasty habit is a pitchpole, where the bows drive in, usually off wind, and the boat tries to trip going sterns over bows. More likely to happen as the wind increases. You will be having a blast with the boat just before she slams on the brakes and throws you forward as the sterns come up.
Second suggestion would be to start with a well sorted classic A cat (Non-foiling, but still plenty fast)
The A class folks are pretty helpful, so if there are any A class people in your area you may be able to get some help to learn to sail her.
Once you get used to her, the smiles will be non-stop as these boats can really perform.

Some may question my sanity, as I learned to sail on a Tornado... but I was in a sailing club with 10-12 of them and I got help to come along with her gradually in increasing wind speeds.
Hope this helps.

--
1991 Nacra 18 square
1979 Prindle 18 "Tigger"
--

Just saw this on Craigslist. Looks like a great starter Cat!!
https://orlando.craigslist.org/boa/d/mystere-43-14ft-catamaran/6423048219.html

--
Pete
2001 NACRA 450 SOLD
2000 NACRA 500 TOTAL LOSS
2004 NACRA INTER 20 SOLD
2016 NACRA 500 Sport
DeLand, FL
--

Are you considering A cat mostly because of single handing? If it's just that you are narrowing too much your search. Unless you are very light or your sailing spot is always very windy, 16 and 18 ft beachcat a will work too.

Keep it simple,

Have you ever sailed an A-cat in a true 15mph?

--
Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Great feedback here, from everyone except the original poster.

Bueller? Bueller?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zyjLyBp64

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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Hi Bacho,

No I have not gotten to try an A cat yet, but my 18 square meter is pretty happy at that wind speed. (Granted that at 11 foot beam, I am used to having a lot more leverage on the sail than an A cat does at 7ft 10")
Just trying to suggest a guideline on the wind speed. The main point for someone new to cats is not to get too ambitious with a new boat until he is well used to it. He should expect to get dumped over a few times, and if he doesn't mind that he should get hooked on our favorite toy pretty quickly.

--
1991 Nacra 18 square
1979 Prindle 18 "Tigger"
--