I have been sailing a Getaway for two seasons now. It is a great boat but it is a recreational boat. I want to go faster. I'm not sure i want to move to a Nacra F17 or an F18 boat and thought an A-Cat would be a good choice because it is a lightweight, easy to right, one man, quick catamaran. I don't know much about them or who manufacturer's them. When looking through the classifieds on this site i only saw one for sail and it was in Southern Cal... I'm in Toronto... Could anyone give me some of the pros and cons of an A-Cat, maybe some tips on buying an A-Cat, manufacturers, or where i can get more info on A-Cats...
thanks for your help!

there is a good A-cat forum at catsailor.com

they are very cool but very expensive (mostly carbon fiber parts). i hear they do not handle waves very well. I have seen them race at the Harken races in april. i have watch them rigged. I have felt the mast and centerboards (increadably light).

The major disadvantages with them are the costs, the specailized repairing them and the need for deep waters with their dagger boards. Also they are solo sailing boats so you can NOT take crew...

Going from a Getaway to an ACat is quite the change... Not that you cant do it but you can get a lot of upgrade without spending 10,000 - 20,000.

I would love to keep my 5.5 and also get a A-Cat, but i have been sailing for 30 years, cats for 10. I dont have the storage for 2 boats (nor the extra 10k for a used one).

I would recommend something close to a 18 size boat and sell it when you want to try another type.. As long as you dont kill it... most well used boats retain most of their value



edited by: andrewscott, Aug 24, 2008 - 08:15 AM

here is the link to the A-cat web site.... there are alot of A's for sale.... good luck with the buy.....

http://www.usaca.info/