I've been sailing cats for 25 years now. I can say I've flipped a cat maybe just 10 times and pitch-poled my old Hobie 16 twice. Every single flip, knock-down or pitch-pole have all been due to one thing and one thing alone -
SKIPPER OR CREW ERROR! In my experience this is what causes a catamaran to get knocked over or flipped:
1. Improper crew positioning causing improper boat balancing which gets exasperated by a wind gust or waves.
2. Improper line management in which a sheet gets fouled and the crew loses the ability to control a sail.
3. Improper planing for the wind/wave conditions (i.e. waves are up and you're sailing a Hobie-16, use chicken lines because the bows will dive and the boat will stop. If the crew weight is aft enough, the boat will stay down.)
4. Sailing in the ocean surf trying to jump waves (pretty self-explanitory).
5. Mechanical failure (A shroud breaking on a beam reach in 20-kt of wind can be fun)
6. Getting run down by a powerboat.
I've been sailing my current Prindle 18.2 for 10 years now and have had to right her just once (see number 2 above - while soloing). See this post:
http://www.thebeachcats.c…wtopic-topic-2016.html25-kt of wind in 7-ft seas and you would expect a knock-down or pitch-pole. Not necessarily. Even in the harshest of wind and conditions a beach cat can be controlled.
People often say to me, "I guess you don't like sailing on the edge too much then." Nope! I LOVE going fast! These boats go fastest when the windward hull is a mere 1-foot out of the water. The goal to going fast is to reduce drag and friction by getting the windward hull and dagger/centerboard out of the water, but keep the boat as flat as possible. The higher the heel angle, the more wind is spilled off the sails and the less efficient the main is at generating power. When a puff hits, extend out on on the wire as far as possible and put your head back. if you can keep the boat flat, you'll feel ACCELERATION not heel increase and knock-down potential.