[quote=dave_r]Hey all ...
Thanks for the great suggestions. A few (among all the many excellent ideas) that stand out for me:
* Liking the mini-tramp ahead of the mast and retrofitting the kayak hatches
* Appreciate the links to the Kingfisher and Perception people
* Interested in the idea of camping on the tramp
* Appreciate reminders about tides, currents and rocky shores
I also appreciated the mission / base camp comment - a week in Bamfield or in Barkley Sound might be even more fun that the long haul from Hardy. Better yet, the boat can go as deck cargo on the Mary Rose and we can take all the beer we want! That said, the wife likes mileage and doesn't feel like a day is complete without at least 50 miles under her belt.
Now barring the idea that we might actually have a relaxing vacation, back to long haul logistics. The most common problem seems to be overloading. Towing a tender / kayak doesn't seem to have been that workable for either the Kingfisher folks (who claim their inflatable. cut their speed in half) or the Perception guys (who completed their run without their kayak).
Puzzled about the boat suggestions which range from 27' (at 1100 lbs) down to 18' (at 335 lbs). Been told the Mystere 6.0 are supposed to excellent for this kind of thing but they appear to be out of production. Am wondering about a early 2000's Nacra F18 - prices fit our budget and the weight is about 390 lbs. Maybe we need to be thinking about volume/carrying capacity and overall weight. Any thoughts on boats with great payload relative to weight? That might be a dopey question given that catamarans are supposed to be about speed, not hauling capacity.
Reefing is still a big question mark too - looks like you can sort of reef the old Hobie 18, I think we need something with more volume in the hulls.
Keep those cards and letters coming!
Dave
PS: Thomas - I'll take hardcore as a compliment![/quote]
No HTML tags allowed (except inside [code][/code] tags)
