Trying to design my own cat.

Gary Baigent said:

Bob
or you could build some carbon ones ...... or get perhaps a broken set of Volvo 40's carbon beams and patch them up -

Click to expand...

Yeahbut that'll take too much duct tape!

Seriously though, the largest displacement cat I've seen so far with what I believe to be alloy tubes are Dakota 33's, and my interests are in the demountable crossbeam variety trailer cats with all up dry weight displacements of 4000 lbs.

I guess its the sign of the times when companies like Seawind for example discontiued thier S24 with alloy crossbeams, like this example with a "Walmart" harbor tent.

I think it's kinda slick, actually!


Regards,
Bob

Deck tents can be pretty slick, and you don't even have to have a big cat to make them useful.




Ray

http://slidercat.com

Hi Ray,
And that's the beauty of a cat with a wide tramp. Its nice having a double duty tent for both the tramp or shore with a full stand up height. The owner custom canvased his floor on this one it seems.
I own the exact same style tent pictured on that Seawind 24. Mine has an expanding accordian steel frame. Zippered screened windows and a rainfly on top. Completely sealed floor. Set me back $100 for a display model. I'm contemplating doing the same for my Duo900. The outboard on the Duo is designed to attatched to the aft crossbeam so I'm hoping I can design the area between the two hulls to accomodate my harbor tent without too much rearranging of running and standing rigging components.
Your videos of Slider I've seen so far (I haven't seen all) show you camping onshore. Have you spent any nights in that tent situated on that tramp along the shore yet? What's it like?

Best,
BobG

Ray,
The design I've concieved would entail having the tent fame standing at half its original height in stance (the corner legs are telescopic), and completely encapsulate both cockpits in a custom made tent giving access to both hulls. If my rig were a sliding gunter, I could haul it up, loosen the jaws and lower it hozontal and fasten a tarp as a sun awning /rain fly over most of the tramp area. I won't have the standing height like the guy did with his, but I can lounge with tons elbow room and plenty of shade and mesh screened windows and screened ceiling under the rainfly.

It shoud be more comfortable up on the tramp where the breeze flows freely and it'll alleviate my claustrophobia, too.

Regards

bobg3723 said:

Your videos of Slider I've seen so far (I haven't seen all) show you camping onshore. Have you spent any nights in that tent situated on that tramp along the shore yet? What's it like?

Best,
BobG

Click to expand...

Yes, we have spent a night or two in the center deck tent.

A couple months back, my daughter and I sailed down to Navarre, which is about 20 miles west of here. We were actually planning to go all the way down to the National Seashore, but it started blowing pretty hard in the afternoon, and we elected to get into the lee of the causeway by Navarre Beach, and have a rest. Unfortunately the Air Force is still rebuilding the picnic grounds there, and the beach was mined with No Trespassing signs. We decided to go around to the other side of the causeway, where I hoped to find a little shelter under the curve of the beach.

We anchored next to the boat launch, which gave us access to nice bathrooms, but it was fortunate we'd brought the deck tent, because there was no camping ashore. This is unfortunately often the case along this coast these days; just about every foot of waterfront belongs to someone.

The center deck is actually cedar duckboards, which I learned to like when we had our Wharram cat. The tent covers the center deck and one cockpit, leaving the other cockpit as a porch, so you can still get in and out of the tent easily. The seats are movable, so you can put both in the covered cockpit facing each other, and have a civilized place to sit inside the tent. Add a folding table and two can sit down to dine, under cover, in a 16' open cat.

I think you're on the right track with your big tent. That wide-open center deck or tramp is a great advantage open bridgedeck cats have over other boats. Why not make use of it?

Ray

http://slidercat.com

Ray,

That's a pretty common complaint I hear from many others on the water who had to contend with the endless miles of 'No tresspassing' on coastal frontages and causways. Man, it does suck, too!

I supposed I have to be a very well traveled water hobo to find all the desirable secretspots. Hey, that was part of the fun pursuit when I was crisscrossing the country back in the day with a dog eared copy on Free Camprounds in hand.

I remember one night I spent in a public campground up in northern Minnesota when a 'derecho' like event blew in. And although I was among a mature stand of trees, those (I would estimate) 60+ MPH winds made for a nervous nights sleep. I kept having these morbid fantasies about the next days headlines reading "Camper found crushed to death under last night's storm".
More about these infrequent winds at this site:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/derechofacts.htm#risks1

That made me think more about designing into the plans for my Duo900 a capable harbor tent to hunker down in. I've been through a 'liquid white-out' along the shore of a lake once before. It was mildly scary at first and I was on land at the time on a pickup bed camper with plenty of daylight, but it was nowhere as scary as the sound of the tree limbs ripping and crashing to the ground with an ominous thump nearby in the darkness of the evening. But, people have drowned from getting entangled in tents coming loose taking them into the water, so that is of concern, too.

If I hadn't yet beat a hasty retreat to someplace on land away from flying and falling objects, I think I'd prefer a multihull (one without bow tramps to catch air) than a rolling monohull in conditions like these. The frame of the tent I picked up is a collapsing accordion steel truss, and it would be on-the-water removable, yet securely mounted into a bolted receptacle on the cabin sides, with the canvas given access to both companionway doors, in case I had to make a hasty retreat for one of the hull cabins.

I can picture a scenario where if I had to make a life or death decision to beach the craft, I would be more suited in a catamaran and beach it at ramming speed (the Duo900 has no dagger boards) and wade ashore like a scalded cat.

Worst case scenarios aside, harbor tents make alot of sense. My own personal Northwoods camping experience has spurred me to ponder this more.

Best,
Bob

Lol...you guys sound like a couple of catamaran advertisements. I like the tent ideas. Don't forget though, Gary's Skimmer can do the job too, but with more people, and will have a similar speed in light air. (that's my advertisement).
I said earlier in this thread that I would never defend a monohull. I really am such a turncoat

Rich,
Nah, just guilding my personal golden calf.

Me personally, I wouldn't defend one design over another. They're all good at something there, Benedict Arnold!.
Here's some racing scows for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrMUEIb-pDc

Good fun!

Best,
Bob

Wow. Never heard of the E Scow and A Scow until now. Looks like quite a handful. Interesting to read that it is over 80 years old.

thanks for the post, Bob

They cut off the sharp end, cause it would only add weight when catching air.

Their shape reminds me of hydrodynamic femenin napkins without the wings.

Someone was giving an 18' racing scow in town away for free. I almost bit, but went for a 17' cuddy cabin shoal keel tub with trailer and gear for the price of the trailer. You'ld be surprised at the $1000 to $3000 bargains you'll find among the 24' and less plastic boats.

Best.
Bob