THE UNSEAWORTHINESS OF SMALL CATAMARANS
- Thread starter thika
- Start date
Swartkops is a river mouth with sandbanks and the boats with the deeper draught will be at a disadvantage and the problem with a river mouth is that the outgoing tide pulls you towards the wave, even when you throttle down, so it plays havock with your judgement. The tide can do 5 knots on spring and you cannot stern that fast.
That period in question, was when the police and other government employees were getting boarded and retrenched, so everyone thought that they could go fishing for a living and that is you best NSRI customer, when you have to go out at all cost to make a buck.
That is why I stopped doing competative spearfishing when the "you have to get the compie going syndrome kicks in".
That period in question, was when the police and other government employees were getting boarded and retrenched, so everyone thought that they could go fishing for a living and that is you best NSRI customer, when you have to go out at all cost to make a buck.
That is why I stopped doing competative spearfishing when the "you have to get the compie going syndrome kicks in".
You ous need Mythbusters to do some tests!!!
IMO Most small cats are K*K fullstop. But I don't believe they are that much worse than monos.......most are driver error.
The boat off Virginia was snoek fishing and got caught out, it happens once or thrice a year there.
I must say I did a re-entry once on a mono.....if it was a cat I would have been clubbed.......I suppose thats why you don't get cat surfboards??!!!
IMO Most small cats are K*K fullstop. But I don't believe they are that much worse than monos.......most are driver error.
The boat off Virginia was snoek fishing and got caught out, it happens once or thrice a year there.
I must say I did a re-entry once on a mono.....if it was a cat I would have been clubbed.......I suppose thats why you don't get cat surfboards??!!!
This is like the quads versus bikes debate.
We did a beaching operation at Kenton once during Nationals on a Gemini waverider with a very deep v.
The skipper saw the TV cameras and thought aaah showtime, forgeting that he had just lost his one eye in an accident, about six months before, so he had no distance perception.
We hit the beach at about thre quarter throttle and the boat turned on its side, dumping the starboard side crew out on the sand and the portside crew into the boat ( that was me ). The pontoon stopped it from flipping right over and the skipper ended up in the bow. Fortunately the cameras were not rolling at the time.
We did a beaching operation at Kenton once during Nationals on a Gemini waverider with a very deep v.
The skipper saw the TV cameras and thought aaah showtime, forgeting that he had just lost his one eye in an accident, about six months before, so he had no distance perception.
We hit the beach at about thre quarter throttle and the boat turned on its side, dumping the starboard side crew out on the sand and the portside crew into the boat ( that was me ). The pontoon stopped it from flipping right over and the skipper ended up in the bow. Fortunately the cameras were not rolling at the time.
Hi Thika, some scary photo's!
One thing i notice is that in all the pics the boats are side on to the swell/breakers.
It looks like the skippers are running about at angles instead of hitting swells straight on, a big no no in my books. You can't blame the boat for misbehaving when the skipper is not doing his part!
One thing i notice is that in all the pics the boats are side on to the swell/breakers.
It looks like the skippers are running about at angles instead of hitting swells straight on, a big no no in my books. You can't blame the boat for misbehaving when the skipper is not doing his part!
As I said at the outset, this is not a cat vs mono thread
Only to warn
Pics don't lie...maybe the people in the boats would like to comment...they are on this forum
What's with the mass hysteria?
I will find some naval engineering stuff and scan and post so you can understand why cats do this fall over thing
Of course a skipper can cause problems, but that is not the point of this thread
Also how the boat behaves on dry land has nothing to do with this thread
Dugongboy has the general idea:
Look at how a surfboard sits on a wave face...now imagine how a little catamaran surfboard would do in the same situation
Only to warn
Pics don't lie...maybe the people in the boats would like to comment...they are on this forum
What's with the mass hysteria?
I will find some naval engineering stuff and scan and post so you can understand why cats do this fall over thing
Of course a skipper can cause problems, but that is not the point of this thread
Also how the boat behaves on dry land has nothing to do with this thread
Dugongboy has the general idea:
Look at how a surfboard sits on a wave face...now imagine how a little catamaran surfboard would do in the same situation
benniejordaan
Sealiner
thika wrote:
Actually not.
I don't think comparing a surfboard with a boat is really useful as what they do, how they are used and how they perform are dynamically completely different.
However, there are many, many different types of surfboard designs and by far the most common surfboard bottom design is a double concave, or single to double concave which, in perspective, will make it more cat like.
Some bigger wave boards do have a v-shape towards the tail but this is usually in conjunction with another type of concave implemented elsewhere in the board.
Actually not.
I don't think comparing a surfboard with a boat is really useful as what they do, how they are used and how they perform are dynamically completely different.
However, there are many, many different types of surfboard designs and by far the most common surfboard bottom design is a double concave, or single to double concave which, in perspective, will make it more cat like.
Some bigger wave boards do have a v-shape towards the tail but this is usually in conjunction with another type of concave implemented elsewhere in the board.
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benniejordaan
Sealiner
OK,
Crusty
This is a good example
(Some experienced skippers from Durban only google these places)
SOME however, actually have been there
This is a google pic of the island just south of the Msikaba mouth
I farmed up the mountain in Port Edward and we spent many weekends here...one anchor on the rocks and the other rope tied to a tree...I will find and post pics
Sometimes we just camped and drank and braai'd on the beach if the sea was bad, and that sea get's BAD...so missed some Mondays 'cause just insane to travel with a boat in a howling Southwest buster up your ass
Anyway,
for Mr.Clever who started fishing yesterday, here is where the boat has to go to and leave again
Wonderful adrenalin filled shiT
Then there is also also all the other places
Crusty
This is a good example
(Some experienced skippers from Durban only google these places)
SOME however, actually have been there
This is a google pic of the island just south of the Msikaba mouth
I farmed up the mountain in Port Edward and we spent many weekends here...one anchor on the rocks and the other rope tied to a tree...I will find and post pics
Sometimes we just camped and drank and braai'd on the beach if the sea was bad, and that sea get's BAD...so missed some Mondays 'cause just insane to travel with a boat in a howling Southwest buster up your ass
Anyway,
for Mr.Clever who started fishing yesterday, here is where the boat has to go to and leave again
Wonderful adrenalin filled shiT
Then there is also also all the other places
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I hear you Thika. I was merely pointing out that its always better to try hit the wave straight on. Some launches make this difficult. The 2nd and 4th pic appear to illustrate boats in trouble in a shore brake where they are at right angles to the swell. One going out and the other comming in. I don't want to make assumptions but this suggests more of a problem with the skipper than boat desighn.
When looking at the 3rd pic one can see what i assume to be the wake behind the boat tracking at right angles to the swell and then the skipper turning late into the peak of the wave at its highest point, perhaps tapping back and letting the wave pass would have been a better option than trying to turn in at the last minute.
These assumptions may all be wrong but i find it difficult to lay blame soley on a hull type when the human factor plays such an important part in a surf launch.
When looking at the 3rd pic one can see what i assume to be the wake behind the boat tracking at right angles to the swell and then the skipper turning late into the peak of the wave at its highest point, perhaps tapping back and letting the wave pass would have been a better option than trying to turn in at the last minute.
These assumptions may all be wrong but i find it difficult to lay blame soley on a hull type when the human factor plays such an important part in a surf launch.
I grew up in Zululand and back in the early 70's mono's due to being readily available where used exstensivly by the offshore boating fraternity and the guys were happy with them as that was what was available. As soon as cats starting making an appearance skippers after experiencing the ride, stability etc of cats started buying cat hulls! Now i am no expert however why would they change from a mono to a cat hull if it's design, rideability etc was supposedly flawed? All these experienced skippers i can guarentee you first tested the boat before purchasing, and most certainly would have not gone the cat route if anyone of them felt it was outclassed by an other mono boat design etc. You can have your opinion in terms of what you prefer however your post heading is pretty off "The unseaworthiness of small catamarans"??? this statement holds no water as proven by decades of happy/safe at sea cat owners/skippers. LOL you just stirring now!I've owned 4 boats all of which where cat hulls, i only do beach launches, as the places i go unfortunaly don't have sheltered lauches and never once have i thought "geez" wish i had a mono. With both mono & cat hulls you get good ones and bad ones! The design/concept of a cat hull is however far from flawed! Aaah ok it's off my chest my 2c