No Love For Cats ?

[swmcl]

Hi all,

This is my first post.

I'm trying to decide whether to invest in a boat for the family.  We live in Toowoomba Queensland.  I'm scouring the boating pages on this and other forums trying to get a handle on what people prefer and what they seem to steer away from.

Is there much love for catamaran type boats ?  I am attracted to them from a safety perspective.  Perhaps naively, I think two hulls are harder to sink than one ... !

I see in the 'show us ya boat' threads there are a lot of fibreglass boats.  I appreciate these are the best for their ability on the sea but I don't like them for the weight and the rot.  I'm fairly happy with the idea of aluminium but would prefer kevlar ...  :-)

I haven't seen a photo of any cat yet so I assume real fishos don't like them ...

Cheers,

Steve

[kmcrosby78]

Are you after a boat for freshwater fishing or saltwater? And roughly what size? If you're after a 4-5m boat, a Webster Twinfisher would be worth investigating. I haven't been in one but think they are popular amongst people who want that style of boat.

[swmcl]

Cheers km,

I'm from WA so salt is the norm for me.  Years ago I met a fella transporting a heavy fibreglass boat from Perth to Exmouth for his annual holidays and it was killing his Cruiser at the time in gearboxes and diffs.  So I don't want to shift a fibreglass boat long distances !

I've got a reluctant wife but the kids are interested.  My concerns are more with safety and having a stable platform, trying to make the experience as pleasant as possible seasickness-wise.

Thanks for the reply.

[aussie123]

A cat is the best style of boat for anyone who tends to get seasick but at the same time, anyone prone to that will get sick in any type of boat.

Cats are the best for stability and in any smaller boats, glass boats are generally more stable than alloy boats due to their weight.

 

[Drop Bear]

On 2/10/2018 at 2:25 PM, swmcl said:

Hi all,

This is my first post.

I'm trying to decide whether to invest in a boat for the family.  We live in Toowoomba Queensland.  I'm scouring the boating pages on this and other forums trying to get a handle on what people prefer and what they seem to steer away from.

Is there much love for catamaran type boats ?  I am attracted to them from a safety perspective.  Perhaps naively, I think two hulls are harder to sink than one ... !

I see in the 'show us ya boat' threads there are a lot of fibreglass boats.  I appreciate these are the best for their ability on the sea but I don't like them for the weight and the rot.  I'm fairly happy with the idea of aluminium but would prefer kevlar ...  :-)

I haven't seen a photo of any cat yet so I assume real fishos don't like them ...

Cheers,

Steve

Happy to be corrected but I don't think that cats are any safer than a mono.?.?

Also I don't know this but I think they use more fuel? Can someone smart answer this?

The new aluminium boats have great hulls. They build the sides with magic and make them very stable these days. I have a 5m tinny. We have had 3 fat bastards all on one side, one with a fish on, one trying to gaff and the other hanging over the side filming. It was very comfortable and super surprisingly stable. 

What sort of fishing are you planning to do? 

There are quite a few options in Moreton Bay, I know that is a fair haul from the T-bar. 

Another option that many here like to do is go offshore chasing snapper, Amber-jack, Dollies, Mackerel (4 types), Marlin, Wahoo and a stack of reef species. 

What you want to do with the boat will influence greatly what would be best for you to buy. 

Glass being heavier is a softer ride but in saying that the modern Aluminum hulls are surprisingly good. 

 

[MarkA]

Everything in boat is a compromise. 

Weight is good for the ride but bad to tow and power.  

Size is good for comfort and ride but sucks as soon as it’s out of the water. 

2 motors are better than one until you have to service them haha and the list goes on. 

Foam floatation is something worth investigating if you are thinking about absolute sinkability. 

Glass boats rot but only if they have timber in them and not all glass boats do. 

Aluminium boats suffer from corrosion, galvanic or electrolysis call it what you will. 

What might be the best boat for you might be someone else’s nightmare. 

Enjoy your search. 

 

[Gad]

seems to me your set on a cat style boat and just want someone to say yes, get one... ok, yes go buy one... 

[swmcl]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm not set, set Gad !  I can be talked around to other things ...  :-)

I was simply interested to see some pics and hear some stories with them that's all.

The very helpful Gumtree pop-up ads just sent a picture of a tri-hull, survey built, ex-police boat in Cairns ...  5mm aluminium on the sides and 6mm on the bottom !  I guess you could say it would be around for a while ...  I bet the ride quality would be pretty sweet too.  At 6.5m it would weigh a bit.  I think you'd want it for a business and it looks as though the owners were intending to open a dive business with it.

I think the new Quintrex hulls sort of approach tri-hull features - not that I'm going to be spending the money.

[Tybo]

I used to go on plenty of cats when I dived, and while they had their benefits, I wouldn't own one. They're stable, but very rigid, as in they don't roll with the seas. To me the worst part about them is their turning circle,

[WAZA]

Owning a Kevlarcat I can share some insight

The cat can manoeuvre exceptionally well with twin motors, in tight marinas etc better than a monhull, at speed turning to port throttle down the port motor, you will turn in a smaller circle and not get thrown out I use mine to Scuba Spearfish and Sportfish which it is ideal. If I was wanting a pure fishing machine, then a monohull will throw a nice wake for your trolling lures, they are very stable these days and a easier vessel to master.

Cheers

Waz