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Catboat Forum
This message board is dedicated for Catboat builders, owners and lovers!
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Re: how do they sail?
Posted By: Howard <htoft@triad.rr.com>
Date: Friday, 18 September 2009, at 10:35 a.m.
In Response To: how do they sail? (scott)
Scott,
I have been sailing a Marshall Sanderling since we bought it new in 1972 with a break for a few years. I have people in sloops tell me they were not able to point up as well as my catboat did and that they tried to catch me but couldn't on various points of sail. That happened several times. They are definitely not dangerous to sail upwind or any other way. You do want to be careful downwind to avoid what is called a gull wing jibe where the sail folds up and the boom goes vertical, then jibes. It is avoided by sailing a few degrees off downwind. There is no boom vang on the catboat. Another myth is that it is hard to come about in a catboat. There too, I have never had a problem except once when we had a double reef in and there was so much lee helm, it wouldn't come up. It would be better to scandalize than put in a double reef. Scandalizing is letting the gaff down a little to de-power. In an emergency if you let the gaff go, you have a storm trisail. I don't know much about the Herman catboat but I believe they are great boats. A catboat is easier to sail and has lots of cockpit room but no headroom in the cabin. Lazy jacks are important. They allowed me to start sailing alone which I couldn't do before. You need the lazy jacks to gather that large sail as you drop it or you need someone else to head the boat into the wind with the motor.
Enjoy the boat.
Howard
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