A sailing cat without a mast - Blesphemy?

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I do think that there would be a benefit to removing the mast if you don't plan to sail & don't plan to increase horse power because the amount of windage created by the rig can be significant which could affect speed when heading into a strong headwind.

True. When we launched our boat it had no rig. Fitting the rig and sails cost us about 3/4 knot in motoring top speed.

There's significant weight as well as windage.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I know a guy in Tarpon Springs with a professional marine business. He built a huge sailing cat that he planned to charter in the Caribbean. His plans changed before he got the sails made which was going to be a major expense. He decided to sell the rig & turn it into a power cat. At the time Passage Maker had an article by cat designer from Australia or New Zealand who was adding a flat planing surface aft of the rudders so I gave this guy the mag. Not sure if he ever added them but he did swap out the motors with bigger Yanmars.

Lightwave has a flat surface mold that they add to the standard Lightwave sailboat hull to improve its motoring capability. Don't know if they modify the rudders. It is a Tony Grainger design.

Ist vessel the motor sailer is a 47 lightwave with larger motors and shaft drive and the flybridge vessel is a Lightwave 38 with saildrives used as a charter vessel in the Whitsundays.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by downunder

Lightwave has a flat surface mold that they add to the standard Lightwave sailboat hull to improve its motoring capability. Don't know if they modify the rudders. It is a Tony Grainger design.

Ist vessel the motor sailer is a 47 lightwave with larger motors and shaft drive and the flybridge vessel is a Lightwave 38 with saildrives used as a charter vessel in the Whitsundays.

I assume the power version is faster. Do you have any of the performance statistics for comparison of the 2 versions. If just modifying the sterns, replacing the motors with larger ones, adding fuel tankage & removing the rig is what it takes to have a power cat that gets competitive speed I think
it might make financial sense to do this.

[Polux]

Even more than condo sailing cats the motor condo cats are probably the fastest growing multihull segment, at least in Europe.

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