Considering the change to cat before purchasing

[Sand crab]

Cold molded or strip planked is pretty close to solid wood core. I have a sweet spot for those done with epoxy as most were.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Cold molded or strip planked is pretty close to solid wood core. I have a sweet spot for those done with epoxy as most were.

Always liked these Shuttleworth 31’s that are strip planked in cedar.

http://www.shuttleworthdesign.com/Fossailing-story.html

[Sand crab]

My tri suffered a deep scrape into the core. It was about 6" across and more or less circular. You could see the wood core. It took several months in a year of record rainfall for me to get around to hauling it out and was pleasantly surprised that the water damage barely migrated an inch past the damage if that. Epoxy is the good stuff!

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by smj

Kelsall actually started building boats with pvc foam cores in 1966. Shuttleworth and Woods design Multihulls that can be built out of foam or wood.

Sorry - should have read 1960's not 1980's



Yes, RW and JS do design in solid wood my point was related to the use of "foam" in their sandwich panel designs.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Cold molded or strip planked is pretty close to solid wood core. I have a sweet spot for those done with epoxy as most were.

These are not cored construction the wood itself is the structure. Neither the sheathing on the outside or the epoxy coating on the inside constitute any structural stiffness.

There are some really beautiful cedar strip planked boats and the use of epoxy is essential to saturate and waterproof the timber.
http://pattersonyachts.com/images/bu...buddy-004l.jpg
Note the hull sides where the strips are clearly visible.

Foam can also be used in strip plank construction but structural skins must be added on the inside and outside to give it strength and the result is a foam sandwich.

In cored construction the structural skins are separated by a lightweight core increasing the stiffness of the panel in the same way that the web of and I beam increases the stiffness of the flanges by holding them apart. There are alternative cores such as paper and ali honeycomb, nidacore and even end grain balsa that is, arguably a solid wood core, but its purpose is to separate the structural skins. Without the skins the balsa core would have virtually no structural strength.

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by docwood

I have read plenty of the pros that favor cat over mono..(shallow draft for Caribbean is my favorite).

I don't know where people get the idea that the Caribbean requires, or even rewards, shallow draft. You can sail the Caribbean for many years with a 6'7" draft and not run out of new places to go.

Heck, that's true even in the Bahamas. We know. We do.

There are some good reasons for buying a cat, but if you're buying a cat for that reason, you are barking up the wrong tree.

[jmh2002]

Much as I like cats I agree with you. We sailed for years in the caribbean, with a deep draft fixed keel of around 9ft! / 2.71m

We also went upwind very well though too

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by SVHarmonie

I don't know where people get the idea that the Caribbean requires, or even rewards, shallow draft. You can sail the Caribbean for many years with a 6'7" draft and not run out of new places to go.

Heck, that's true even in the Bahamas. We know. We do.

There are some good reasons for buying a cat, but if you're buying a cat for that reason, you are barking up the wrong tree.

Gravenors Bay, Barbuda, IMO the most beautiful anchorage in the Caribbean.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by SVHarmonie

I don't know where people get the idea that the Caribbean requires, or even rewards, shallow draft. You can sail the Caribbean for many years with a 6'7" draft and not run out of new places to go.

Heck, that's true even in the Bahamas. We know. We do.

There are some good reasons for buying a cat, but if you're buying a cat for that reason, you are barking up the wrong tree.

I don't know where people get the idea they will be sailing in the Caribbean (or the Bahamas) when probably 90% of the boats are dock queens who's biggest worry is hitting the sandbar by the last red marker before open water; something that does reward shallow draft.

While I agree about sailing in the Caribbean in the Bahamas there is an advantage to shallow draft, lots of interesting places you can get with a 3'6" draft that are off limits for a five or six foot draft. Another big advantage is you can often get much closer to shore to anchor in calmer water, often with other boats not able to get close to you.