The sexiest Catamaran ever?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Traditionalists give up their narrow minding outlook in thinking flare is the only way to achieve reserve buoyancy. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Adding height as in the Briand cat, X-bow, American canoe is another viable approach. Even the Vikings figured that out, not much flare on the bow of a longboat, infact some were inverted!

Methinks this is a fairer comparison than a segment of a bow thats well above the w/line..
Which is a long way from this..

[Southern Star]

Cruisersfarm, if a cat has reverse bows that are extended out about 4 feet further on an otherwise identical hull form then indeed you have more forward bouyancy than the shorter boat. Unfortunately, on most production cruising cats this is not the case and they are nothing more than an impractical and potentially unsafe fashion statement - as I alluded to above, when people purchase an Alpha 42 , I suspect they are not seeing it as a 38 foot cat with longer bows (nor was it designed or marketed as such).

Reserve bouyancy provides an element of safety. With reverse bows, as the bows are buried further (something which the backward slope accentuates through hydrodynamic forces), bouyancy actually decreases. With some front overhang, it actually increases on three planes. With a plumb bow it remains constant - although reserve bouyancy can also be built in through the use of chines above the waterline, or Lock Crowther's 'tulip' bows.

From an aesthetic standpoint, on catamarans I prefer the latter - plumb bows with built-in additional reserve bouyancy in extremis. Unlike monohulls, plumb bows on a cat do not suffer the detriments of a wetter area for foredeck work or retrieved anchors banging into the topsides (as there is typically no anchor or sail deployment off the foredecks of a cat). Plumb bows provide, to my eyes at least, a more modern, non-traditional appearance that is in keeping with entire notion of a catamaran and do so without the practical downsides that they present on a cruising monohull. Reverse or 'wave-piercing' bows, on the other hand, may look modern, but on production cruising cats, they often do so at the expense of reduced reserve bouyancy and resistance to pitchpoling.

Brad

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Factor

Undeniably beautiful, but the discussion is about exciting cats. But don't let that stop you, its taken to post 40 to have a monohuller come in to the multihull forum and and tell us why we are wrong. Nearly a record for this place.

That's pretty funny since none of you can agree on any design but I'll bet, like you expressed, that Columbia is a work of art. So while one is art, I can appreciate function out of the other.

[Southern Star]

Celestialsailor, your description of catamarans in this thread as 'bars of soap in the water' was obviously intended to be an afront that added nothing to this discussion. Inflammatory, unhelpful and sadly, typical. Factor's response was, in the circumstances, rather measured.

The fact that there is some debate amongst catamaran owners as to what is the sexiest cat is evidence of nothing except that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'- something which you, as the self-appointed arbiter of maritime aesthetics, seem unable to understand.

In any event, you have made it clear that in your opinion, only monohulls can be 'sexy' as all cats are ugly bars of soap in the water. You are entitled to your opinion, just as others are entitled to their opinion as to what your intention was in posting that on this thread.

Brad

[Celestialsailor]

Factor responded in humor to my humor and I did not say ugly...maybe lighten up a little. To be clear I also describe Benehuntalinas as bars of soap in the water.

[Southern Star]

I didn't take Factor's response, or either of your posts as attempts to be humorous. Although the fact that you also like to insult the boats chosen by other monohullers with tastes/priorities different than your own somehow doesn't surprise me.

Cheers!

Brad

[s/v Jedi]

What is not clear about "lighten up a little"? You are throwing gasoline on a fire instead of helping.

[SaltyMonkey]

[weavis]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

SEXY!!!!

OK.. I lied....

[unclemack]

I never think of boats as being sexy at all.

Sexy was her painting in her underwear and a t-shirt or stealing my old school rugby shirt for a dress.

This reminded me of her, sorry for the thread drift, complain if you want, I don't care

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by unclemack

I never think of boats as being sexy at all.

Sexy was her painting in her underwear and a t-shirt or stealing my old school rugby shirt for a dress.

This reminded me of her, sorry for the thread drift, complain if you want, I don't care

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by unclemack

I never think of boats as being sexy at all.

Sexy was her painting in her underwear and a t-shirt or stealing my old school rugby shirt for a dress.

This reminded me of her, sorry for the thread drift, complain if you want, I don't care

[cruisersfarm]

Originally Posted by Southern Star

Cruisersfarm, if a cat has reverse bows that are extended out about 4 feet further on an otherwise identical hull form then indeed you have more forward bouyancy than the shorter boat. Unfortunately, on most production cruising cats this is not the case and they are nothing more than an impractical and potentially unsafe fashion statement - as I alluded to above, when people purchase an Alpha 42 , I suspect they are not seeing it as a 38 foot cat with longer bows (nor was it designed or marketed as such).



Brad

Wow.

I don't have a production cat.

Never in my wildest imagination could I imagine cutting things off at deck level to achieve a reverse bow.

My reverse bows were made by adding several feet of length at the waterline, providing tons of buoyancy the already adequate original design didn't have.

There is so much reserve buoyancy doing it the way we did that bow radius doesn't even touch the water. It dips in with wave action providing just the right amount of dynamic buoyancy to damp all pitching.

I'm shocked production cats do it the wrong way and still get away with it.

[Southern Star]

What fire, Jedi? I gather your post means that you too find it inflammatory for someone to generically describe all catamarans (as well as, apparently, all Beneteaus, Hunters and Catalinas) as bars of soap, but you believe that one should not beg to differ, or point out that the comment is inflammatory.

Rather than throwing gasoline on flames, I see efforts at calling out those kind of posts as being necessary in order to discourage them (and the risk of similar 'fires') in the future.

Brad

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Factor responded in humor to my humor .

No I didn't, i responded in disappointment