Hello from TabbyCat / Marine Insurance

[TabbyCat]

Hello,
We're new to the board, and have been cruising on our Maine Cat 41 for about a year now. We just got back from the Bahamas and are now heading for Maine. Prior to that, we had a C&C 34 that we sailed on the Chesapeake Bay for 15 years.

Mike is retired, but Susan still works- selling Marine Insurance. So if any of you need a quote on insurance, just send us an e-mail.

Mike & Susan
s/v TabbyCat
S/V TabbyCat

[TaoJones]

Welcome to the forum, Tabbies!

I'd love to read your comments on the Maine Cat 41, now that you've cruised her extensively. It's an awesome vessel, IMO, though I haven't been aboard one yet, nor have I talked to anyone with personal experience. What do you like about it, and what do you think you'd like to change, if anything?

I did talk to Dick Vermeulen at one time about the MC30, but I think that was before the 41 was more than a rumor. The new powercat they're starting production on is also an interesting vessel. Have you been aboard the prototype yet?

Again, welcome to CF.

TaoJones

[TabbyCat]

We really like our MaineCat. (But doesn't everyone like the boat they bought?) We really didn't want to spend the money that a new boat costs, but we could not find the comination of positive features below in other cats:

Positives:

• 360 degree visibility
• Helm station that felt like a real sailboat helm
• Ability for either of us to singlehand or play with the lines
• All the lines & halyards are led inside, except the Spinnaker halyard
• The hardtop keeps us out of the sun
• Corecell construction- floats like a cork, so hoefully it's unsinkable. Oddly enough, there are some cats out there made of open cell
• It's pretty fast- top speed so far is 17.5 kts, although one crazy owner got his going 20. It's a sailing machine, although the Gunboat is faster. It's a joy to sail, and easy to tack. We often sail when others motor.
• Clean lines, no wood to varnish
• Access to most systems is easy- nothing is hidden behind headliners or inaccessible spaces
• Our cockpit area is great for having up to 14 people over. Since it's not split into the traditional "inside/outside" rooms of a cat
• The beds ae in the middle, where there is less motion
• The bridgedeck clearance is higher than most other cats, so we rarely have any slamming.
• Dick at Maine Cat is an honest, hardworking person. He let us do quite a bit of customization to the layout, others owners have done even more.

The negatives:

• If you want to sleep 6, it can get tight
• The guest head could be made a bit more user friendly
• If you like leather, suede, Corian, and a warm cozy interior, this is not the boat for you.
• No room for a washer/dryer

So the positives outweighed the negatives!
~ Susan