[PCW] Fisherman found on overturned cat

[Porter Jameson]

Hello Bob,

Thank you for the article. I keep reading your name as I search for a small
catamaran, maybe you can guide me a little.

I am at retirement age and just sold my Bertram 32 after 20 plus years of
boating on Lake Michigan and Florida. Now I want a 21 to 23 foot cat that is
light weight and easy to handle going on and off the trailer. I need a boat
that is dry and stable because I want to start taking my small grandsons
fishing.

I had a lot of responses to my post asking if their are still any small cat
builders left. I had a wide range of answers, including some that were clearly
connected to World Cat and Pro Cat in some way. Those are too big and heavy,
Twinn Vee seems to be out of business completely. Plus I have been on a
friends Twinn Vee 22 and was not impressed.

Somewhere I read your article on Tom Cat??? Those look good but seem more like
a cross between a trawler and little weekender. I guess I just want a
competent little center console boat with Porte Potti space.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Porter Jameson





--- On Wed, 9/2/09, bob Austin <thataway4 at cox.net> wrote:

From: bob Austin <thataway4 at cox.net>
Subject: [PCW] Fisherman found on overturned cat
To: power-catamaran at lists.samurai.com
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 4:29 PM

There was massive water intrusion into one of the hulls.  There was either no
bilge pump or a defective bilge pump, and by the time the fisherman realized
that there was a problem, the boat capsized.  I believe that the failure came
at night, or at least in darkness.

Many of the cats in this size do not have bilge pumps (I think a mistake),
and
rely on foam filled hulls, or "water tight" hulls to avoid any problem with
water in the hull. I am currently looking at small cats, and it is surprising
how many don't have bilge pumps, or hull drains.

Looking at another side, a 23 foot cat is a bit small to be offshore in the
gulf of Mexico.  Was someone standing watch, and checking the boat?  Was
there
a manual pump and an access to the bilge.

The boat was a 23 foot "Sea Chaser Cat"--I think made briefly by Carolina
Skiffs.  There wre not many made, and only a few for sale currently.  Once  a
hull is filled with water, its all over, literally.  The boat becomes more
stable on its side or upside down.  Another factor is the use of T tops and
even small crows nests or tuna towers on small boats.  They have less
stability.

I looked at a Sea Cat 18, only 7'2" beam, which had a massive T top, plus a
crows nest.  There was a serious stability problem.  OK in calm waters, but
the owner took it out 20 to 25 miles in the gulf regularly.  I don't think
that is wise.  In my own search I am looking for a boat without a T top.

Bob Austin
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