Reply With Quoteat the end of the day there is a good reason why most vmrs,coastguards,police ,ect all use cats no matter where in australia they belive them to be simply the safest fastest way to get out and back. its been that way for years.
Hi
I must be missing something here otherwise I must be as dumb as dogshit,however I take it that it is pretty common knowledge that a stong wind driven chop will cause quite different sea conditions given depth,tide flow and prevailing ocean swell.
It is a given that areas like Moreton Bay and FNQ ,where the depth of the ocean plays a decisive role in the sea conditions will have a steeper,closer nastier chop than a deeper ocean area.
This is not the point here.photoguru asked about the effectiveness of a cat hull to handle conditions in his area FNQ.
Having owned both monos and cats I can honesty say that considering ALL SEA CONDITIONS I would much rather be in a cat than a mono OF EQUAL LENGTH in any sea condition and I believe that anyone who thinks differently should take the time to test this with experienced skippers.Talk without experience will not convince.
Kind Regards
Hinchy
at the end of the day there is a good reason why most vmrs,coastguards,police ,ect all use cats no matter where in australia they belive them to be simply the safest fastest way to get out and back. its been that way for years.
I do think that cats would offer the best ride for length but..... they need two hulls to do it, two motors, two services and from what I have looked at I can get a 22-23ft mono for the price of a 19ft cat.
Does a 19ft cat ride better than say a 23ft mono?
Thats a good questions krazyfisher. I have not been in many top notch 23 ft monos but I reckon that they would travell at similar speeds in the same conditions. But a 18ft cat would eat any mono up to 20ft.
Scott nth qld. Before you go and start carrying on like a total idiot, Lets get a few things straight. Yes I was on a 7.2m kcat, it was around 10-15kts when we left and about half way out it blew upto around 20kts. With about 1m of chop, and the wind it was still very acceptable to continue, after all, the guys we were fishing with have all been around the gamefishing scene for many years, and buddy, these conditions are far from being dangerous. Next point, I have lived in far Nth Qld, as stated, in both Cairns and Townsville (of which I was there for almost 4 yrs) so I do know what the conditions can be like up there.
On our return trip to the marina, we were followed in by a much smaller Cairns custom craft CAT, and surprisingly , it managed to get back safetly. So before you go on and make rash, very illinformed statements, get your facts correct. Now back to the original post, If you want a boat around the 5-6m mark for Nth Qld, you will not be dissapointed by a cat. Yes I was on a slightly larger cat than you maybe looking at, but the conditions we had for the couple of days we were out , were not at all different to the conditions I have fished in many times throughout the sth east in my smaller cat. The only difference, you will get alot wetter in the smaller cats on those days.
Now that's an interesting video, some very old, some very new, goes to highlight they don't make em like they used to, do they?Originally Posted by Flex
I think thats the best way to settle things,
Take a look at this, 1st few mins looks pretty choppy to me
Who would buy a new cat like that based on this video?
That's enuff hold it there, now a 7.2, kcat is one big muther of a boat and only 20 knots? knot many really understand hey?
what makes you say they dont make em like they used to? surely the newer ones are even better?
My 16ft Dominator Cat handles better than some of the 21-23ft monos
i've owned or been in.
Regards frank
Better? Why? Maybe try watching the video again and taking some notice of the narrow gutted tunnels, high profile sides, the out of proportion hardtops, the high profiles in the bows , the high angles they run out, and you call these designs better? Would you own one of those? As if you do then maybe you know SFA?
john bouy you either have a very good 16ft cat or have owned/been in some very bad 23ft mono's..
Yes pay that
The video shown either demonstrates how to drive a cat in poor conditions...fast. You gotta keep air under them. If you dont...tunnel shudder...compressed air/water trapped in the tunnel. Back/knee destroying stuff...
Certaintly when things turn REAL bad and you MUST go slow (10-12 knots)...on a long run - give me a mono. Take the NSW, Tas, and WA Water Cops and defence force gear...wheres the cats for offshore use?
Sure 80's Harris designed cats around 7m are great...driven hard...as the vid shows. These tasks were typically short runs over bars. You cant drive a boat like that for too long!!
Hows that beam on stuff...faaarrr...
If the thread poster has a crook back and may shy from going hard... a 5.8 to 6-odd metre mono from Haines, Seafarer, Whittley, CC or such might do the job? At least he'll be able to cruise home at 15-odd knots without destroying his fragile back with tunnel shudder or get RSI from white knuckle fever when things get a bit rough.
Well written seahound. Cats are great at some things, but like all other boats they aren't great at all things. Surface effect is a great thing - to a point - but then you gotta slow down.
Keep going about the chop thing fellas - I'm just getting another beer.
I'm pretty sure thats what i posted.
Regards Frank
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