Noosacat 5.2 Owners

[gofishin]

...there's well setup cats for ride and not so well setup...

Same goes for monos, "and them some", regardless of the pedigree of the mono...IMHO

...a not so well setup one will bang harder than any mono.

'Any mono'? Badly setup monos bang pretty bloody hard FC, you've obviously been spoilt for too long .

And some Mexicans might think their massively powered 25+ degree very heavy monos might even give some well setup cats a run for their money...but luckily this isn't 'that forum'

...I would greatly appreciate anyone willing to share their knowledge and experience with 5.2m cats in particular the Noosacats....

You might also like to search the Seamedia site Gary, or contact Peter Webster. Don't know if the design is still the same, but maybe 10 +/- years ago F&B mag did a comparison on a single powered and twin powered centre console versions of this size from memory.
Cheers
Brendon


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[ozynorts]

You might also like to search the Seamedia site Gary, or contact Peter Webster. Don't know if the design is still the same, but maybe 10 +/- years ago F&B mag did a comparison on a single powered and twin powered centre console versions of this size from memory.
Cheers
Brendon



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http://www.australianboatmags.com.au...dia-HzcmGo.pdf

[gofishin]

Yeah Ozy, I remember that one now - but it's not the test I was referring to. Two small cats, tested at the same time, one with twins & the other a single, and both centre consoles I think.

Hmmm, maybe it was a lot longer ago, in the 'Australian Boating' mag days of Peter Webster...and maybe when they were still sold as 'Shark Cats'. PW should be able to confirm.


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[GBC]

You are on track. It was f&b mag. Two noosa 5.5 off Noosa Heads. A centre console with a single offset outboard and a cuddy with twins if I remember correctly? Going back a bit though.

[AndrewB]

I have a 5.3 Borgercat side console 140hp Suzuki I have been considering selling, not used for 18 months but cant bring myself to sell
, kids left home, more creek fishing and trying to retire and be grey nomad.
Once you have owned a cat you wont go back to a mono.

[perko]

Andrew, I have a 5.3 borger side console as well with a 140hp Suzi. They are a great boat. Is yours a black/yellow one? Don't sell it, too hard to replace when you realise how good it was.

I have a 5.3 Borgercat side console 140hp Suzuki I have been considering selling, not used for 18 months but cant bring myself to sell
, kids left home, more creek fishing and trying to retire and be grey nomad.
Once you have owned a cat you wont go back to a mono.

[Lovey80]

100% right there noelm, a comparison would be a hard thing to do, but interesting.

skippergary, I fully hear where you are coming from, I did ( before I bought my current mono) want to try and get a run in the 5.7 webster, now I know die hard cat lover's don't rate the single engine cat, but a mate of mine bought one, based just out of Portland, and he absolutely raves about them. He's been out in some nasty nasty stuff and he said its impressed the hell out of him. had 6mt plus mono's all his life, first cat he's owned.
Me, I sort of like the idea of a twin motor set up, and my plans are very similar to yours gary, years of working on the tools are taking their toll and my medium term plan is to change up to a cat in around 5 years, and that will see me out for sure !
probably over that time frame their will be more advancements and hull improvements, so I watch with a keen eye at the minute..............

bonneville

I own a 4.3CC Webster as my inshore boat and a 5.2KC for my offshore boat. The Webster certainly outperforms every other pressed tiny in the size range for performance and is a brilliant inshore boat. However the first thing I'd be doing if I owned a 5.7M for offshore is install a set of trim tabs. The ability to trim a cat out at sea is paramount IMHO.

The KC is simply a brilliant performing boat. I can't speak highly enough of the ride for such a short boat that provides such a large fishable deck space.

The only bad things I have to say about the boat are, the lack of hard top/full glass cabin (which seems that I am in the minority on this) and the lack of storage space. I have some good ideas to customising mine to get all my gear in handy to use places. Nothing drives me mad more than having all your shit around your feet in a platform affected by swell.

[bonneville]

I own a 4.3CC Webster as my inshore boat and a 5.2KC for my offshore boat. The Webster certainly outperforms every other pressed tiny in the size range for performance and is a brilliant inshore boat. However the first thing I'd be doing if I owned a 5.7M for offshore is install a set of trim tabs. The ability to trim a cat out at sea is paramount IMHO.

The KC is simply a brilliant performing boat. I can't speak highly enough of the ride for such a short boat that provides such a large fishable deck space.

The only bad things I have to say about the boat are, the lack of hard top/full glass cabin (which seems that I am in the minority on this) and the lack of storage space. I have some good ideas to customising mine to get all my gear in handy to use places. Nothing drives me mad more than having all your shit around your feet in a platform affected by swell.

thanks lovey80, im in the minority too then, because that would be a pre requisite for me, hard top !
Well apart from saying, "you lucky bu@@a" having two cats LOL I do like the idea of twin motors for out wide, and will be, when time comes to upgrade, look at a few other models as well, KC will definitely be one I look at. Still a few years away for me, but down south here, definitely a hard top.
cheers
bonneville

[AndrewB]

Perko, agree that's why its not for sale at this point in time.
No it is not the black and yellow one although I have fished in that particular boat and know a fair bit about it. Mine is dark green and yellow but very similar boats. I believe the black and yellow was sold to a bloke in the NT.

[Flex]

I have a mate who owns a 5.2 NC with pods. They are probably the softest riding boat in any condition under 20f hands down. From a pure performance perspective they are amazing boats. BUT, you have to know how to drive them. They need adequate HP to get them up nice and high. You need to know how to trim them on the fly, but if done so they out perform any other boat of same size. They are a very trim sensitive boat too. I have never ridden in the unpodded NC so can't comment on those.

i own a 5.2 Kevlacat. Although I think the NC out performs it slightly,the KC is easier to drive and I much prefer the KC deck Layout.

also, even if a cat rode worse than a mono, I think their deck size and stability whilst your actually fishing is fantastic.
the only negative is the tunnel slap when trolling or sometimes when at anchor.

[termi]

I owned an unpoded 5.2m n/c with 70hp yamies for several years. It was a nice boat but would porpoise in glassed out conditions, even when trimmed down and it hated a large sea from the rear quarter even when trimmed correctly. You learn to live with but still puts the wind up you when a props comes out the water in the dark. I believe both these issues are due to the very sharp sponsons and lack of planning area. Into a head sea and following sea it was an awesome machine. It was a bit flighty if pushing hard and not trimmed in enough but it always landed flat and tracked straight pushing through the backs of waves. I believe the newer version (1850 from memory) had pods moulded into hull, wider planning strakes and ran 90's, which made it a better boat.When I sold it I bought a 6.2m Seafarer Vagabond which I kept for 6months but I had to get back into a cat. I now own a 5.2m Kevlacat ,which is my favourite of the two. A little slower than the n/c with 70's and marginally harder into a head sea, but it is less affected by weight, more predictable to drive, it is a better designed boat and just a nice all round boat to own and to fish out of. Both boats will serve you well, you'll have to learn to drive them and they are not speed machines but will give you more stability and a softer ride in rougher conditions. Just remember though, when the seas are real big, you are still in a 5.2m boat. Drive to the conditions and you'll get a comfortable ride, drive them too hard and you'll have some fun but your body will still feel it, just not as bad as what it will in a mono hull. Hope this helps.

[SkipperGary]

Thank you all for your replies. Very much appreciated.
I have begun the process of gathering information and opinions regarding the several brands of cats currently available and all their options.
It seems that like all boat hulls it will be a trade-off. Things I liked about my mono hull may not be so good with a cat but the ride should be better if the angles are worked.
I am keen to experience the tunnel slap at trolling speeds ( I assume it means lure trolling speeds of 8-10kph?). I do a lot of slow trolling with livebaits on DRs
and would be keen to know how they go at this slow walking pace.
I'll let you all know how I get on. At this stage the 2400 KC looks the goods. The 2300 NC walkaround looks good too but is a bit heavier - which is also good in terms of ride but extra tow weight. The cabin area in the NC 2300 is very limited and if I'm planning to overnight out on the reef it is nice to have a dry comfy area to snooze.
One thing is for sure none of them are cheap.
Thanks again for all input and if anyone is planning a cat v mono day - count me in please.
Cheers all,
Gary

[perko]

Your on the right track. Once you step up into the 6.5 m cats there is a huge improvement in performance, ride and room. Go the kc2400. You won't be disappointed. Plenty of good deals around.

[Smithy]

There are more mackerel pros here with cats than monos. They troll fine at live bait speed. More Coastal Cats than anything. They have better load carrying capacity with ice boxes under the floor. There is one 7m overwidth one, quite a few 7m centre cabs and a couple of 6m centre consoles. One pro has a 5.9m Seatrek, another a 2700 Noosacat and at various times there have been a few small NCs and KCs.