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Just finished reading 'Storm Tactics' and it was a good read. The 'catch' is, it doesn't really talk about catamarans all that much. It mentions that some people like to sea anchor bow to the wind via a chute but that isn't heaving to. It mentions sizing for average 35-40 footers being 28 foot - which seems gargantuan since it mentions 18 feet for 56-80 foot monohull. They also say 'will generally lie well' at this part; which I am not sure means lie well hove to or lie well bow pointed into the wind.
So, some questions...
1) Do cats heave to well?
2) Does the second hull aid in making the slick larger or more stable?
3) Does the lack of a deep keel hinder the creation of a slick
4) How do you rig a para anchor for a cat - it would seem to need to be off the anchor fittings at the bow but that is in the center of the front section; would make lines going across the windward hull potentially a problem no?
5) What do you lead your penant rope back to - a winch directly or a round it to a cleat and into the winch (this was not clear in the book); would a cleat not be a huge source of chafe?
6) How big a para anchor would one be looking at for 45-49 foot cats?
7) Would the heave to motion be more uncomfortable in a cat compared to a mono?
Sorry for the newb questions but thats what I am hehe.
1. Cats often use a para anchor
2. ?
3. possibly correct
4. & 5.Lie head on to swells. Line from each hull
6. 24'
7. NATURALLY cats are more uncomfortable in a sea!! Like a washing machine jumping across a floor.
Just finished reading 'Storm Tactics' and it was a good read. The 'catch' is, it doesn't really talk about catamarans all that much. It mentions that some people like to sea anchor bow to the wind via a chute but that isn't heaving to. It mentions sizing for average 35-40 footers being 28 foot - which seems gargantuan since it mentions 18 feet for 56-80 foot monohull. They also say 'will generally lie well' at this part; which I am not sure means lie well hove to or lie well bow pointed into the wind.
Yes, it probably does, as most cats will have a shallow enough draft that they don't get deep enough to create a very effective "slick".
4) How do you rig a para anchor for a cat - it would seem to need to be off the anchor fittings at the bow but that is in the center of the front section; would make lines going across the windward hull potentially a problem no?
I'm not a big fan of the parachute type sea anchors and think that a Jordan Series Drogue is a much better choice of survival gear to deploy as it doesn't require you to go forward in crappy weather... and doesn't strain the boat as much as a parachute does. In either case, the parachute sea anchor or Jordan series drogue should be attached via a bridle that is at least 1.5 times the length of the beam of the boat, and secured to dedicated chainplates on each hull. It would be from the bow for the parachute sea anchor and from the stern for the Jordan Series Drogue.
5) What do you lead your penant rope back to - a winch directly or a round it to a cleat and into the winch (this was not clear in the book); would a cleat not be a huge source of chafe?
Its interesting to see you mention you prefer running - having gone through that storm tactics book it sounds like it would be low on my list of choices; at least for a monohull. The thought of broaching sounds horrendous and pitchpoling doesn't sound much better. Heaving to sounds positively serene in comparison which is why I am curious how well cats heave to; if I buy a cruising boat it would only be a cat - the SO would never go for a mono for a multitude of reasons.
I'd point out that most multihulls are fairly resistant to broaching, especially when running...due to the multiple hulls
I'd also point out that the sea anchor sizing is different for monohulls and multihulls due to the very different design criteria. A 35-40' catamaran is going to have a lot more windage than a 40' monohull as a general rule...
Pitch poling is only a serious risk if the boat is moving too quickly. A JSD basically makes pitchpoling a non-issue.
Peter Johnstone authored a short article on what he called "parking" a catamaran about 10 years ago. I'll see if I can find the e-mail we exchanged afterwards. The upshot was IIRC no jib, main sheeted in, and helm locked so the boat is headed up. I'll look through my files in the morning and post if I can find anything.
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