On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Earl wrote: > You must have had an usual cat. I took my Fountained-pajot across the > Atlantic and motored for days on one engine with no difficulty. Switched > engines from time to time. Low fuel consumption, 4.5 kts, cold drinks > because constant electricity. > On another trip from Maine to NC I lost an engine and was able to > maneuver in marinas -carefully. > > Earl > Sent from my iPad > > On Mar 12, 2013, at 11:32 PM, Stephen Petranek <petranek@aol.com> wrote: > > > Having lost an engine on a chartered cat in the Bahamas in calm seas but > far from land, I can tell you that cats cannot be steered with one engine. > The rudders aren't enough to counteract the off-center force, so they just > go round in circles. I've tried this with both motor cats and sail cats. In > fact, every time I get on one I start one engine to see if I can find a > design that doesn't do this. So far, no go. Thus, one of the primary > apparent benefits--twin engines for redundancy--seems to be a myth. > > > > Steve Petranek > > S/V "Bayla" Passport 470 > > > > On Mar 12, 2013, at 9:04 PM, Joseph Pica wrote: > > > >> I ran a couple of cats to include a PDQ they are nice but some have > severe > >> access restrictions. Some cats require the stern of the amas to be > raised > >> which give good access to engines however consider doing that in any > kind of > >> sea state. Others have equipment buried under the beds. The other issue > >> with them is that they can be more weight sensitive then a full > displacement > >> boat. The more you load them the deeper they draft and the shorter the > >> clearance to the bridge deck from the water. If loaded enough the bridge > >> deck can get slapped (very annoying and loud) in short steep seas when > there > >> is not enough reserve buoyancy in the forward amas because of loading. > Their > >> speed and efficiencies fall off...still good though. This was more of a > >> problem with the earlier models based purely on sailing cat hulls. The > more > >> recent designs from the ground up as power cats are much better. The > other > >> problem is in dock space. Very few marina have slips wide enough to > >> accommodate a cats beam and will turn you away unless they have an > available > >> face dock or t head. Heck, at our 16' we have issues sometimes. Cats > >> handle very well but all boats are have some compromise. > >> > >> Joe > >> > >> M/V "Carolyn Ann" GH N-37 > >> MTOA# 3813 > >> AGLCA# 5485 (Platinum Looper) > >> http://carolynann-n37.blogspot.com/ > >> Joseph.pica@gmail.com > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Great-Loop [mailto:great-loop-bounces@lists.trawlering.com] On > Behalf > >> Of Bob McLeran > >> Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 5:52 PM > >> To: great-loop@lists.trawlering.com > >> Subject: Re: GL: LOOKING FOR ADVICE > >> > >> Along with all the other things that have been discussed regarding a > >> good boat for cruising (I think limiting your search to a "loop boat" is > >> a mistake), don't forget to check on the difficulty/ease of maintenance. > >> Not all cats are created equal in that regard. > >> > >> As much as I like catamarans (and trimarans, for that matter), I've seen > >> some 40+ foot cats that stow the engines near the aft end of the amas > >> and require you to lie on top of them (think warm engine here) to do so > >> little as to check the oil. > >> > >> Living space is one thing; space to perform ordinary maintenance is > >> another check list item. > >> > >> <><><><><><><><><><><><>Mozilla Thunderbird<><><><><><><><><><> > >> Bob McLeran and Judy Young Manatee Cove Marina > >> MV Sanderling Patrick Air Force Base > >> DeFever 41 Trawler Satellite Beach, Florida > >> Blog: http://mvsanderling.net/Blog > >> Web: http://cruising.mvsanderling.net/ > >> > >> On 3/12/2013 4:53 PM, Paige & Mike Caldwell wrote: > >>> Do yourself a favor and take a look at a cruising catamaran. A PDQ or > an > >>> Endeav