Re: Cats! you wanna talk Cats! This is a Cat

Posted By: Tim in BC
Date: 9/6/05 1:04p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Cats! you wanna talk Cats! This is a Cat (pic) (Butch Erny, 21 Crab Claw Cat. Charlotte Harbor Fl)

I was actually looking for some info on a Harpoon when I noticed the gaffers section.(I am easily distracted) Started reading the first thread and saw an image of your boat here and was taken up short. What a shock. I had a buddy years ago, an old stoner hippy in the north country, that built a 42 foot cat(amaran). Got the hulls beamed up, a small house built on there....then asked me to draw up a sail plan that he could build himself. Taking my friends caveman -like skills and materials into consideration, I designed what I thought was a clever low tech solution. What his was is almost identical to what you have there! An 'A' (in Canada we call it an 'eh' frame) frame 'mast'(welded up in steel and painted in his case). with the big crab claw booms. In his case the booms were some clear spruce poles. He built the first sails out of polytarps and told me it was perfectly balanced, easy to use and went great. He blew out a couple of tarp sails and was having a 'rreal' one made last time I spoke to him. I have never seen it in person...not yet anyway. Here I though I was being clever and the whole dealie already exists somewhere else. How cool is that? BTW, I am no designer of boats, of amature interest only. It was a favour for someone who was open to adventure. Nice job on your boat. Can you tell me more how your rig has worked out and how you came to this rig? Thanks.