hunt
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Re:Compared to Sea Cart 30, R33? - 2006/09/25 09:19
Funky --
Cat vs. Tri -- Ah, that is the big question which will probably be debated until we are all dead. Obviously I think the cat is a preferred platform or I would have just bought a Seacart - which is by all reports a super, refined boat. But to be clear - I have never set eyes on one, although I have talked with folks who have -- including our tecchnical team.
At the end of the day, I think a cat makes a far far better dual purpose boat. We have a HUGE and COMFORTABLE cockpit. And if you have to sleep on deck there is plenty of bench - or you can sleep in the high side hull. IMHO no multi this size has accomodations worth a damn, so we optimized for daysailing.
Yes, we think the LIGHTSPEED and the Seacart are about the same performance envelope, although no doubt each boat will have conditions it prefers. There are lots of tradeoffs - the cat can sail flatter and have a hull out of the water, the tri can usually sail faster in light air with both floats out.
The truth of the matter is we are still learning to sail our boat (difficult with only one sailing so far) and as Bob Merrick (olympic Silver in the 470 / top US Hobie 16 sailor) said this weekend - there is a whole lot more speed lefft in the boat. This weekend we found whole new gears for breezy conditions (upper teens to mid/upper 20s) -- footing just a bit and the boat took off upwind with big VMG gains. Tried dropping the jib and sailing "uni" as the first reef and the boat liked it.
It will be really fun to sail against the Seacart and we look forward to it. I have no idea how it will turn out but I do not think it will be a blowout either way.
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