A lot of ways to ask this..........
IF you could have any catamaran made what would it be?
Would that be a perfect boat for you or would you have to change it in someway?
Maybe you already have the boat now?

I get asked this A LOT (mostly by my wife) and my answer changes A LOT. Right now I think I'd like an A-Cat or a Nacra 20 (see how far apart I am! ).

What about you guys?
Greg

M or Eagle 20

I sail the Formula 18 (Tiger).

I would pick a 45 foot high performance cruising catamaran. I do not yet know which one yet but I like the looks of something like the Gunboat 48 that Pete Melvin designed. Oh...I may not be around if I had one though...South Seas sounds nice.

For racing I am on the boat that I like the most. Reasons:

1. Biggest racing class in the area with lots of talent.

2. Can sail with Eileen. A-Cat is a lonely ride. I-20 would be too much boat for us.

3. Have it set up in the yard ready to go. This could be any boat though.

4. Get alot of enjoyment out of taking others out for an evening sail. I-20 may be too much boat to take average sailors out for "just a ride."

Later,
Dan

Robi I'm disappointed! If I was into the racing scene, and more technical boats, I would pick your Blade! For my purposes I'd like a boat as durable as the old Hobies, but easy to singlehand, and have a small chute. Undecided as to whether I want boards for performance, or skeg keel for ease of beaching...?

I'm going to have to second Dan's wishes. However, I20 ranks a little higher for me....and the Gunboat, well, while we're dreamin' - what's wrong with a 60' Gunboat?

Brian, once dreams come true they are no longer a dream, they are reality. The Blade is a dream boat by all means. I wouldnt mind a M20 or the Carbon Eagle 20. For me those two boats are just unreachable at this point in time.

I also wouldnt mind a I20.

I think I know exactly what my dream boat looks like.

And I'm really serious here.

I'm with the others on wanting an A-cat for solo sailing and something with more beef for doublehanded racing or taking a friend along. I would love to sail a racer/cruiser multihull but these things require a crew of more than 2 people most of the time. And I'm had trouble enough finding one crew that is about as serious at cat sailing as I am.

Just like everybody else I want a light boat that is easy to transport and handle of the water. This also rules out some of the larger cruiser/racers. And I want to chase a dream that I can actually forfill some time. Otherwise a dream will turn into a torturing nightmere if you are not carefull. So the dream has to be affordable as well.

Personally; I truly feel that a Blade F16 with a good carbon mast, Ashby sails and a landenberger spi would come awfully close to my dream boat. I would love to see some in depth optimizing on the daggerboards done and then I think my wish list is empty.

I don't want to go lighter than 100 kg boatweight as that will only mean sacrificing stiffness and strength or paying alot more for hardly any speed increase at all. Besides I don't want to pamper my boat as much as some sailors do. I want to be able to get caught in a blow while on the water and survive the rough landing on a unknown beach. So now I don't want to get below 100 kg overall boatweight.
I also don't want carbon beams and booms as I find aAluminium alot easier to work with. And also incredibally cheap to replace when you've damaged either one. And again I don't see any advantages to having a carbon boom or spi pole apart from the ability to show off.

I don't want a carbon snuffer mouth as two of the best snuffer I ever used had alu rings (AHPC snuffer as on Taipans/Blade and the Stealth F16 snuffer). The alu is just smoother and more slippery then carbon. And why pay more for an inferiour product ?

I don't want more sail area as I found that the 15 sq.mtr mainsail, sq. 3.7 mtr. jib and 17.5 sq.mtr. spi is more than enough to get your adrenaline going. And I'm level with F18's already. I really don't see much performance inprovement over the whole spectrum of winds speeds by oversizing this rig. Pretty much what you buy in additional performance in light winds you loose in the heavier stuff. No net gain. Also why pull harder on a sheets then necessary. The adrenaline glan in my body only knows two modes. On and off. This threshold doesn't seem to be influenced much by sail area and alot more by windstrength.

I don't want a uni-rig (no jib) as these boat sudden max out in distance races when you not sailing pure upwind. Also the sloops remain better powered-up in gusty conditions, making it easier to maintain maximum speed if you are not a sailing god.

In addition to that. Blade has got the looks, the feel and the feasability of being owned by one of us normal folk. That is convincing enough to qualify as a wet dream in my book.

And I say all this in absolute honesty.

I know it is fashionable to name the A-cat or M20's, but in my personal case I like double handing team work and spi sailing too much to justify an A-cat. No A-cat builder will maintain warranty when adding a spi. M20, well their is no singlehanding that boat in any meaningful way, let alone racing it in that attire. And I do solo and solo race about 30 % of the time. Also I don't have 35.000 Euro's laying around to put my back at 15 kg's more strain as the M20 is heavier in overall weight. Also the M20 seems not enough faster to warrant that. Especially considering the addition costs in ensureance and replacement parts.

Some consider a combination of an A-cat and M20 to be the ideal setup. At a price tag of over 53.000 Euro's it darn well better be. However, I'm only looking at how to get both on one trailer or accept being really pissed off when you brought only your M20 and your crew cancels at the last minute. It is quickly getting a logistic problem. And what will you say to yourself when you decide to singlehand the M20 at an impossible rating (if the RC lets you get out alone and participate in the racing like that) and you get beaten by F18's and singlehanded F16's as you have to depower like nobodies business (= slow). Or when you brought your A-cat and the most competitive fleet is the F18's with quadriple the numbers of baots attending which is always the case overhere where I sail. There is simply no fair racing against spi boats when you don't have a spi yourself.

No indeed, it is fashionable to name the A-cat and M20 but in all honesty they aren't even that close to my personal dream baot because of very practical concerns and the related price tags. 35.000 and 18.000 Euro's.

Just give me a 14.000 Euro's Blade F16 and a good start or a lucky windshift and even I'll show them that money simply can't buy a win.


Ohh, I forget one thing that I like my dream boat to have. The underdog character.

If I loose then hey ! "I'm sailing the smallest and cheapest boat in the fleet, made out of glass"

If I win then hey ! "What is your excuse ?"

That is just my very personal take on the situation. I currently sail a wood-epoxy Taipan F16 and that suits me just fine. It is all that I hoped it would be when I decided to get one. I'm in no hurry to switch boats, my financial situation doesn't allow that. BUT, when I'm able again to produce expendable income then I'll be on the list for a new Blade F16. I'm estimating that that will take me another 3 to 4 years (medio 2008).

Wouter

Well, after 30 odd years of sailing and racing pretty seriously, I think I currently have something pretty close to my 'dream boat' - my Stealth F16. I'd possibly prefer to have the new 2006 model - but, hey, you can't have everything

My Stealth or similar F16 will do me until I'm into my 60's and then I'd like to spend all the cash that I'm sure I'll have accumulated by then - lol - on a Formula 40 and some 'rockstars' to sail with me!!!

An friend of mine is getting into the Volvo extreme project and a boat here costs 150.000 Euro's and participating in the year long cirquit is costing another 150.000 Euro's. Now you know what to aim for !

Wouter

For singlehanded sailing/racing:
An F-16. Either a Blade with carbon mast or a Stealth. If A cats had spi's, that would be a serious contender.

For two-up racing, distance races etc., the 'turbo'ed B class.

A 30-40 foot racer-cruiser to take the family sailing and some north-sea races. Preferably something fast while still manageable by the admiral (wife) and me when not in racing mode. I still drool over those Lock Crowther Southern Ocean 50's..

That brings the count to three, so I guess I just dont have _a_ dream boat but several..

http://www.mycq.org.au/ActionPhotos/050325%20Gladstone%20Start/Raw%20Nerve/IMGP0122.JPG
http://www.mycq.org.au/ActionPhotos/050325%20Gladstone%20Start/Wild%20Cat/IMGP0201.JPG

(The last image is not of an Southern Ocean 50, but a similar design)

Greg,
There was a time when I could have answered this question without hesitation and the answer would have been an A class.

This was before I sailed an off the beach cat with a spinnaker.

Now my wish list has grown to 3 boats and the A class no long makes the list.

Now of the 3 boats the first boat on my list is a light weight 16ft cat with a spinnaker that I would primarily sail by myself but could sail with my childeren from time to time.
Sailing one up with a kite is such a high and I get a great deal of pleasure out of sailing with my kids.

The other two would be a lightweight 20ft boat for 2 up distance racing that is trailable without tilting. This boat would have fold up carbon wings.

The 3rd would be a lightweight (under 700kg) 28ft Bay Racer with sleeping for 4 adults that could also be used for coastal sailing but comes home with me on a trailer and is rigged in under 2hours.
I don't want the maintenance or the worry of a boat on a mooring.

If I had all 3 then my wish list would be complete.

Regards,
Phill

I wonder if it will fit in a standard slip?

Or even a water front house in the intracostal waterway in FL? hmmmm

For me... The ARC 21 is killer but there are not very many around so I am always in the open(X) class.

#2 choice... T Boat.

?

No question.... Tornado.

Gunboat Baby! Leave the bouys behind, explore the islands with family, friends, and a blender full of rum drinks. A 48 would do, 62 is prefered...

http://www.gunboat.info/home.html

Come on guys. Open up your mind. This is your dream boat, your wildest fantasy.....

I was thinking something like a C Class on foils

Won't go wrong with one of these

Or this

Hey steve,

you've got to update your page man ! It is still talking about doing the 2002/2003 season on a boat that you have sold off a year ago.

Wouter