Trim makes a lot of difference. On the straights you can air it out, but with the dives out you'll have little control in a turn. You'll need to trim the drives back in somewhat to regain better steering and control.

You have the right idea, ask questions and get as much seat time behind the wheel and you'll soon gain confidence and get a better 'feel' for the boat. It's a good thing that you're being overly cautous... if you start feeling too confident early on, you're going to find yourself in trouble real fast. Your best bet is find another cat owner in your area and spend time with them... There's a reason insurance companies want prior seat time, there really is no substitute for it. ;)

I was drunk and out at night, late. came up on a piece of land and turned it as hard as i could at 80. luck no one was hurt. It threw my girl friend several hundred feet. no life jackets. Luckily a fisherman wass close by and pulled us out of the water. I had two 25 warlocks. one ran 115 with twin outboards. awesome boats very strong and great ride.

Once or twice. :D

The design of the individual boats has a lot to do with it, but with that said, each has its pros and cons. In 6's I'd want to be in the big cat. In 10's the vee. As long as the cat can get on top of it and stay in control, the cat will have the advantage. Beyond that, I'd rather be in the vee hull. In really big water a cat cant stay on top and maintain control, once this happens the chisel design of the vee has a distinct advantage.

Kev, very rarely do we see conditions that big in our area. You have to get outside the Sound to see those conditions. I've seen really big water coming through Plum Gut and out towards BI, but that's far from a typical representation of the conditions we normally see in the Sound. In the summer, the Sound rarely gets much bigger than 3's, and 1-2 footers is the norm during the warmer months. While I also enjoy these debates, the reality is we very rarely need a real big water machine where we normally boat. If we do see really big water here, how often and are we likely to be in it? Your 40 is PLENTY for just about any day of the summer in the inside LI Sound, and more than enough for the average trip to BI.

Call me a puss, but honestly if the water is anything close to real 10's, I have no desire to be out in it!

LOL, I like the honesty. That had to be a wild ride.

Let me tell you it was scary. I was n the water while the fisherman was yelling at me. he pulled my girl out first. She was crazy mad. Worst of all it was a new boat i took out of the showroom that night. I couldnt get the thing flipped back over. Each sponson is air tight, so i couldnt even sink it until i got it back to the ramp. Had to pull the plugs, sink it to the bottom, tie a rope to the cleat and flip it over on the bottom. Then tie the rope to the bow eye and pull it on the bottom up onto the trailer. I had to tow it 3 miles upside down with a deck boat to the ramp. very embarrassing. I had to clean beer cans and champagne bottles out of the water for twenty minutes also.

WOW, you are going to catch ALOT of flack for this stunt. Either people are ignoring your post , or their keeping their mouths shut. Your a boaters worst nightmare, not to mention the insurance companys! Just glad nobody got hurt!

I had the same thing happen going 95 the first time I had my boat out in a big lake. First cat and only about 5 hrs seat time in a cat. I actually didn't notice for a few seconds except I was slowing down.

Same speed, cats are much more stable, particularly when under 100 mph. At 85, I can turn to avoid obstacles in ways I would never turn in a vee.

The only word of warning I have is, remember - a cat rides on a cushon of compressed air - thus no friction. When you chop the throttles at 85 going in a straight line, it will take 1/8th of a mile to stop because you have no resistance in the water. Solution? Turn the wheel slightly, and you stop like any other boat.

What part of the Sound are you boating in?

Central/Easten

Brad, I just checked out your site. Looks great, but I am hard pressed to come up with the $2500 fee plus travel expenses to Lake Tahoe from Florida and back. Maybe by the time it warms up things will be different...

Rick