I can just picture him spinning end over end

I bet if you bent over and created a liner opposing reaction they would theoretically cancel each other out. You just might be a little bit shorter from the compression. HAHAHA

:So that's why cats are prone to flip. You just answered the question! Cats ARE more dangerous!!! (if you have gas)

I am not sure how relevant this is, but I come from small outboards. We had/have a class called Mod-vp, the tunnel hulls absolutely crushed the Vee hulls, even T2x's favorite Allison Crafts. They dominated top speed, turning, and really excelled in the rough ( the vees would initially would accelerate harder... untill we got air under us). Now it isn't rough like offshore, but on a size scale, big waves. And like with most things, if you can span it you can run it.
Years ago I ran down a 24' Skater in 2 foot chop ( enough that the Skater was taking air)... in an STV at 110 mph, there isn't an Allison on earth that can run in half that water at near that speed. Albeit the water conditions were that I could span the waves and if the frequency were much different it could have halved my speed.

....for whatever that is worth.

So we have concluded that cats are not inherently more dangerous than vees. In addition they are faster and handle better length for length. So what, then, is the problem?

Simply put, because cats can run faster than vees, comfortably, in most conditions, people who own them tend to spend more time at higher speeds. ( My 28 Skater probably averages 90-100 mph while cruising. No comparable length vee hull can make that claim).

In addition the owners of the most exotic cats don't necessarily have the seat time or experience to handle these speeds on the water and, in truth cats feel like they are going slower than a vee due to the added surface/wave contact and occilations inherent in a mono hull.

More time at higher speeds in a craft which feels slower to an inexperienced driver is not a good recipe for safety and this, IMHO, is the reason that cats have received a bum rap.

The truth is that insurance companies need to concentrate on average speeds of a specific craft...... as well as driver experience at speed........and set rates accordingly. I see no reason why a mega powered, 150 mph, Outer Limits or Fountain Vee should have any lower rate than a 150 mph Skater Cat of similar length. In fact the rates should probably be higher for the vee. On the other hand a 28 foot Pantera with similar power to my 28 Skater should have a lower rate......it simply can't go as fast nor would you want to.

T2x

That's all very reasonable, but for some reason insurance basically refuses to cover a new cat owner even in a 75 mph cat, while willing to write it for a V. That's where I get lost in their logic.

Also, the thought that because your boat "will go" a certain top speed equates to that's what you always are doing is asenine to me.

That'd be like insuring cars based on top speed alone. I'd only be interested in severely speed limited "quick cars". 0-100 in 8, but since you can't go over 100 insurance would be cheap.

In looking at it objectively, rates are made in office towers based on no real understanding of the hulls or power. EXperience is based on the owners real (or alleged) history. Sadly, the kind of person who buys a 150 mph boat is not necessarily the kind of person who should. IF acats have accidents at speed.....than in the eyes of insurance execs...all cats are bad.

On another note, what is a 75 mph cat? ....

T2x

Would that be Tonawanda Ny for the Hydroplane races this June?

Another question for T2X: In regards to trimarans (pretty funny analogy by the way). Is a trimaran (center pod) cat more or less safe than a true cat? Can a trimaran flip more easily than a true cat? Can I assume the true cat is faster than the same size trimaran cat??? Which one is more likely to blow over? Which one will handle the rough better? Which one typically has a better ride, or is there any difference in ride quality? Sorry for all the questions.

These two werent going slow