jeff32

nedd your opinion for those who rode in a cat...

3 years ago I broke my back in 2 places. I,m now pretty much fragile on bumps, shocks and bouncing...
since apparently a cat handles so well, is it well enough to be comparable or better in let's say 3 or 4 foot waves, sitting in a seat, or it is less pain in a stand up bolster seat in a V type hull, with our knees absorbing the shocks?

Andy01

I would say a lot of that has to do with size, and that is going to be budget driven. I can say, foot for foot every cat from 25 to 40 foot I've ridden in or drove, rode smoother then a like sized V. I've been in a lot of big v's and they are very smooth in 5-6 footers in the ocean but in 3-4 foot lake waves (3-4 is pretty big) the cats I have driven rode great. I think a lot of it depends on how long you will be in the seat. The seat itself could be uncomfortable for you over a hour or so. I think if you get past a 35' boat no matter v or cat 3-4's with a boat like that will be pretty smooth. I v will cost less to insure.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

I don't think there is any one set answer here.

A big cat may run smoother at speed, but when you are not packing air; they jar all over the place.

IF it were me, and I wish you all the best...
...I'd look into something that accommodates the motorcycle like riding position of the Navy Seals High Speed Intercept and similar boats; but certainly has a back to it. You would be standing on your feet, but not all the weight absorbed by your legs.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]521319[/ATTACH]

Fountain (Reggie), Nor-Tech, and Midnight Express have experience with these types of setups.

Bawana

Most cats your sitting down in... I would think standing in a bolster , taking the shock with knees bent would be best on your back. When your sitting all the shock goes right up your back. I have been in big cats & thought my back was going to break a few times.......

speicher lane

I love cats but It would take a BIG cat for you not to feel 3-4' waves - if your back is that sensitive to shock, you would need something in keeping with a shock mitigating seat in a sit down position. Possibly not for the everyday cruise but for those rogue holes or waves that are out of sequence and the boat just hits it "so" and you can feel it come right through the hull - been there done that!

I rode in a 32 skater a few years after a car acciedent, great ride until one big roller off a cruiser wake in the distance.. Boat came down in the trough, nothing major but just not a gentle set and it triggered my back to spasm to the point it sucked the wind out of me. Felt that one for days..

I would be reccomending an old school Apache or wide body cig... they take hp to push them but they do eat up waves w/o transfering bounce into the cockpit and the boats no good if you are having second thaughts of feeling distress days after a run...just my $.02 ...

08 fastech 292

I feel your pail. I have degenerative disc disease and essentially have no disc at L2 and L3 and l4 is on its way out as well. We had a 1993 271 Formula that was ordered by the original owner with captains chairs. While it rode great, any hard landing was felt from my tail bone to my neck. The bolsters in our 292 are a different story, as your legs can take a lot of the shock resulting in a much more comfortable ride.

I've never been in a cat so I have no experience to offer there just a perspective on sit down vs. bolsters in a deep v.

Dave

SS930

I've had back issues for quite a while and have ridden in a lot of different vee's and cats, of all sizes. The bigger (longer) the boat the better. At high speads, cats tend to ride nicer, vee's generally ride better at lower speeds. Standing allows your legs to act as shock absorbers (as long as your knees aren't locked) and makes a HUGE difference when it comes to dissipating the impact your spine would otherwise take. Most cats and sit downs have some fairly thick seat padding that helps absorb the energy, but you're still going to do a better job reducing the impact with your legs than you will with some seat padding. If you are hell bent on going with a sit-down boat, I would highly recommend going with a suspension seat. They are not cheap, but can save your spine.

Overall I would say your best bet is to find as long of a stand-up boat as you can and make sure you always keep your knees unlocked.

Tim G.

Don't forget about the side to side motion as well… Vs tend to rock you side to side as well…
Like said above, size has a lot to do with the answer to your question.
25 Eliminator vs 46 Cig… Yes, the Cig will ride better…

Cats tend to have a bit of a bump to them if you run too slowly…this is the water hitting the tunnel when running to slow to keep the boat up and moving.
Having said that, running too slow in the bumps usually has the boat falling into holes, regardless of the hull type.

We just finished a big cat for a client with back issues. We took it to the next step by installing shock seats as well. The shock seats really do not move unless there is a big hit.. Then they prove to be worth their weight in gold…(not cheap)

BIGBREW

Sitting alone puts 200lbs of pressure on your spine. Add in a few bumps and that multiplies. I would say something with bolsters. I had back surgery last year. My doctor told me to walk it will get better. Did not get better. I would get those terrible pains if I slipped or moved real quick in the wrong direction. 7 Months later I took it into my own hands. Tried losing a few pounds, I ride a stationary bike 40 min a day, and I am lifting in the gym again. Seemed to help strengthen things in that area back up especially my core and those sharp pains are going away. Give it a try, better than being in pain every day. Riding the bike made the biggest difference for me. Do yourself a favor and try it for a few weeks, if it makes you feel better just a little it is worth it. Back pain sucks!

low_psi

There is a lot of back and forth (no pun intended, well maybe a little) on what's better for the back, a stand up or sit down seat. The racers and cat guys swear by sit down seats.... I have had two fusion surgeries and suffer from an extreme amount of chronic pain (so much that I take Morphine 3x daily and average 6 Norco per day just to keep it manageable...) I refuse to let my chronic pain stop my boating hobby. I personally found a stand up bolster to be much better on my back. It allows me to absorb everything at the knees. Might be why my knees are on their way out, but again nothing is going to stop me from boating..... I have tried to sit down and the slightest wave seems to run right up my spine.... Another thing I noticed is even when standing, if I am not operating the boat, the ride seems to be a bit rougher on my back. I think when you are operating the boat you know exactly how each wave will hit you and you can flex you knees accordingly and/or brace yourself when needed. When not the operator of the boat it seems I am off by just the slightest which makes all the difference...... I have always had deep Vee hulls, so I cannot speak on Cat vs Vee, but with many years of boating under my belt before and after back surgery I think stand up seating is the way to go........ I just bought a Center Console with a leaning post, so I am certain I will be replacing that seat soon with a side by side bolster seat. My Velocity had a very narrow bolster seat, which kept me very snug and stationary from side-to-side movement. With my Center Console, the only thing I have to prevent side-to-side movement is the hull sides themselves................