Vhull to under 30' cat
06-17-2015, 02:55 PM
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Vhull to under 30' cat
Bored at work tonight so who's went from a Vhull to a Cat under 30' and why? What type of water do you run in?
Along with automotive ADD and buying a different vehicle every 6-12 months it runs with boats too. Sold my Donzi classic last fall and picked up a 270 Checkmate this spring. Great boat, love everything about it (except the cruise speed purposing), but starting to look at others. Insurance aside (because I probably won't be able to get insured) why not go to a cat next?
75% of my boating is in a river and the other 25% is in the Saginaw Bay, it can turn on you if you're not careful but usually 2' or under waves. Yesterday we were out in maybe 2-3's and earlier this year caught in 4-6's but that's not the norm for me, the Checkmate handled them but it wasn't exactly a good time. Looking to stay under 30' no matter what direction I go. I could see a budget for up to $75k on a cat (if I could find insurance that wasn't 5k a year) or up to $50k on a Vhull. Throw out suggestions for either as long as it's under 30'. Would prefer a single engine black motor.
Was looking at 28' eliminator canopies with twin 496's or a 27' with a single 496. Both will be fast enough and easy(ier) on the pocket as far as maintenance. I don't have an attention span long enough to own anything for more than a couple years so this would be a two year thing max.
So anyone went from a smaller Vhull to a smaller cat? Likes? Dislikes? Regrets? Other suggestions?
Along with automotive ADD and buying a different vehicle every 6-12 months it runs with boats too. Sold my Donzi classic last fall and picked up a 270 Checkmate this spring. Great boat, love everything about it (except the cruise speed purposing), but starting to look at others. Insurance aside (because I probably won't be able to get insured) why not go to a cat next?
75% of my boating is in a river and the other 25% is in the Saginaw Bay, it can turn on you if you're not careful but usually 2' or under waves. Yesterday we were out in maybe 2-3's and earlier this year caught in 4-6's but that's not the norm for me, the Checkmate handled them but it wasn't exactly a good time. Looking to stay under 30' no matter what direction I go. I could see a budget for up to $75k on a cat (if I could find insurance that wasn't 5k a year) or up to $50k on a Vhull. Throw out suggestions for either as long as it's under 30'. Would prefer a single engine black motor.
Was looking at 28' eliminator canopies with twin 496's or a 27' with a single 496. Both will be fast enough and easy(ier) on the pocket as far as maintenance. I don't have an attention span long enough to own anything for more than a couple years so this would be a two year thing max.
So anyone went from a smaller Vhull to a smaller cat? Likes? Dislikes? Regrets? Other suggestions?
06-18-2015, 05:38 AM
#4
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Cabin space in a cat is lacking and big water capability suffers with a center pod cat. Otherwise a cat will out run any V of similar size with same power. A V will never have the stability of cat. If you are looking for efficiency/economy the twin engine is not where you should look, you might be surprised how well the single perform compared to the twin. The twin 28s typically run a little wet and are ass heavy.
You should really price insurance before even thinking about a cat.
You should really price insurance before even thinking about a cat.
Last edited by JRider; 06-18-2015 at 05:51 AM.
06-18-2015, 05:50 AM
#5
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well....kept my 32 vull but have had 28 skater and now a 30' skater...both outboards. no cabin in these cats but the ride and speed are great. the 30 is a much better all around cat for me.
06-18-2015, 08:52 AM
#7
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From a go fast standpoint, I traded my 292 Fastec for a cruiser 2 years ago for some reason and then last year bought a 1993 Warlock 25' SXT with twin outboards as a project boat because even momma was missing the speed.
The formula was a wave crusher for sure and handled nasty water a lot better but the cat is just a blast to drive and definatley hauls the mail.
We are on lake Lanier and it gets rough so we need to be a little more picky about when to take the cat out and there has been a couple times we should have just left it on the trailer but wanted to see what it would do, etc.
I honestly don't know if I would go back to a bigger Vhull after owning the Warlock now.
As for insurance, talk to Stacy at Wakezone. She insures all our boats now and was really helpful with helping us decide what to get from the ins standpoint. She said to keep it under 90MPH for the first cat and first year and the warlock is just under that speed wise for now. Once you get the first year of cat experience under your belt, it supposedly helps the cause and you shouldn't get hit as hard if/when you move up to something with more power, etc.
I had never had a cat before and trust me when I tell you this, its a whole new driving experience! if you hop in and drive it like you do your V hull, they will bite back or scare the **** out of you!. They have a strange feeling when you start letting them really fly compared to a V which takes some getting used to and you definatley need to be paying attention.
This is all just my .02 and hopefully it helps you a little.
The formula was a wave crusher for sure and handled nasty water a lot better but the cat is just a blast to drive and definatley hauls the mail.
We are on lake Lanier and it gets rough so we need to be a little more picky about when to take the cat out and there has been a couple times we should have just left it on the trailer but wanted to see what it would do, etc.
I honestly don't know if I would go back to a bigger Vhull after owning the Warlock now.
As for insurance, talk to Stacy at Wakezone. She insures all our boats now and was really helpful with helping us decide what to get from the ins standpoint. She said to keep it under 90MPH for the first cat and first year and the warlock is just under that speed wise for now. Once you get the first year of cat experience under your belt, it supposedly helps the cause and you shouldn't get hit as hard if/when you move up to something with more power, etc.
I had never had a cat before and trust me when I tell you this, its a whole new driving experience! if you hop in and drive it like you do your V hull, they will bite back or scare the **** out of you!. They have a strange feeling when you start letting them really fly compared to a V which takes some getting used to and you definatley need to be paying attention.
This is all just my .02 and hopefully it helps you a little.
06-18-2015, 11:41 AM
#9
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Gold Member
06-18-2015, 12:02 PM
#10
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
first your\'ll need this.....[ATTACH=CONFIG]542271[/ATTACH]
then call this guy http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...er-o61894.html and see if he will swap said nut for it
then call this guy http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...er-o61894.html and see if he will swap said nut for it
