What do you give up in a CAT vs. V-hull
 

I have a 21' Baja for small lake "kid duty", but if I move up in size to an offshore CAT, what are the biggest differences?

A big 'ol CAT is supposed to be a hands down better rough water ride.

If that's true, why dosn't everyone have one?!?

Most v's have more cabin space than a cat. Have you priced insurance on a cat?

Insurance and cabin size are the major drawbacks.

Cord what do you have?

And where do you do most of your boating, your close enough for a ride:D

I've been talking to Jim @ Awesome a lot and it seems I have the warehouse he needs to put a dealer in this area but.....$$$

Plus I sell truck parts not boats.

wowchad-I have a 26' Firehawk. It's a center sponson catamaran. I'm definetly close enough for a ride! Looks like they are talking rain this weekend, but give me a call. I need a reason to get the boat out! 262-243-9663

adding to what's been said...
 

the beam thing does not come into play until you get into the mid 30' range for most cats.

Insurance for my 2001 Daytona is less than 2k, decent driving record and credit, 650 ponies.

The cabin is smaller, but I've overnighted and had "nooners" in mine. Some people enjoy a bigger cabin, some stuff junk in it and that's it- your call.

A mildly fast cat benefits from a pretty fast/low rpm cruising speed compared to a similar v bottom due to it's efficiencies. I cruise 55-60 at 3400 which is nice when shooting up the lake 20 miles to see friends. Many people buy a performance boat because they enjoy cruising at these speeds. Try it in a milder V and you're buzzing the motor at 4k- redline, tougher on parts and fuel.

with the 25' cat I can hang in rougher waters (for inland lakes anyway) with the 30-35' v-hulls my friends run in. While my insurance may be higher than a comparable V, it's still a bargain compared to buying a larger boat, feeding twins and insuring it. Most v-hulls my size just can't safely run at 60+ when the water get's sloppy around here- I've seen them try and it's scary

With all that said, I'm going deep V:( . My wife is skittish about the flatter cornering characteristics and really wants a bigger cabin, more freeboard etc. At the same time, My buddy and his wife went out Labor day and she loved the cat and could not believe how secure it felt, sliced thru waves, rode nice etc. Everybody is different, but in my case, you know what they say... If Momma ain't happy....

INSURANCE.......
 

I can't believe that insurance is that big of a factor.

My current boats are under Amer. Family with the house to save $$$ and they never even asked about hull type!

Well now that I've got your attention....

To you cat guys outboards or I/O?

I really like the sound of a BBC over a weed-eater but I'm sure sick of being covered in oil and grease.

I've got one blown-up 454 now with out very many hours on it.

An outboard set-up seems like a better way to go even though they sound like sh**

well
 

First........You will have to give up going slow.

Doooooh!!

maximus

I really don't like the smell of the outboards. I guess the big question is what size of boat are you looking at? What lake are you on? Most of the lakes out there are just too small for my boat. If you are looking at a small cat, 22' is the smallest that you can squeeze a stern drive into. Even then the engine will stick up like a tumor.

Re: INSURANCE.......
 

American Family will not insure a boat the does over 45 or 50. Be carefull if you ever need to make a claim.