srm wrote:
145lbs is a little light for a H17. I don’t think you would really “need” to have a jib. The 17 is acthally a fairly stable boat and is pretty resistant to pitchpoling. The rig is also pretty tunable when fitted with a well working downhaul and the wings help smaller people keep the boat under control in stronger winds. I think at your weight, you will be able to trapeze at around 10mph windspeed and you will probably max out in the upper teens or around 20mph. Righting the boat will be quite difficult at your size, but a righting pole or water bag could help out.
The biggest difficulty in sailing will be learning to tack the boat (the jib may help you there). There is a technique to tacking beach cats that differs from large monohulls.
Another thing to keep in mind is the weight and size of the boat when moving it around on the beach. At around 330lbs, you need to make sure you are comfortable moving around a boat of that size by yourself.
sm
Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.
The righting is an issue, and not one I can really resolve. I will just have to not push the boat too hard, so its much less likely to be an issue. The sailing club safety patrols will also mean this is not a severe safety risk too.
Cats are given bays on the lake shore, so launching & recovery will be less of a problem than hauling a cat up a wide beach. I think if this were not the case I would not consider an H17.
Learning the techniques to sail a cat solo is a challenge for sure. Its a definite attraction but thats easy for me to say now, perhaps after a summer of wrestling the boat I might think differently!
I still haven't made up my mind which to buy but fortunately both cats are still unsold...
JEZ!