BYYB Forums

as i keep obsessing about what type of boat i want to build i'm looking at a few plans for "power cats" around 15-16 ft. one is the eco 5.5 poer cat , there are a few different plans out there, this one strikes me as interesting since there's a guy who built one in the pacific northwest and motors it around my area off the west coast. 

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/eco-cat/

this one is a bit more then i need, with sleeping quarters, im thinking more of a 15-16' centre console cat. i like the idea of the stability in the type of water we get off the west coast, and apparently its a pretty stable platform. has anyone on the board done something like this?

Cats are stable, though in relatively calm water. When it gets rough, you'll want a monohull. The quick demonstration of this is the offshore powerboat racers, which have two boats; a cat and a mono. They like the cat in smooth water, but pull out the mono when the seas pick up.

Look into the "sea sled" model. They're very stable, can take rough water better than a cat and are soft riding too.

(12-30-2017, 03:48 AM)Paul Riccelli Wrote: [ -> ]Cats are stable, though in relatively calm water. When it gets rough, you'll want a monohull. The quick demonstration of this is the offshore powerboat racers, which have two boats; a cat and a mono. They like the cat in smooth water, but pull out the mono when the seas pick up.

Look into the "sea sled" model. They're very stable, can take rough water better than a cat and are soft riding too.

So is it safe to say that a typical rounded displacement type hull is more comfortable in rougher water then a planing type hull? I realize the displacement hull is going to be slower but also needs less power to hit hull speed?

I looked at the sea sled idea also pretty cool

Displacement mode craft don't have to be round bilge, though many are. As a rule it's much more comfortable running at displacement speeds to full plane speeds. These choices should be defined in your SOR.