Captain Cat Approves of J80s

We didn’t go as fast as these guys – but it felt like it!  

Spent this past Saturday doing on-the-water boat handling, spinnaker drills and practicing short course races with 5 other boats and coach.

I must say that Captain Cat surpassed himself on helm. Dennis Conner watch out!

–The Can Opener

(supervised and approved by Captain Cat)
 

Bermuda – Destination Dreamin’

The speed of J80s this weekend is going to be great. But we’re always dreaming about cruising…

Time to turn off the youtube karate lessons, put the paws up and picture the future… in Bermuda.  We can hardly wait!!

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Destination Dreamin’
Next: Cruising in Greece: Pluses, Minuses & Quirks
Previously:  Barbados – Destination Dreamin’

J80’s – Going Sailing!

We’re going out in one of these on Saturday – Whoo-hoo!

J80s. Can’t wait!

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

What about a Catamaran?

 

Why haven’t we included a catamaran in our long (or short) list? Or a trimaran?

Multihulls are increasingly popular for cruising and multihull owners are exceptionally enthusiastic. So why are they not on our radar screen?

Here is a summary of the pluses and minuses that we’ve found:

Pluses

• ‘The cats’ large, open areas for living and entertaining guests in shaded comfort and their stability in the anchorages that tend to be a bit rolly are where the cats excel.’ — Hud3, Cruisers Forum*
• ‘If you want tons of living space, can afford the greater cost, and want shallow draft, go cat.’ — Kettlewell, Cruisers Forum*
• ‘… most of them can be beached on any nice sandy shorefront for a quick stay or an over nighter ( if the tides are right).’ — ozskipper, Cruisers Forum*
• ‘In large anchorages you will see the masts of monos swinging perpetually back and forth while the masts of cats are hardly moving at all… a significant comfort difference. And since 90% of your time is spent anchored there is a considerable enjoyment factor in cats versus monos.’ — osirissail, Cruisers Forum*
• stability**

Minuses

• Cats ‘… demand a huge premium on purchase price… unless you have $200k to spend, I would suggest a mono. The cat’s you see for $100k when you show up and check them out will most likely disappoint you. You can get a very good mono in excellent shape for the same money.’ — Palarran, Cruisers Forum*
• estimated 50% higher fees when staying at marinas* — pablothesailor, Cruisers Forum*
• and higher haul out fees… *
• ‘… manoeuvering a cat, without dual engines, they aren’t as easy as a mono. If the cat has dual engines, you have great control but you have double the maintainance. ’ — ozskipper, Cruisers Forum*
• difficult to manoeuvre in general, especially when loaded for cruising**
• flipping in a storm during an ocean crossing is a veeery small risk as they are very stable – but if it happens, well… it’s hard to recover from

Conclusion

Doesn’t sound like the boat for us (though the extra area for lounging and yoga mats does sound appealing…). But we’ll look for opportunities to crew on a catamaran and check it out just in case. It’s good to cover all the bases.

Budget constraints, finding berths in crowded marinas and the long tail risk of an irrecoverable wipe out all combine to make us stick to our monohull agenda.

Have you ever owned/cruised a catamaran? Or trimaran? Would you recommend one for blue water?  

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Yacht Designs

Next: Morris Yacht Designs & Morris 34
Previously: Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31

* from Cruisers Forum discussion ‘Multi v Mono in Carribean’

** bayacht.com/goodbad.htm

Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31

Here’s a tour of the H-R Monsun 31 posted by an enthusiast on youtube.

 
Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31: Makes the short list?

We’re looking now just at the specs, pricing et al here for the Monsun only as our overriding goal is to get cruising.
 

A long forefoot cut-away keel (as opposed to a fin and skeg design) is supposed to be better suited to cruising in that – among other things – it’s a lot more resilient to running aground*. And the Monsun has the cut-away keel.

We could expect the fin and skeg with the Hallberg-Rassy 31 MkI, MkII and H-R310, on the other hand, to produce better upwind and racing performance – but this is not our goal. So. Focusing on the goal…

Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31

Specs**

LOA: 30 ft 9 in

Beam: 9 ft 5 in

Draft: 4 ft 7 in

Tanks fuel: 120 litres/32 US gallons

Tanks water: 160 litres/43 US gallons

Displacement: 4,200kg/9,250 lbs

Pricing***

32yrs – £ 19,500 ($ 31,196)

32yrs – $ 47,585 (£ 29,750 )

33yrs – $ 30,556 (£19,104)

33yrs – $ 52,038 (£ 32,533)

35yrs – £ 33,357 ($ 53,349)

37yrs – $ 28,750 (£ 17,974)

37yrs – $ 60,484 (£ 37,812)

38yrs – $ 42,554 (£ 26,603)

Hallberg-Rassy built its 904 Monsuns during 1974 – 1982.

Criteria Match

Pluses

• meets our LOA requirement
• good beam
• the highly praised hard windscreen/dodger – keeps you warm(er) and dry(er)
• holds its value
• blue water tested – several Monsuns have circumnavigated
• tiller – simpler steering system, less to go wrong
• everybody raves about them – as they do about Swedish boats in general 
• ‘Hallmarks of good design and quality work is how well these boats hold up over time… sail incredibly well.’ — 1Vagabundo, Sailnet boat reviews 
• good value, age well – and since they are so old, they are priced attractively

Minuses

• ‘As the boat was never intended as a liveaboard, the galley is small, with a single sink, space for a two-burner stove, and an icebox.
• Tankage is limited…
• The main shortcoming… is lack of headroom, about 5’10” in the main cabin…’ — ByrSac, Sailnet boat reviews

Comment

Looks like it’s going to be tough to find 60-70 gallons of water tankage originally built into any 30 footer design… but we’ll keep looking.

Decision

Do we want such an old boat? Guess it depends on each boat individually. It looks like they age well. And the pricing is attractive. 

For now, the Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31 definitely makes the short list.

Have you ever sailed (or owned) this type of boat?

What do you think? Would you buy this boat (or buy it again)?

 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Yacht Designs

Next: What about a Catamaran? 

Previously: Hallberg-Rassy 31 Footers – Overview

 

* Capable Cruiser, by Lin and Larry Pardey

** Data taken from Hallberg-Rassy websites 

*** Data taken from yachtworld.com and theyachtmarket.com 

Additions to the Sea Library

 

 
Some more great books just popped through the mail slot today! Lookin’ forward to some great snoozing ahead…

• How to Sail Around the World: Advice and Ideas for Voyaging Under Sail, by Hal Roth

• The Self-Sufficient Sailor, by Lin and Larry Pardey

• Capable Cruiser, by Lin and Larry Pardey
  

Book reviews coming soon!

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book reviews

How to Sail Around the World
Self-Sufficient Sailor  
Capable Cruiser 

In the USA

In the UK

Hallberg-Rassy 31 Footers: Overview

Hallberg-Rassy 31:  Makes the short list?  

The yard at Hallberg-Rassy currently produces an H-R310 but has discontinued its other 31 footers: the Monsun 31, 312, 94 Kutter, 31 Mk I and 31 Mk II. All the Hallberg-Rassy 31’s were designed by Germán Frers and built at the H-R yard in Sweden*. 

The Hallberg-Rassy website says they made 904 of the (most popular) Monsun design (which is a LOT), and 2,145 of all 31 footers – but no breakdown for how many was made of each of the other models. I can’t find owner feedback in the forums on the H-R31 Mk I or Mk II, although the Mk II was produced for 16 years*. 

This famous yard is still happily in business and providing original spare parts to all its models, always a helpful factor*.

Feedback on 31 footers in the Hallberg-Rassy series

Hmm. Once again I find mostly rave reviews about this class of boat and a few piddly negatives. Pretty solid feedback. Either we are working from a can’t-lose list of recommended blue water models or all boat owners love their boats blindly, oblivious to flaws.

‘After 35 years, she is in remarkably good shape: no blistering, no deck delamination, no gelcoat crazing…’ and ‘…excellent engine and shaft access through the cockpit sole, a foredeck anchor well, H-R’s trademark windshield, raised bulwarks, and heavy duty deck hardware’ but ‘…main shortcoming, in my opinion, is lack of headroom, about 5’10” in the main cabin’. – ByrSac, Sailnet boat reviews on HR Monsun 31****

‘Biggest downside for extended cruising is mainly that you are living in a boat designed for the cruiser’s of a simpler time… you won’t find a convenient place for that big 6,000 watt generator or any place to stuff a microwave, washing machine, or whatever else electrically dependent cruisers come up with. – 1Vagabundo, Sailnet boat reviews on HR Monsun 31****

‘…spirited but secure, comfortable… impeccably built and, because of the name, sure to hold her value’. This reviewer also points out there is no chart table. Instead you get an extra hanging locker and a roomier galley. — Cruising World mini-review September 2009 on the new H-R310**

Overall

We prefer the lines of the old H-R31 Mk II so far. Just looks sleeker somehow. Handsome teak on deck and it has an extra 17 inches of beam (vs the Monsun) – we like beamy boats for a spacious feeling and just that much better storage.

I guess most buyers would rely on GPS and not really need the chart table that is absent in the H-R310. And there’s always the main saloon table to spread out on for chart work (which we plan to do regularly) that’s bigger anyway. I don’t expect there will be too many of this model on the second-hand market yet as it hasn’t been out long.

Hope to see some examples of any of the Hallberg-Rassy series boats at the Boat Show next year, if not sooner!

Next post

We’ll cover the specs, price examples by age, the pluses and minuses versus our dream boat criteria and decide if a Hallberg-Rassy 31 makes the short list in the next post (though, hey, it’s lookin’ good…) Stay tuned.

Have you ever sailed (or owned) this type of boat?

What do you think? Would you buy this boat (or buy it again)?

 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* Data taken from Hallberg-Rassy websites

** Data taken from Cruising World website

*** Sailnet boat reviews
  
Yacht Designs 
Next: Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31

The Solar Boat

 

links below at bottom of post

Book the Captain is currently snoozing on: The Solar Boat

Overview so far 


I was pretty excited when I got my paws on this book.

Sunshine – not just for basking in! Power the boat in an eco-friendly way. Save money for more key purchases instead. Increase your boat’s electric capacity. It has much promise. But…

We don’t actually know so much about electrical systems yet. Have to admit we are a bit overwhelmed at the straight launch into amp, ohm and watt calculations in the first chapter. Hmm.

So we’ll have a quick snooze on Don Casey’s chapters on marine electrical systems to get some electrical theory background and then go back to the The Solar Boat…

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Coming soon: Book review of The Solar Boat

In the USA

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=2B88BB&t=httpthecruisi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=tf_til&asins=0898150868

In the UK

http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=1367AB&t=thecrukit01-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=tf_til&asins=0898150892

Cost of Cruising Cats

 

How much to keep the Captain on board in the style to which he aspires?

Lin Pardey says in Cost Conscious Cruiser that ‘a couple setting out should project a yearly cruising budget of about 1/3 of one person’s income’. Can I therefore estimate the Captain’s sea-based costs to be 1/3 of what he costs on land?

I’m thinking ‘no’. 

But his land costs are not that bad. He is a young and healthy cat.

Looking at the owner comments over at Sailnet and Cruisers Forum, best wisdom mentions the following cost categories: food, water, kitty litter and tray, vet fees, safety equipment*, and customs/import permit/vaccination fees for country entry requirements. 

Rough Back of the Envelope Calculation 

Food 
I don’t foresee a happy future if I were to cut back on Captain Cat’s food supply. Ditto the water and kitty litter. (You got that right, mate.)

But there should be many opportunities to fish in the great watery supermarkets of the sea when living aboard. That should provide some savings. (Ahhh, I can taste the mahi mahi now… makes my tail curl just thinking of it. And if you stay in my good books, I may even share).

Safety

Cat safety equipment items* are a one-off investment and not too pricey. 

• harness $7 (petco.com), £7 (petplanet.co.uk)
• hanging 5-step rope ladder $35 (West Marine), £20 (Force 4)
• boat hook $20 (West Marine), £21 (Force 4)
• scoop net $20 (doheny.com), £9 (fishing4fun.co.uk) + handle
• pet first aid kit 
• netting along life lines  
• snap-on net cover for the companionway

Fun and Grooming

• toys
• catnip
• carpet shampoo
• nail clippers

Vet and Entry fees

Costs here of course depend entirely on the country/ies visited and how many visited. From the info at noonsite.com on importing pets into countries, it looks like the required rabies shots, other vaccines, import checks and permits will eventually add up…

Conclusion

The one-off cat safety equipment amounts are pretty nominal – and most of the equipment is needed for humans too. Any gains on food savings, however, will probably be way offset by customs/cat import/vaccination entry fees.

Overall, I predict a slight increase for the on-the-water cat budget. But probably worth it. (Probably?? You bet yer deck boots it’s gonna be worth it!)

Are there any other significant costs of keeping a feline safe and happy on board? (Yeah. You forgot the cost of my water toys: sea kayak, fishing tackle, pool noodles…) 

   

Guest post by

–The Can Opener

(supervised by Captain Cat)

* The forums mention that cats do not take well to lifejackets. Something about their balance being thrown off when their shoulders are covered and they get unsteady/woozy. We’ll give the jackets a shot anyway, just to be sure. (Oh no we won’t.) 

Cats Have The Courage

Way down deep, we’re all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.

– Jim Davis

Yes we do. 

Sailing for example.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Quote of the Day 
Next: Cruising Cat Philosophy
Previously: Empirical Evidence