i am considering buying a larger boat and would like some feedback from some of you that go on charter boats
do any of you notice the different stability of different hull shapes .i.e. the 105 has a cathedral type hull like a catameran or the conventional hull like a mitchell or lochin or do you not care

We fish on an offshore 105 with a 400 hp iveco in. it is reasonably fast 16knts all up with tackle, drifts well over the wrecks and beacuse of it's economy with fuel the skipper charges a reasonable price, no problems with going to wrecks at 45 miles just get up earlier, for local fishing it's stable at anchor but does tend to swing a bit if the wind is on the bow because of the bow flare, Have fished on a cat over the wrecks and that was a disater as the boat spun right round during the drift and you can imagine the tangle. nice smooth ride tho.stable & fast but expensive for a charter. If I was to buy a boat for my personal use for stability and seaworthiness I would go for a Mitchell tried tested and proven the layout is ideal for a personal boat bit slow but what the hell your out there doing what you want to do.

i've fished on 105's and cats, i never thought the 105 was a cat, perhaps the cat we go on is more extreme...the cat was bigger, more room...i'd echo the spinning thing, we seem to get more tangles on the cat, but then there is more of us on it and every now and then someone tends not to be paying attention to what lead people are using around the boat.

That said both are very capable, but i've heard that the 105's are much cheaper to buy than the big cats.

Fwiw, i spent an afternoon going over to alderney in a f6 and really didn't worry, it seemed to me to be a very capable boat.

If your interested i know someone thats selling one (105) in weymouth...

Hiya,

It's horses for courses mate

If you do a lot of drifting then a normal mono hull is yer boat, cat's are not the best for drifting unless you are constantly nudging the engines.
If like me all your fishing is done at anchor then a cat is the way to go. My cat is 26' long but has a fish able transom of 13' so rather than have only 3 rods out the back like a normal boat I can fish 6 with ease

Another benefit of the Cat is the Stability and the manoeuvrability of them, I can turn mine round on it's on length

Cat's do have one drawback though.. they handle like a pig when running only one engine, but they at least it still gets you home

[ 11. October 2004, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: Davy Holt ]

I have a Cygnus Cyclone with the cygnus hull (obviously!) She is a very capable boat in a sea with a good beam and stability at anchor or drift. In common with a lot of GRP hulls she is susceptable to the wind. In a good stiff breeze with a slight tide she very often will not turn with the tide but stay into the wind. I think that happens to most boats, only the degree will vary.

You don't live that far away from the South matey, If you are ever down this way give me a shout.

Might be able to get out and show her to you.

If you are considering any boat at all, make sure she is a factory build. I know they are few, and I know there are some good amateurs out there but I recently looked at a boat type(no names no pack drills!) which has been mentioned here and on stepping on it the bow deck buckled under my weight where the supports had been left off!!!!

Having just ordered a new cat, I'm very interested in all this. I didn't know they weren't so good for driftng, would a sea anchor help keep it lined up? We do quite a lot of shark fishing, so a spinning boat would give us a fair bit of unknitting to do.

Incidentally I also know of a nice 28ft 105 for sale in Littlehampton. Not been advertised yet, i can put you in touch if you'd like.

Cats are good when going through overfalls and relatively much more stable than a monohull as they don't roll. I know, I see both sorts working the Alderney banks all the time.
Old Offshore 105's are slow due to weight compared to the new ones. According to the Offshore 105 website the ones with plywood decks & ribs can absorb up to 1 ton of water! and a lot of performance. The new offshore hull is a lot faster and won't absorb water as there is no wood in the construction.
Cathedral hulls are relatively prone to slamming compared to monohulls, but on a charter sized boat it's not so much of an issue as it is on a 17footer.
I guess you own an Arvor judging by the username, what reason are you going for a bigger boat, and how big is your Arvor? Even though Arvor's aren't fast for their size, to get a 30+footer to a similar speed is going to involve lots of money spent on fuel. Luckily for you there will be plenty of monohull charterboats up for sale in the near future as a lot of skippers seem to have southcats on order. I fish off a diesel powered MI21 and £16-20 of diesel gets us a full days fishing on mid channel wrecks for 2 hours driving time. Quite a reasonable price for 1 or 2 anglers. To do the same on a big boat will cost 2-4 times as much in fuel alone and involve twice as much travelling time. This means getting a couple of other mates along to contribute towards fuel costs, meaning more trip planning. I have a friend who runs a 105 privately and he is in that exact situation. His top speed = 16 knots, 12 cruise. Ours = 30 knots, 20-25 cruise. Bad weather for me is F4, him is F5, but you wouldn't want to go fishing in that sort of weather anyway.

[ 11. October 2004, 01:57 PM: Message edited by: Toerag ]

Bob,


It depends on the boat really.. Mine is a displacement hull with quite deep keels and she drifts well without spinning. I think it's the faster shallower draft cats that are prone to spinning on the drift.

thanks for that info chaps,food for thought

Chris?
Yes. Offshores have a cathedral hull. Cats do not!
Cats survive by having twin hulls efficiently spaced?
The cathedral hull was designed as a, trade off between a single splitter speed boat, and a flatish bottomed cruiser. IE displacement boat?
Whilst a cathedral hull offers some stability, it can never achieve, what a cat can manage. Especialy whilst at anchor.
Some of the big offshores ie 38 evo`s and 40`s, whilst achieving a good forward speed in rough seas. Still manage enough `rock `n roll` on the drift in adverse seas. to make the crew uncomfortable.
Big south-boat cats, can be classed, as the opposite? They are bitches into a head sea, but much more placid when allowed to drift in the same conditions.
Both have their apptitudes. Depends what you want to use the boat for?
For a long journey I`d prefer a mono-hull. Especially in a rough sea. But I`d much rather a big cat on the drift.
Well. You did ask?
I don`t know either. I book the boat and take my chance.