Brand: Catalac

In this episode, we interview Simon who owns a Catalac 8M called S/V Chateau Cat. He’s had it for two years. Simon came to catamaran sailing after growing up with a monohull, so we’re really curious about how it’s been to have a catamaran for him. What kind of experiences he’s had. A big thank you for him in participating and generously sharing his stories and photos! Executive Summary Chose catamaran for space and larger solar footprint. Used to have a solar panel business and has 2 small children. 44 years old. Grew up on a 24 foot monohull with 2 brothers. Inspired by a sail on a Dazcat, he decided a catamaran would be more comfortable with better performance. The Catalac 8M was an affordable option that met his criteria. Built in 1980 (an 8m Mark II which as skegs in front of the rudders) in Chichester, South coast […]

The Catalac 8M and the Catalac 9M are unique in that they have a tabernacle designed to raise and lower the mast. Chainplates are mounted at the pivot point and the procedure is both simple and convenient. Read how I dropped my mast, replaced everything at the top and rewired it, all in an afternoon. (click here) . Note the mast support wires in the drawing below. These are necessary. Remove all Sails, The Boom and the Mainsheet ( rope & Blocks ). Slot your 50mm Mast Lowering Boom into the base of the mast. Shackle the forward end of your main Halyard to one of the eye at Front of Pole, Then  lifting the pole so that it is horizontal & secure, tie the other end of the halyard to a cleat on the lower part of the mast. For added security you can also connect the jib halyard in the […]

by Emile du ToitCatalac 8M8-192I have been looking for a way not to buy a dedicated chart plotter and finally started investigating software options for the iPad. I tried and like two of them. 1) iNavx available for iPad and iPhone has some nice features for integrating data from your instruments if that is desired. It mainly uses NOAA RNC raster United States waters marine charts. Although these are free, I dont like them much as primary source since they are not auto quilting, meaning as you move off of one, you manually have to choose the next appropriate chart. Personally I don’t like that. iNavx has a nice feature where it shows you your VN=Vesseal name, SOG=Speed over ground, VAR, HPE, LAT, LON, and VPE in real time. 2)NAVIONICS makes a great iPad navigation app called Marine&Lakes USA HD version 2.5.1 that does not require internet access for the navigation part […]

by Hak Kauffman (note: Hak Kauffman bought his Catalac 27 in 1977 and sailed it for 20 years. In those early catamaran days, he was one of the brave pioneers who took a chance on these new styled boats. Hak sold the boat when his age caught up to him, but has vivid recollections of his, which he was kind enough to share with us – Rick) Catalac 27 In my search for a new bigger boat, I decided to include multihulls. After a trip to Symons Sailing in Amityville, Long Island, NY, I thought the 8 meter Catalac would be the answer. About a month later, Bill told me he now had a new one at his place. So, my wife and three sons drove up to inspect and decide. We all liked what we saw, but I requested a short “get acquainted” sail, after we had lunch. We found […]

I was going through my photo archive and came across these boat damage photos caused by hurricane Wilma in 2005. This boat in this photo is a Catalac 12M and was owned by Stephen and Janet Metcalf.  As to what happened … the Down Easter monohull pictured below lost it’s mooring during Hurricane Wilma due to poor anchoring techniques. As she lost her mooring at the height of the storm, hurricane winds drove her into a very heavy Ferro cement boat. The rigging of the two boats became tangled and eventually the Ferro cement boat lost her mooring as well. The DownEaster and the Ferro Cement boats were then driven into the Catalac pictured in the upper photo. The collision damaged her port side and knocked her from her double helical screw mooring. Unfortunately, the wind speed was greater than 80 mph and the Catalac 12M was driven onto the rocky […]

Sold as Catalac 12M or Catalac 41 The 12M Catalac 41 is considered a limited production cruising catamaran designed for live aboard cruisers and perfect for passage making. The S/V Angel Louise, pictured above, completed an Atlantic crossing in July 2011 and back across again in 2014. Ed and Sue Kelly began the crossing from Brunswick Georgia and traveled to England via Bermuda and the Azores. These boats offer a seven berth layout in spacious style with furnishing and trimmings to match. Designed for living in style Full standing 6′ 5″ headroom in both hulls and wheelhouse, and of course plenty of room when you sit down to your meal in the main saloon  making entertaining on the Catalac an absolute pleasure. The galley is located in the port hull and offers hot and cold pressurized water, a refrigerator, a four burner hob, oven and stainless steel sink with integral […]

She started life as a ten-metre catamaran but when Hythe Marine Services bought the moulds and building rights, they decided that a pair of retrousse, sugar scoop transoms would improve both her looks and sailing ability. They also looked closely at her interior with an eye to updating the accommodation. So on a rather blustery day with a good F5 gusting to F6, I made my way to Hythe to investigate their new generation Catalac.

Of all the reasons for buying a catamaran, the one which applies overwhelmingly to the Catalac range and the 43ft, 10m, in particular, is comfort. Unlike almost every other production catamaran where weight consciousness and the need not to compromise the performance potential of two hulls have overriding priority, the Catalac has been designed with fully fitted, substantial furniture and hulls which are not shy of carrying the usual paraphernalia of cruising.

by Lloyd (Page) Simonson Our Catalac 10M is Serendipity, a 1985 10 meter Catalac (sail #2). We bought her in the Spring of 2004. and now have 3 major trips on her totaling nearly 4000 nautical miles, as well as numerable short trips. This review is based on our experience with her From the fall of 04 through the spring of 07 we were recovering from hurricane Ivan (Aug 04) in Pensacola, or in Oriental , NC or Green Cove Springs (near Jacksonville) working on solving the problems of a neglected 30 year old vessel and upgrading it with new or modern equipment.  We spent a bit more money and a lot more time than we had hoped and ended up with far better boat than we dreamed of.. In 2005 we moved her 500 NM from Oriental to Green Cove Springs and in March 2007 we moved her another […]

She looks like a steady, comfortable cruising catamaran — but there’s more to the 9m Catalac than meets the eye, as David Harding reports. When the Catalac was introduced in 1971, she took a few people by surprise. Here was a rather boxy-looking catamaran derived from Bill O’Brien’s chunky, chined, glassfibre-sheathed plywood Bobcats. She looked like a practical family cruiser for those who wanted space rather than pace, yet she sailed far better than the world expected.

Sold as Catalac 9M or Catalac 30 The Catalac 9M was Tom Lack’s first venture into catamaran design. He commissioned John Winterbotham of MG Duff LTD to design the Catalac 9M in 1968, forming part of a range of cruising catamarans which eventually ranged from 8m to 12m. All were built at Lack’s yard in Christchurch.  This design was envisioned as the successor to Bill O’Briens venerable Bobcat Catamaran. They would be safe cruisers, aimed squarely at the family marketplace. Thought of as motor sailors because of the boxy design, these boats actually sail very well, don’t heel while sailing and with the 6′ 3 inches of headroom in the hulls, no one feels boxed in or forced to go ‘camping’. The Catalac 9M was constructed with solid fiberglass, chined hulls with lots of rocker and deep “V” sections forward which flattened out at the stern. The combination of “V” […]

Pocket Cruiser with impeccable safety record The Catalac 8M is a pocket cruising catamaran which has a solid reputation for quality, strength and durability. Many of the boats found in North America today, were sailed there from Great Britain. The Catalac 8M, although classified as a pocket cruiser was designed with blue water sailing in mind. Twin diesel models can easily motor almost 1000 kilometers without refueling. The 70 amps of charging and 70 gallons of stock water tanks in the Catalac 8M and 9M make even these smaller boats terrific coastal cruisers. Constructed with solid fiberglass hulls, these are quality boats which were built like battleships. Chuck Kanter calls them one of the catamaran brands that live on through the decades. The Catalac 8M is masthead rigged with a relatively short, but thick mast. As with all boats in the Catalac production lineup, this contributes to a stable boat […]

Hak Kauffman, and bis wife Adele, bad been sailing for eight years when, in 1977, the middle-aged couple found their perfect combination of speed versus accomodation in their 27-foot Calalac cruising catamaran. They were anchored in Spa Creek this week during their annual summer cruise, and the Cherry Hill, New Jersey sailors took time to chat about their spacious little multihull, and their sailing. S/V Bravo II stays on the Middle River. east of Baltimore. The Kauffmans bought the English boat in Amityville, L.I. and he sailed it south on the maiden voyage. They have cruised to all parts of Chesepeake Bay, just all over, including the York River, up and down the Potomac with stops at St. Mary’s City, and down to the Rapahannock. Before the Catalac, they had a good sized Bristol — and still maintain their affiliation with the Chesapeake/ Bristol Club, which will he celebrate its […]

Catalac multihulls were in production from the late 1960’s until the early 1980’s. More than 500 were built and almost all are still sailing. In fact, there has been a flourishing charter fleet of Catalac catamarans in the Mediterranean since the 1970’s. They keep going, and going, and going.

That I first took the helm of the new catamaran after dark for a trial sail was novelty enough in itself, but I very soon discovered that connected to the other side of the wheel was an excellent blend of well-tried, sea-proven and moreover much-loved ingredients. The art of blending I believe to be a gift, which can be enhanced only by long carefully considered experience and Tom Lack and John Winterbotham between them seem to have thus concocted yet another first-rate cruising yacht.