Hi, all I've been enjoying all the info I have collected from this site on Pacific Cats. I have a few questions for you all. How rare of a boat are they? Are the boats you are all redoing fairly complete with sails, rigging etc. or are most of you guys have to bring them back from the dead? I have come across three for sale on C List over the past year, two never called me back and the other current boat is pretty much a basket case w/o sails. It also has some damage on the Bow of the port side which has been poorly patched. Is this what I should expect with a boat of this age or are there complete P -cats out there in need of a little TLC to get them back in the water? This would be my first cat, I love the boats design, much more functional for my needs as a dad w/ young children. Should I continue my search and pass on the basket case or are most of these boat in major states of disrepair? Thank you for your support!
Edited by gcoastcat on Sep 04, 2013 - 11:55 PM.
Buying a P-cat
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Posted: Sep 04, 2013 - 11:50 PM
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Posted: Sep 05, 2013 - 06:17 AM
Why/how is the Pacific cat much more functional than other cats for kids? I grew up sailing on a cat with my dad and my son (age 3) has been on my cat. He is still you for most sailing conditions, but he likes it. In general a basket case costs more to restore compared to finding a good boat.
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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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Posted: Sep 05, 2013 - 07:46 AM
Why a P-cat?
They are rare compared to h-16s / p-16s.
How much is the price?
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Rob Jones
1976 Yellow p-16 - parts is parts - hulls cut up
1978 Yellow p-16 - in good working order
1979 White p-15 - parts is parts - hulls cut up
1985 White p-15 - good working order
1982 White NACRA 5.8 - project boat.
1986 White p-16 - in good working order
1975 White Hobie 3.5 - PM me if you want it
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Posted: Sep 05, 2013 - 08:35 AM
I wondered the same thing as RW.
Why not a used 16 or Tornado, etc or the beautiful Shark (MacAlpine-Downey)?
Malibu Outrigger, for example?
I know PCats (Carter Pyle/Newport Boats) to be built like tanks and just as heavy, but they do have a certain charm...and they were fast.
http://www.onwaterdesigns.com/adventure-blog/24-blog/101-the-malibu-outriggers
And I just happen to be crafting a MO by recycling H18 and 16 hulls...methinks also the big P-Cat problem will be trailer and rigging time. Those boats were not easy to rig, as I recall...at least when trailed daily from home.
Here is pic of design for recycled hulls http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=150180
Am near done with main hull but project will likely drift into next season a bit. Have to add deck to outrigger and akas (cross beams), rigging and motor mount to aft aka...but should not be too bad. Some picky stuff but should work.
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Posted: Sep 06, 2013 - 04:08 PM
perhaps i missed where you are located, but there is a P-cat for sale in NE.
http://lincoln.craigslist.org/boa/3996081387.html
i have not seen this boat in person or spoken to him so i can't vouch for it's condition.
he's dropped his price substantially from what he was asking earlier in the summer.
j
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Aquacat 12 (sold)...'87 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'03 Nacra Inter18 (sold)
Venture 15 (sold)....'89 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'91 Nacra 5.8NA (sold)
'99 Nacra Inter20 (sold)
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Posted: Sep 07, 2013 - 04:33 PM
Thanks for the feedback. I'd like to fish off the boat as well as sail it.:) I figured with the open hull design that would work better, as opposed to fishing from a tramp. I'm on the coast of CA. I have a lake nearby and another large body of water to the west:).I was also considering a G-cat because of the double tramp but liked the design of the P-cat, being in the space between a single hull and a light double hull w/ a tramp. As far as rigging and sailing them, can it be done solo? They are asking 300$ but like I said its in bad shape. The rudders are rotted and its w/o sails etc. the trailer is included but its going to cost 200$ +- just to make the drive. Would it be worth the trouble with all the unknowns if it were almost free. What would I be looking at just for sails, would they need to be custom made? The one in NE for 1500$ is that a good value for a boat this old? Thanks for all the help all I really do appreciate it!! -
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Posted: Sep 08, 2013 - 04:39 AM
Being able to stand (comfortably) on a boat is a much neglected requirement.
Being able to quickly rig a dinghy or cat boat at launch is also an often neglected requirement.
Raising a long mast spar can be difficult...then there is the rest of it, shrouds, rudders, boards, sail, and so on...
At the risk of having some stones tossed at me, I will say that these needs are why I decided against a catamaran generally and a beach cat specifically are those two...and influenced why I opted to recycle the two Hobie hulls noted earlier to craft an easy-launch/glass version of the Malibu Outrigger or tacking proa...
Standing (and carrying stuff) and quick trailer-to-water time (10 minutes, give or take) (and stepping mast) were major factors.
No sure of value for the boat you are looking at, but with the price of boats (and food) nowadays, looks decent. P-cats are substantial boats...of that there is no doubt. Try to visualize maintenance and launch-work.
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Posted: Sep 08, 2013 - 08:10 AM
$1500 is a reasonable price if the boat is "turnkey"...
, in other words, if there is no renovation required because the boat and trailer is in top condition. Methinks that the price is a little "loaded" because of the fact that the boat was used in the movie..... 
The fact that he has it listed on CL means that there is some wriggle room for negotiation.
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Posted: Sep 08, 2013 - 08:22 AM
+1! And be sure to look for motor mount set-up, you wish to fish off the boat...besides it will afford ease in harbors...etc. Remember, at some point you may wish to put it up for sale as well...
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Posted: Sep 08, 2013 - 02:24 PM
his beginning asking price last spring was $3K. it's probably been an 'endless summer' for him.
j
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Aquacat 12 (sold)...'87 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'03 Nacra Inter18 (sold)
Venture 15 (sold)....'89 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'91 Nacra 5.8NA (sold)
'99 Nacra Inter20 (sold)
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Posted: Sep 08, 2013 - 10:13 PM
I've got a P-Cat. I'm not currently sailing it. Some of this is personal (no real beaches to launch from on this side of the island, kids are too young to take every crew position on the boat, health concerns, etc.) Some of it is functional, and goes back to something BobBill said: It's a bear to rig.
I learned on a Prindle 16. We always rigged with two people, and took a little less than an hour. It'd be dead nuts simple to set a P16 up for solo rigging, and I don't expect it would take much longer than that, except that you'd want to take more time with some of the steps.
With two people our P-Cat takes us about an hour to an hour and a half to rig and get it in the water, and another hour and a half to tear down and set up for trailering at the end of the day. You could shave a lot of time off this by storing it with the mast up. You'd also get away from one of my biggest bugaboos with this boat: the mast is heavy, and stepping it isn't fun.
All that being said, the P-Cat is a neat boat. I bought mine for $1500, not ready to sail. I got lucky and wound up with an incredibly sound hull, solid rudders, a solid mast and standing rigging, and a set of sails that only needed light repairs (new headboard, new jib zipper.) I had to replace all the running rigging, including most of the blocks. I think $1500 was a little much for what I got, but I don't feel robbed.
I'm not sure I'd take one on with the kind of damage you're describing. That's a lot of work, and a lot of missing parts that may be tough to find. Running rigging isn't too big a deal. But if there's rudder damage, missing daggerboards, missing rig, etc. I'd give it a miss. Those parts will be tough to source.
That Craigslist boat seems to be in pretty good shape. I'm not sure that exact boat was used in Endless Summer, though. The sail number looks a little too high. Still, it's in about the shape mine is now. If $1500 is a good price for a turnkey P-Cat, that's actually good news for me. I may sell mine in the not too distant future.
Tom
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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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Posted: Sep 15, 2013 - 09:10 PM
Thanks Tom, I was hoping you would chime in on this one. I did pass on the one w the damaged hull etc. As of now, I'm waitng for the right P-Cat to cross my path. Thanks to everyone for all your feedback! -
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Posted: Sep 16, 2013 - 06:19 AM
Dunno guys. Sounds like Hobie or Nacra or Prindle or a more common boat are better bets. Why on earth would you want something like this? -
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Posted: Sep 16, 2013 - 09:34 PM
One important consideration is availability of parts for your used cat. I have found Hobie parts easiest to get and H16 in particular plentiful. If you not sure you can get parts for a P-Cat, then definitely do NOT go there.
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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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Posted: Sep 17, 2013 - 01:00 PM
Parts for P-Cats do exist in boat scrap yards, but it takes some searching. There's also so much meat on the hulls, I could see dropping the rudder system from some other boat on a P-Cat. Drilling new holes in the transoms wouldn't be a problem.
Actually, one of the things I considered when I got this was putting a Tornado rig on it. The PCat-II was essentially the same hull with what looks like a Tornado rig. The most recent edition of Royce's only shows that rig for the P-Cat.
But no matter what, it'll be a frankenboat. If you're wanting it to putter around and have a good time, more power to you. If you want to race? Get what the other guys have or you can only race handicap. There's no racing scene out here, so that was never a consideration. The P-Cat was also designed for surfing, and can handle the nasty surf we get. I've been in stuff that would be seriously un-fun in other boats. But yeah, for inland sailing it's overkill.
Tom
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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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Posted: Sep 17, 2013 - 01:21 PM
+1 Tom B...
As I recall, Newport out of Costa Mesa turned them out with half-inch thick glass deck and hulls...and the rigging matched, for surf runs...likely heavier than the Malibu Outriggers, which were wood. I have a couple pics of them but cannot do here.
I know how it is, when you get the bug about something...but if you give it time, things change. I almost bought a used proa called an SS something and did not. It used a Bruce foil to keep upright on a starboard tack, that was not fool proof...and a bear to put upright...I am so glad I did not do that now...perspective.
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Posted: Feb 10, 2014 - 11:28 PM
I built P-cats and raced them for years. There are some older heavy boats but they are not all heavy. One of our boats was #144 and it was almost as light as the new ones we where building with Tornado rigs. I have had Nacra's also and sailed about every cat but nothing beats a P-cat in open ocean cruising for it's size. Good storage, No pitch poling, dry and great for channel crossings and over nights. The boats also surk really well with the full bow and step chine .......Any body need parts?? -
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Posted: Feb 11, 2014 - 08:45 AM
I love the boats and would have one, if easier to trailer and rig...and I had not been bitten by the outrigger bug...My Kite Dingy was a Pyle boat and that 73 rig is going like new now.
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Posted: Feb 11, 2014 - 02:02 PM
Kevin, you mentioned no pitch poling. When I was sailing my Prindle 16 that was how we dumped it almost every time: push a little too hard, dig a little too deep, fly a little too far when we stuffed the thing. Hahahaha lots of fun, swim back and right the thing. With two people it was a total no-brainer.
Because of the weight on the P-Cat I've been afraid to push that hard. One of my worst fears at this point is getting out in deep water, dumping it, and being unable to right it. I have a handheld two-way, but with its five watts it's basically line of sight for calling help. So I've been cautious.
What does it take to dump a P-Cat? I'm guessing because the sail is so roachy and so much of its power should develop at the foot it would take a lot. (I have a first-gen rig, not the Tornado rig of the P-Cat II.) If I do start taking my kids out, for a while at least I'll be the heaviest thing on the boat. We won't have the oomph to right without a righting system, which we don't currently have.
In another thread, I think you mentioned overnighting. (You or Bob... I'm addle-brained at the moment.) I'd seriously like to do that: put in at our local port, sail a couple of hours down the coast to a really secluded sand beach, camp, then sail back the next day. But first I have to teach all the kids to work every position on the boat, and I've got to have a better feel for how hard I can push without dumping it.
Thanks again for everything!
Tom
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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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Posted: Feb 12, 2014 - 05:33 AM
Tom and whomever may be interested, I posted a reply to this thread and the other here:
http://www.thebeachcats.com/forums/viewtopic/topic/11755/start/40#pid49713
I too have addled brain...
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Leave places better for having been there; respect others,
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