Cat vs. Mono

[Questsportfishing]

I have fished on the world cat, pro-cats and twin v's ... I like my single hull .. when you hit a wave they shake and feel wierd. I did fish on an aluminum 38' one about 4 years ago that was pretty nice though.. but as for space and ride I stay with the 1 even marlin fishing..

[fishfighter]

To me,I had fished both.I fish the Gulf of Mexico which has a chop wave,not rollers.Winters,seas avg around 3'-5' chop.That is were a cat will out run a mono any day of the week.Nothing like running at 35 mph in seas like that without having the filling pop out of your teeth.

Size cats make a difference.For the avg Joe,World Cat 27' boat is nice with real good fuel burn numbers.Now if someone is looking at something a little bigger,I would say the Freeman 33.This boat is cold mold built and is built on the east coast.Two charter captains in Venice La run these boats.They leave the dock when other boats stay in.

There are others and as other people stated both have different rides and to find a cat that looks good is in the eye of the owner.Now look up the Freeman 33,she is sexy for a cat!

[Radiater]

I have owned an 04 27 TE World Cat and a 26 Regulator center console. Both are nice boats. What I have found is that when it is too rough to fish on one it would be no fun to fish on the other.

I ran my 27 TE World Cat fully loaded with fuel most of the time. It would get around 2.0 mpg at about 23 to 25 mph and at a 30 kt cruise I recall about 1.6 to 1.7 mpg. Fuel efficiency was not as great as many people claimed in my experience.

The World Cat will definetly go through some nasty seas and not beat you as bad but it will be wet. In my experience the soft ride was most noticeable in a short interval chop or head sea. When a close interval head sea reaches a true 3' you are slowing down in either boat. In a beam sea, or following sea I don't see any advantage to the cat hull. A beam sea in a cat can feel a little disconcerting if you are not prepared for it.

When you are traveling through rough seas the cat will sneeze..ie water shooting back out through the tunnel spraying on you. Curtains will solve this but then dried salt spray will be all over the curtains...like any boat.

When trolling directly into a head sea the waves will slap on the under surface of the tunnel and the boat shudders. This bothers some people and not others and is referred to as tunnel slap.

In my experience the cat raised fish just fine with twin Yamaha 225 4 strokes. Bringing a hot fish in required some maneuvering around the outboards because they sit so far out. However the boat is very easy to maneuver with the wide set engines at the dock or on a fish. I could troll just as many lines with the Reg as the Cat.

Cats do not lean into a turn like a monohull but turn relatively flat. Some like this and some don't, but your passengers better be holding on when you turn.

Things I did not like about the cat included access to the bilge pumps and through hulls while at sea because of the access plate in the transom area. The wiring on my particular boat was not as good as I would have liked but I think World Cat has improved it on the newer models.

Some complaints I have read specific to Cats with liquid tie bars was problems with the hydraulic steering rams leaking and letting air into the system. My understanding is that this may have been addressed by SeaStar for 08.

I have also read about a few owners of cats complaining about cracks in the tunnel area and that is a little unsettling to me for long term ownership. Although some others with high hour boats don't complain about cracks at all.

My 27 TE was no worse to trailer than any other boat and in fact was pretty easy to launch and load single handed.

I found resale on the cat was not that great as it takes the right buyer, usually a guy who knows he wants a cat.

Not all dry storage marinas are willing to handle a cat.

World Cat makes a nice boat and has a reputation for good factory service. You just have to ride and decide if it is right for you.

[fowlscay]

wich is best catamaran or monohull

Hey CRmariinfisher ,
I have been a boat dealer for the last 25 years and a boat owner and boat user for the 40 years . I have been selling deep vee ,s(Albemarle ,Grady-White, Southport, Sea Hunter ) and power cats ( World Cat,Seacat, KevlaCat , Seagull /nautico )fishing boats all along here in the mid-Atlantic area . Our closest canyon is 53 mi from my dock so we have a bit of a run to get there . I now own 4 power cats and 1 mono hull . I prefer cats because of the ride and the cost to operate to them . Cats are much more fuel efficient and smoother riding in rough water and can get in shallow water that mono hulls just can,t get in . All I can say is the same thing that I tell all of my customers do not believe me or anyone else believe YOUR SELF , go take a ride in both boats and sea for your self the difference . There is no better judge than YOU!!!!!!it is your money spend it wisely . I have been lucky to have a good test tank here in Ocean City MD to show my customers how both boats ride and help them buy the boat that fits them not necessary what I would buy .Any body that knows me knows that I LOVE CATS !!!!! But you need to sea for your self why . Good luck in your boat quest.

Tommy

[brad regan 01]

i personally like the cat better. we have a 26 glacier bay and she rides great. have been on many other boats that pound like crazy and i have to say the cats dont pound too hard, so i would say a cat.

[freemanboatworks]

Crmarlin

I stumbled on this thread.... thanks everyone for all the kudos.


I can understand some of the negative press that most production cats get. They do leave some with less than enthusiastic reviews.

I will say this.... I will put a Freeman 33 up against any mono or cat in its size range. There certainly are a few monos that are faster, but to get a fantastic smooth ride for those 50+ mile runs, I feel confident you wont find a better ride.

We have eliminated all of the quirks that many people dont like about cats... Our boat handles following seas and beam seas extremely well and tunnel slap is non existent.

With Yamaha F250's we get a cruise of 30knots (34mph) at 25gph fully loaded with 7 men and gear, 80 gallon livewell full, 300 gallons of fuel, and 400lbs of ice running in the ocean not the waterway. Top speed is 40knots fully loaded.

With Suzuki 300s we get a 33knot (38mph) cruise at 28gph with the same load. Top speed is 44 knots fully loaded.

Like all of the guys have said.... ride on a well designed cat first before you make a decision.