[MHml] 70 foot cats!!!

[Paul Nudd]

roy mills wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dave Culp" <dave at kiteship.com>
> To: "Informed discussion of multihull issues" <multihulls at steamradio.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 7:39 AM
> Subject: Re: [MHml] 70 foot cats!!!
> 
> 
>> Speaking of comparisons, I think I'd need to ask myself just exactly
>> what this class of race boats offers, significantly different from
>> ORMA 60s. OK, they're 10' longer. Are they faster? (ORMA best day's
>> speed what, 670 miles?) Are they cheaper? Are they more exciting to
>> watch? Are they faster in very light conditions? Very heavy
>> conditions? Can they be raced both as single handers, and as crewed
>> boats? Are they suitable for offshore? If they're just day racing
>> cats, how are they superior to the boats already raced on lakes?
>>
>> I'm not saying the answers to these questions are all going to be
>> negative, but I do think they'll need to be answered--very
>> positively--before such a class can gain traction.
> 
>         Some of these are the questions that came to my mind when I first 
> read about the proposed tour.. The issue of single handing did not arise 
> because it was not contemplated in the format. The question of cost seems to 
> have been answered. I still wonder if it was neccessary to go to 70 foot 
> cats when the Volvo EX 40's seemed to have "broken the ice as it were". 
> However these are canny people, way out of my league, so I will await with a 
> lot of interest whatever happens next. Hopefully it will further advance the 
> state of the multihull art and the acceptance by more people that Multis are 
> the way to go for performance, the comfort issue seems to be already well 
> advanced. Still not easy to get them both together though.:^(.
--------------------------------------
I agree with Roy.
These are very clever and successful people who have observed the Ex40 
show and see an opportunity to do it better and make more money out of 
it. Single handing and ocean racing 'don't come into it'. Neither do 
cost of manufacture or cost of campaigning. They will be offered on an 
all inclusive basis to national teams bearing sponsorship.
Years ago here in Sydney Bill McCartney organised something similar for 
18' skiffs. He organised the sponsors, had the boats built, put the 
teams together, ran the events. Bill owned the boats and paid all the 
bills from the fees he got fromm the sponsors. It was successful for a 
while but ahead of it's time.
PN