acb vs. cat

[dirtrich]

Just curious, does any one know how the ride of an acb compares to the ride of a cat? I'm trying to zero in on what type of boat to purchase and would love to tap into the collective wisdom of the boaters here. Size range I'm interested in is 26-28 foot trailerable. Thanks, Dave

[renagade69]

Just curious, does any one know how the ride of an acb compares to the ride of a cat? I'm trying to zero in on what type of boat to purchase and would love to tap into the collective wisdom of the boaters here. Size range I'm interested in is 26-28 foot trailerable. Thanks, Dave

Whats an ABC?

[paul h]

ACB, aluminum chambered boat.

You're comparing a V hull to a catamaran and there are pros and cons of each hull style. I can see the advantage of a catamaran as a racing hull, but for all around water conditions IMHO the v hull is a better design.

The people I know with acb's seem pretty fond of them.

[noelm]

so then, just why do you think they have Cats as racing hulls if they are not better than a standard V hull?

[paul h]

At higher speeds the cats pack the air under the tunnel, which reduces water resistance and hence increases speed. For racing, speed is where it's at, and will over-ride other conditions

For pleasure/fishing craft running under 40 knots, you really don't get as sifnifigant advantage of speed. And in some water conditions the cats can behave in strange ways.

[1bandit]

Once you ride in a cat in 2' to 3' chop will never want anything else.

[dirtrich]

Once you ride in a cat in 2' to 3' chop will never want anything else.

I hate to admit, but I haven't been in either a cat or an acb. I have read an awful lot of posts about how cats are superior in the nasty water, and the few posts I've read about the acb's talk about how they ride like a dream and are indestructable. The thought of being able to go faster in comfort through rough conditions appeals to me. The added security of a bullet proof aluminum boat appeals to me because I go out in limited visibility conditions, I go out in the dark, and I go way offshore. For some reason, I got the impression that the acb can handle a lot without pounding the snot out of you. And I am so very tired of having the snot pounded out of me in my whaler. Warm, Dry, and comfortable is the direction I'd like to move towards. And fast would be nice too!

[one4water]

There are definitely differences between the two. Both have their own place in the water. I have a cat and probably will never own anything but. It is a 25 foot World Cat dual console, definitly not a race boat. Maybe 35 mph max. but then again, I did not buy it for speed. I bought her as a compromise between a roomy comfortable stable back bay cruiser(wife) and and off shore capable fishing boat(me). So far, it has been the perfect dual purpose boat.

Going over most wakes, small to medium chop and normal conditions she is smooth and steady. I can normally hold steady or even speed up where many mono hulls slow down to aviod getting a beating. I have been out in fairly heavy seas and she handles this big stuff better than the mono hulls I have been in before. At rest, you can have all passengers on one side and barely feel the lean. This comes in handy when we have older folks on board that are not quite so steady on ther feet. Mono hulls will roll with the load more. Since the design is wider, there can be more deck space on a cat depending on which one you choose. Especially in the bow since it does not come to a point. The engines on my World Cat are spread apart enough to make it awesome for close quarters maneuvering with just the throttles. She will practically spin on her own axis. Docking and leaving a dock is a breeze. It also makes it great for taking cruises up and down the narrow lagoons where space is tight for turning around. Most mono hulls with twins have them centered and do not offer quite the same spin factor. The WC also has dedicated systems for each motor meaning each side of the boat is sort of independant for the operating systems. This basically means I will probably never be left stranded due to systems failure. I will have at least one motor to get me home again. This also means you have two of everything. That can impact the bank acount sometimes.

OK, now we know that no boat is perfect so here are what I have found are the down sides to my cat.

You do get some hull slap at slow trolling speeds when the water slaps between the two hulls. You can get some spray from between the hulls, known as sneezing. Usually adjusting trim and speed solves that though. On the drift or at anchor there is definitly snap roll issues. When taking a wake or wave from the side. the two hulls rise and fall sepreatly causing the boat to rock pretty bad sometimes. The boat definitely takes getting used to if you come from mono hulls. It does not lean into the turns, it stays basically flat meaning you need to hold on a little tighter on turns. Although with a little practice you can work the trim to lean it into a turn and make for a more comfortable ride. You really have to use the trim a lot on these, it makes a huge difference in the ride. Cats tend to bow steer when they nose down coming over a wake or wave. Another thing that trim and power normally handles pretty well.

I am extremelly happy with the cat for our use. Others may chime in on how terrible cats are and some will chime in how terrible mono hulls are. You need to get out on the water and run both to decide which is best for your use, your water and your check book.

Good luck in your search.

[dirtrich]

One4water,

Thanks for the honest feedback on the negatives to a cat ride. The "snap-roll" you described scares me a little, but then in my line of work (arborist) you never want to hear the word "snap"! Since most of my fishing requires covering at least 20 miles of water each way, and it's typically bumpy to quite rough out on the Monterey Bay, a smooth ride, fuel economy and "fleet of foot" qualities are highly desirable to me. What type of fuel burn do you experience on your boat?

[one4water]

One4water,

Thanks for the honest feedback on the negatives to a cat ride. The "snap-roll" you described scares me a little, but then in my line of work (arborist) you never want to hear the word "snap"! Since most of my fishing requires covering at least 20 miles of water each way, and it's typically bumpy to quite rough out on the Monterey Bay, a smooth ride, fuel economy and "fleet of foot" qualities are highly desirable to me. What type of fuel burn do you experience on your boat?

Don;t let it scare you. All boats roll a but when taking a wave from teh side. The cats tend to do it more though. As long as you know it is coming, you are fine. I haven't been tossed over yet. I can run comfortably in in pretty good chop that slows some others in the same size range down. I hate to say it but I have never calculated my fuel burn other than reading the gauge now and then and who knows how acurate that is. With 200 gallons fo fuel, I have never even come close to running out. I have taken more than a few 15-20 mile out trips, trolled aorund and drifted all day and come back with fuel to spare. I suppose I would need to be more attentive to it if I were doing 75-100 miles out. Most times I will go out for a few days without refueling. Economy as far as I can guess is very good compared ot similar boats in the same size range.