cat drivers

[mick.j]

to all the power cat drivers out there, I just purchased my first sailfish power cat shelf runner. My q is this, is it ok to have the cat come down ass first when it has left the crest of a wave? it seems to land well and be cushioned by the air coming forward through the tunnel but from my previous use of mono hulls I liked to have them come down nose first. Any feed back from cat drivers would be great.

[johncar]

Well I have driven heaps of both mono's and cats and I prefer both to come down slightly bum first in the unfortunate situation where I allowed my boat to get air born off a wave. Certainly wouldn't want to come down bow first in either style. I may have misread your question but it isn't normally desirable to leave the crest of a wave but if you do then stern touch down first should be a lot safer.
Getting air born may be a bit of fun for some but not the safest way to operate and control a boat IMHO

[tenzing]

Mick I own a mono, but have been spending more and more time ( enjoying it too !) on a mates KC2400.
The short answer is yes, no problem.
When on this cat the skipper often likes to be chauffered, which has meant learning to drive (* all over again as it turns out)
The criticism that I get most is that I am not lead footed enough, especially when the going gets rough.
The hulls dont really plane, so to handle the chop ( I am not talking about 3 m waves) then you need to keep the speed up. Invariably there will be a little bit of air time invoved and bum first and the squirt of air out from underneath is exactly how they are designed. You definitely dont like getting that slap under the bow when you clip one going slow.
The more I ride them the more I think I am going over to the dark side. Have fun!
Brendan