Reply With QuoteI can't see a single reason I would buy the stripper other than the cabin layout over the Kevlacat. You'd want the 140's on the KC.
Would love opinions on either of these two boats. Pros/cons. Who size motors should be looking at etc. cheers
I can't see a single reason I would buy the stripper other than the cabin layout over the Kevlacat. You'd want the 140's on the KC.
Democracy: Simply a system that allows the 51% to steal from the other 49%.
Trying to compare those two is like comparing apples with oranges, there is really not much point. Different beasts for different uses.
I have been on the KC with twin DF140's and they certainly are a good match and can go hard, and can be driven hard. Some people think you have to drive them flat out to get the best out of them (you don't) but if you want to do that, then buy a kidney belt and sign up to health fund extras for physiology, chiropractic and massage as you will need them all! Mind you, you will be travelling at speeds than any mono hull of a similar size will find impossible to match. But really .......
I was also amazed at how much water was thrown across between motors in a choppy sea - it was like someone was continually throwing 20 litre buckets of water from one motor onto the cowl of the other, basically drenched them. But surprisingly it didn't seem to affect anything at the time and the skipper was unconcerned.
Cats don't like a big following sea, especially if it's on the quarter.
I regularly crew on a mates Striper 2301. He runs a DF300 now, it originally had a Yammy HPDI 250 and the 300 is a far far better match. The 300 does it easy, the 250 always seemed to be working a bit hard.
Big cabin on the 2301 and the 2601 is bigger again.
On the 2601 I wouldn't want to see anything less than 300 on the back. Lots of them seem to come with Yammy 225/250's and I think that a 225 would be awful and the 250 barely satisfactory, and poor if you were carrying a decent load on a long trip. Twin 4 cyl 200's would be very nice, or a 350 verado.
On a recent run out to Fitzroy reef in the Striper we had a 25knot following sea on our starboard aft quarter, some DEEP trenches between swells, once we trimmed her correctly the Striper ate it. Never did the crew feel concerned or unsafe. Until we stopped outside Fitzroy and looked back behind us at the breaking waves heading towards us!!
A 6m cat (of an arguably superior design to the KC) following us reported that they had a horrendous trip and very nearly turned back. Several other 6+ meter boats including Outsiders etc. actually did bail out, and they were all experienced and skilled skippers. Conditions were pretty awful, really.
The cat took 20 minutes longer than us to arrive at the reef. But the previous trip to that, heading out into a N of 15 knots with left over easterly from the day before (in other words a messy/shitty head/side sea), they did it much easier than we did in the Striper.....
So it is horses for courses. In some sea conditions the cat will be superior, in others the Striper. Striper has more cabin space and comforts fitted standard than the KC, KC has more fishing room.
And so it goes on.
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
Moonlighter, what was the cat with arguably superior design to the KC?
Democracy: Simply a system that allows the 51% to steal from the other 49%.
Seatrek 5900 Supersports. Built by Al Broughton on the Sunshine Coast.Originally Posted by Lovey80
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
I can't speak for the hull designs of the Seatrek V the KC but the Seatrek is most certainly of a higher build quality. They do seem to have a sharper bow entry to the KC's which may be a negative in a corner following sea. I haven't noticed any poor traits in following seas in my older 5.2kc though have not had it out in conditions you are mentioning.
Democracy: Simply a system that allows the 51% to steal from the other 49%.
I don't know where you get your info that cats are terrible in a quartering following sea.?
Cats are far superior in a following sea if trimmed right. The only disadvantage of a cat following, is its easier to muck up trim than a mono. But trimmed right (which is easy to learn) they absolutely fly downwind!
As to the 5900 seatrek isn't a big boat. its a very well built one but its more the same size of a 5.2KC. comparing it to a large American 23f mono is a bit unrealistic.
I owned a 21f striper, a 5.2kc and a 560 sharkcat. The striper is a good riding boat for its size. Has middle of the road build quality though IMO. the KC will ride faster(maybe not much softer) than the striper. Cats still do bang like a bastard but you bang less and for a shorter period of time generally!
The KC will have much much better resale.
I think the newer 2400 KC has a reputation for being slightly better than what they are. Don't get me wrong they are still good but not the mystical magic carpet people think they are.Also twin setup for extra safety factor is nice
A 7m sharkcat would outrun a 2400kc offshore.
I'm not knocking the striper as they are good boats, but compared to an equivalent weighted KC, SC or noosacat they will not perform aswell..
Remember, this is all just my opinion..
Hi all. At the risk of this starting to hijack the original thread, I will weigh in here.
I own the Seatrek that Grant referred to in his post. With nearly 40 years and a couple of thousand hours experience in a number of different size and brands of cats, I think I am fairly well versed on their handling characteristics. In pretty much every cat that I have driven, a rear quartering sea is pretty much the least nicest direction for them to be driven. Not saying they are bad or dangerous in seas from that quarter, just that it is not the preferred sea condition for them.
On the day in question, we had big tumbling seas with some very deep hollows and they were all quite close together. Trying to drive the boat fast was a recipe for some serious airtime and big drops into the troughs, or onto the back of the next wave. Its a condition that knocks both the gear and the crew around, and not worth doing in my experience. In addition to that, there were times when the starboard hull would be riding the crest of the wave, but the port hull would be riding more than a metre above the trough of the wave. Gravity as it does takes over and the boat starts to fall to the port side first before leaving the wave. Its a good recipe to end up with the skipper sitting on the passengers lap rather than being behind the wheel where he is supposed to be.
Now instead of trying to drive the boat at 25 knots, slow down to a bit below 20 knots and you have a completely different ride. Everything smooths right out, the boat handles the conditions much more efficiently and the crew don't get smashed around. And, that is how we drove the cat out to the reef. The Striper simply handled that downseas conditions a bit more comfortably and they were able to pull away from us. Sure I could have kept up with them if I really wanted to, but I have never been, and never will try to be a speed demon on the water. I am out there to enjoy myself, not to break myself or my gear. However, as Grant said, on a previous trip heading into some sloppy conditions, I was able to drive the cat away from the Striper quite easily. That, was the crux of the advice Grant was giving to the OP. Different boats will handle different conditions better than each other and therefore it is not a clear cut answer to which one will be better.
Now as to whose cat is bigger, here are the simple stats for the Seatrek. The hull length is 5.900 metres long. This dies not include the pods or the bow sprit taken inot that measurement. The 5.2KC is (as far as I know) 5.2 metres long.
The Seatrek is 2.495 (oops... not 4.950) metres wide (same width as the 2400KC). The 5.2 KC is a skinnier boat than the Seatrek. Having said that. I have done some time in a 5.2KC and they are a great little boat and one I would compare quite favourably to my old Sharkcat Sportsman 500. In comparing the Seatrek to the KC models, then it most closely compares to the KC2100. The new owners of KC have completely redone the moulds for the 2400KC and if you take a look at them, they now more closely resemble the hull lifting strakes that are on the Seatrek. In fact, they visited the Seatrek factory to discuss that particular hull design with Alan before they redid the moulds. For those who do not know, Al worked for Kevlacat for over 15 years, and was responsible for many of the improvements made to those hulls in that time. So when he went out on his own, he was always going to make an impressive boat.
Now I might be a bit biased here, but I can confidently say that my Seatrek is as good a cat as any I have driven in rough conditions. The 7 metre Coastal Cat is probably a bit better, particularly in a following sea. There is an element of boaties out there who subscribe to the fable that cats have to be driven hard and fast in rough conditions to get the best out of them. That is not what I have found over the years. Drive them sensibly, and they will take you just about anywhere safely and comfortably when most other similar sized boats have gone home. However, drive them too hard and in the wrong conditions, and they will bite you eventually.
Good luck to the original poster and I hope you find the right boat for your particular circumstances. In my opinion, if you are looking for a great boat with the emphasis on fishing, then the KC is the one for you. If your needs are for more family comfort amd less on fishing, then the Striper would most like suits your needs more.
cheers
Jeff
Last edited by Short Fuse; 24-10-2016 at 06:26 PM. Reason: Figures checked by an engineer.....
Damn Jeff, she is beamy, no wonder your cockpit seemed so much bigger than mine ... !!
PS. Good post.
I didn't say that cats are terrible in a following sea at all! Those are your words.
Jeff summed up nicely about how they handle following quartering seas vis a vis a mono and the issues that arise that don't happen in a mono. Based on his many thousands of hrs driving them, and that carries a fair bit of weight for me.
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
I agree they can feel a bit unsteady, but once used to I found my two cats ive owned and the others ive been in are fantastic in a following sea, quartering is better as your not slamming into the face off the next wave. can take some driving though as some cats are easier to walk than others.
I'll admit that my 560 SC is pretty shit into a headsea. So each boat has different strengths and weaknesses. The striper is a well designed hull though and a 23-25f is a great boat.
Any narrow beam cat is scary in big seas. Want a blue water boat, got the striper. Want a blue water cat then find a non trailerable version that has a decent beam. I have spent enough time in shit weather to know that your typical trailerable aussie made cat is scary to the point of being dangerous. In conditions where most will be fishing, the aussie trailaerable cats are nice and stable.
Figure out what you want first, then go from there. The KC2400 and the Striper 2600 are very different boats.
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