I'm looking to get my first ComPac. Planning to daysail in freshwater lake with family and keep it tied to my dock. Not planning to trailer it to destinations at least at the moment. Need help to decide if Horizon Sunday or the 17 Sunday is a better fit. What is a MUST for me is the ability to raise and lower the mast when on water.
I haven't had a chance to see or sail either of these in person since I just can't find them around the Atlanta area.
Like the extra space and stability of the Horizon due to its extra displacement and beam, but not sure how much better it is than the 17.
17 seems like a more popular model and easier to trailer even in states that have 8ft beam restrictions.
I sail sloops, so moving to Catboat my biggest concerns were about excessive weather helm and difficulty to "heave to". But reading this forum it seems like weather helm can be managed effectively by controlling the centerboard position and potentially upgrading to a foil rudder.
Would appreciate any inputs to this decision...
There is no Horizon Sunday. The Horizon model similar to the Sunday Cat is the Day Cat. That will make your searching more productive but they didn't make many. Tough to find.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-day-cat-20-com-pac/
Com-Pac did make an open cockpit version of the Sun Cat, the Daysailer, which lacks the cuddy cabin the Sunday Cat has. Lots of room for the family. Unfortunately they didn't make many of those either, although I'd guess more than the Day Cat.
All of the Com-Pac catboats use the Mastendr hinge (aka tabernacle), making the mast easy to raise on the water. This feature makes them easier to trailer as well, of course. According the Dwyer Mast, who supplied the spars for Com-Pac, the mast above the hinge for the Horizon Cat weighs 24.5 lbs., 21.0 lbs. for the Sunday Cat. Both can be walked up readily, and there were gin pole fittings available. The Mastendr Plus system on the Sun Cat models, and possibly the Horizon Cat, which also had a more standard gin pole.
Traditional catboats have a well-deserved reputation for excessive weather helm, because the rudders were low aspect, very shallow and long. The high aspect rudders on the Com-Pac boats greatly reduces that. Most can balance the boat to minimize weather helm readily. Foiled rudders are nice, but not necessary.
No head sail, so you can't heave to. You can lie ahull, release the sail and let the boat settle beam to wind, if conditions permit.
Plenty of Sun Cats are sailed enjoyably on big lakes. Hopefully you'll get a chance to sail at least one of the models of interest so you can get a sense of how much boat you need and start to narrow your search. Many (most?) Horizon Cats are diesel powered, adding to the expense.
Snug harbor boats, on Lake Lanier, was a Compac dealer and may have a few used or new or know where to find one for sale.
Never dealt with them, maybe someone here has.
Search Craigslist in Florida, usually a few for sale.
Good luck on your search.
Bryan
I can't speak to the Horizon but I would have no qualms about lowering the mast on our Sun Cat while afloat (though have only done it on the hard at the ramp).
Weather helm is indeed an issue, and in a bigger blow can be more than I like, even with the improved rudder and shifting the center board up a bit; shifting skipper and crew weight forward a bit helps too-- not a deal breaker.
We sail on fairly big water, Grand Traverse Bay (a large bay off Lake Michigan) in quite a variety of weather and the Sun Cat (and presumably the Horizon) is very forgiving and stable. As far as getting used to the cat rig (beyond just the weather helm) there is a level at which sailing is sailing, and the nuances of the rig can be quickly learned. As for 'lying a-hull' (as compared to 'heaving to'), I have found that I can stall the boat with the sail released and the rudder set slightly to weather in most conditions, including a pretty serious blow. And this puts me in mind of an old line from my brother the captain: "The whole crew was sick and the captain had to heave too."
I have sailed on a SunCat for 3 winters in FL and now own a Horizon. Both sail about the same but the Horizon has less weather helm. Last week I was out in gusty conditions and in a gust weather helm was present. I pulled up the centerboard to about half position and ALL weather helm disappeared.
Since everything on the SunCat is smaller, it is easier to raise and lower the mast. Both can be done on the water. We never felt the need to use the pole on the SunCat, just walked the mast up. On my Horizon, I only use the pole so I can step and un-step staying in the cockpit (I am 79 years old and a bit unsteady)
Should you need to talk about either feel free to PM me and I will send you my phone number. Always happy to talk sailboats. The Horizon is my 9th boat.... and probably my last one. LOL Sal On Al
There are several Sunday Cat boats for sale on sailboatlistings.com and a very nice Horizon Day Cat here: https://www.thesailboatshop.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=17264835&p=1&s=(Sort%20By)&d=D&fr=xPreOwnedInventory
I know a couple of people who've bought boats from The Sailboat Shop, very satisfied. The owner wintered(s) in FL, and knew Gerry, and the Com-Pac line, well.