Suncat No Regrets - Time to get a new post out there enough porta potty talk

[Christopher]

I just got back from spending a couple days at a local lake which is not usually doable in November in Ohio.  We just got a few mid 60F days.  I tend to make my trips to the local lake two days now because in the summer I sail and than at night drop anchor and spend the night on the boat and sail the next day.  This trip I spent a day sailing and than checked into the campground at night and then the next day sailed (today).  The reason for the change is it gets dark at 5:30 because of DLS time last weekend and at night it gets cold.  So the beauty of the Suncat is I was able to pull the boat out of the water and drop the mast and drive to the campsite in just 15 minutes.  I backed the Suncat (Second Wind) into the campsite keeping my van attached and just like that I have my camper all set to go.  I plugged my extension cord into the campsite electrical box to power my portable heater to keep the cabin warm.  I unloaded the firewood I had in the van and cooked dinner on the portable stove.  This morning I packed up and headed to the boat ramp and was back in the water in 15 minutes.  I like my Suncat! 

[crazycarl]

Chris, that sounds like a great midweek trip.  Sailing in November in the midwest.  Beautiful colors, no mosquitoes, and the lake mostly to yourself.  Does it get any better?

[Christopher]

Carl,
You nailed it!  The first day out there was one guy in a raft looking boat with a sail on it plus fishing boats.  The second day no sailboats.  The wind both days was about 10-12mph with gusts to 20mph.  Do you see in the pic the compass you gave me? 

[Seachelle]

Christopher, that sounds like a such great time!!! I have a Legacy and it makes me want to do some 'boat camping!' Love it!!! I was just talking with another forum member about the Sun Cat, earlier today, and how quickly it can be rigged. Before I decided to go with my Legacy, I really wanted a Sun Cat, but none were to be found when I was looking. I would, one day, still love to have a Sun Cat - what a cool boat!

[Christopher]

I'm very happy with it.  I actually combine sailing with camping when I go up to Lake Erie. I take firewood and camping gear including my bicycle with me.  I usually go to East Harbor State Park in Ohio and camp there the first day.  The next day I break camp and go to the boat ramp at the park and sail to one of the Lake Erie islands and spend the afternoon and nights there at one of the marinas.  I also stow my bike in the cabin of the boat and bike around on the islands.  I usually go up for a week at a time.  Sometimes I sail back and camp in the middle of the week depending on weather and how tired I might be. 
  The Suncat is great for day sailing with my friends and family as well.   

[Ken J]

I heard it only takes about 15 min set up and ready to go - is that about right - takes about 45 min to set up my 16 - also at 6?2? I cannot sit up in my 16 - but from memory I can sit up inside a Suncat

[bruce]

Assuming your gear is already on the boat, it's much closer to 5 than 15 minutes. Powerboats sometimes assume we'll be a while rigging and try to cut ahead. I'm happy to inform them otherwise. The biggest delays come from answering questions from onlookers who've never seen a sailboat rigged that quickly. I have brochures in the car if they really want to follow up!

If there's traffic at the ramps, it may be a question which side to rig the fenders and dock lines on. Coming in, if it's really crowded, we'll rig both sides so we can easily grab whatever dock opens up.

[Ken J]

That?s really great - sailing is a lot more fun than setting up - so that system gets you out on the water fast - very nice !!!!

[Seachelle]

I'm very happy with it.  I actually combine sailing with camping when I go up to Lake Erie. I take firewood and camping gear including my bicycle with me.  I usually go to East Harbor State Park in Ohio and camp there the first day.  The next day I break camp and go to the boat ramp at the park and sail to one of the Lake Erie islands and spend the afternoon and nights there at one of the marinas.  I also stow my bike in the cabin of the boat and bike around on the islands.  I usually go up for a week at a time.  Sometimes I sail back and camp in the middle of the week depending on weather and how tired I might be. 
  The Suncat is great for day sailing with my friends and family as well.

All I can say is WOW!!! And that sounds like so much fun!!!

[Renae]

So long as you didn't tangle anything up while taking down the last time, 10 minutes is enough to be rigged up on the Suncat.  Figure another 5 to splash the boat and park the car.

[bruce]

Yeah, the peak halyard, and especially lazy jacks and/or a topping lift if you've rigged them, can get tangled in the sail bundle. One very effective way of preventing that is to slack off the lines in question, loop them over the long pin, and snug them up before folding the mast down. The lines stay taught in the bundle and don't tangle.

[Jim in TC]

So long as you didn't tangle anything up while taking down the last time, 10 minutes is enough to be rigged up on the Suncat.  Figure another 5 to splash the boat and park the car.

That is pretty consistent with our SunCat experience as well. Add 15 minutes to hook up and drive to the ramp and we are motoring out in 30 minutes or a little more. But still, very happy to be in a seasonal slip for the last couple years, and going forward, so we can bike down to the marina and go for a quick hour or two out on the water anytime the weather and schedule permit. We do get less practice launching though...

[mikehennessy]

Hey Bruce - can I have your line franchise?  :-)

Regards,
Mike

p.s. Going to buy an ePropulsion in the spring to replace my 55 lb trolling motor.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[bruce]

Yeah, for a simple catboat I have a bunch!

I look forward to hearing about your experience with the Spirit. My first gen set up is working fine, after they covered the issues. Regen as low as 4 kts. is encouraging, and the larger stock intregal battery, and the ease of using remote battery banks and solar charging, are welcome upgrades.

[Christopher]

In addition, the Suncat tows so nicely.  I have driven my Suncat down to the bottom tip of Florida and all the way up to the North Channel of Lake Huron in Canada.  I love being able to go to all the lakes in my area and not just be stuck at one because the boat is in a paid slip for the summer and also because it would be a pain to tear down and set up and tow.  That's all folks