Help me decide between Eclipse and Sun cat

[Brent65]

(Al, please don't shoot me as I ask yet another question...I promise I'll make a decision one of these days.  And, I always appreciate your insights so keep em coming)

Fellow sailors,  I seem to have narrowed down my next boat purchase to either an Eclipse or a Sun cat.  Can you provide insights as to the differences between these two boats as you see it?  Speed to rig and launch, comfortable seating up and down, simplicity vs complexity, accessibility to the outboard motor, ease of reefing one vs the other, etc.

Sailing size:  Mom, dad and a couple of kids for the day.  Possibly dad and two sons on overnighters.  Mostly day sailing, trailering each time to the lake, then de-rigging and driving home in the evening.  My bias is toward the sloop rigged Eclipse, but I might be overlooking the advantages of the Sun cat.  Do please provide any insights you might have.

Finally, my gripe with the Sun cat is the lack of a nice place to read in the evening down under.  Unlike the Eclipse, there is no backrest for 2 people to lean back against the side of the boat to read or consult the map without the deck hitting you in the back of the head.  Are you Sun cat owners placing a large pillow behind your back when you want to sit down, lean back and read?  Seems uncomfortable to me.  On the Eclipse, there are 2 nice seats to accomplish this body position.  Do please set me straight...

Best,
Brent

[slode]

I looked at both boats very closely before buying my Eclipse.  If cabin space is at all a consideration and you plan on overnights with 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 kids the Sun Cat is going to be very tight.  You may save a bit of setup/take-down time with the Sun Cat but the Eclipse is 20 min each with some practice so not bad, a fraction (pun intended) of any other sloop rig.  You'd have to go up to the Horizon Cat to match the Eclipse's cabin.  Only reason I would have picked the Sun Cat is if day sails were going to be the main use, with maybe an occasional overnight.  I can't speak for handling or sailing capabilities of the Sun Cat but I've had Sylvia in some pretty rough stuff and she's handled it better than I.  And for a what she is she's no slouch.

[crazycarl]

i sail a 19, but i have sailed on both the eclipse and suncat.  the suncat has a nice wide and roomy cockpit where you will spend 99% of your time.  there is only one sail to handle so teaching a little one is easier.  the eclipse has that open transom that makes it so easy when going for a swim.  the eclipse also has the overhead gallows that keeps the cockpit and companionway clear of the main sheet.

i may be wrong, but i believe the eclipse would be easier and faster to rig with the simple sloop rig. 

[alsantini]

OK buddy. You know my obvious answer but I have the advantage of sailing on Cat Nip a Suncat that a friend here in Florida.  Getting it ready to sail was a 10 min operation.  More heeling than the Eclipse.  A cockpit about the same to slightly smaller.  Harder to get to the outboard but easily doable.  Tank across the transom which reduces the size of the cockpit.  Sailing was OK but pointing into the wind was limited by the single sail.  All in all a good little boat.  I agree with the comment that the Horizon is a more equal comparison since its hull size is about equal. 

[kickingbug1]

 hands down the eclipse.  I would have one if I could afford it

[alsantini]

Well, any decision?  Inquiring minds would like to know.....  Sail On,  Al

[Vipersdad]

Brent65-- Check your PM's.

V.

[Brent65]

Thanks to everyone for their input.  At the end of the day, I'm still in love with the Eclipse.  In Idaho, we're currently under 2 feet of snow and we'll be building a new home this summer, so the Eclipse is still in my future, but I haven't found anything that better fits my needs than the Eclipse. 

Best,
Brent

[Sunny Day]

Hi there,

I know that the Horizon Day cat is a different choice, but that is where I landed.  I had an '04 Horizon Cat for a while, but found the low cabin height a challenge.  When my wife and I would overnight in the HC, we felt like we were camping inside of a tetris game.  So, I wend a different direction and now have a '14 Day Cat.
The cabin on the DC is just a hide-away a place to change and to give some privacy for the porta-pot, but when we do sleep onboard, we spread out in the big cockpit.  We have a cockpit tent that we open a little or a lot depending on the temperature. 

Between my time in these two Com-Pac boats, we had a hunter with the sugar-scoop aft...yes going for a swim it is a treat, but when sailing, especially on bouncy days, you have to keep an eye open for things going bump-bump-splash out the aft.  Everything is a compromise. 

Have fun!

Steve