Questions from a Newbie Thinking about a Sunday Cat Purchase

[RCK]

Hi all-

Great forum - I've had lots of fun poking around.

So last weekend I found myself driving by a dealership in MA that just picked up Com-Paq - a quick uturn turned into an hour with the salesman and now I'm thinking about a new blue Sunday Cat. Having never sailed one, however, I have a few questions in I'm hoping someone could help me with before I move ahead.

1) I would keep her on a mooring south of Boston. Given that I wouldn't be using the masteneder system daily, am I compromising anything by buying a com-Paq? Put differently, does long-term mast durability, strength, etc. suffer due to the folding feature?
2) it seems the most consistent "complaint" from owners is light air performance. I certainly won't be racing her, but does the bad light air speed/handling really present an obstacle to the evening/weekend family sailor?
3) I guess I'm inherently skeptical when I see almost no complaints from current owners. Is everybody that pleased with their cats, or are there other frequent complaints that don't get raised on this forum?

Anyhow, thanks for any advice. I must admit I've fallen for this boat, and just want to be sure I make a fully-informed decision.

-Rich

[cavie]

Don't know where you live in MA but a dealer in Newbery is closing and has some good prices on Picnic and Suncats.  This link is from the TSBB web site. Check out the TSBB catboat forum while your there.

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/precision/index.cgi/read/112450

http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/bod/3827306055.html

[Craig]

Welcome Rich! The short answer: No,No and no. The longer answer Durability is not an issue. The Suncat is a rugged, well-made boat. Light air performance is not that bad. At 8-10 kts of wind Suncats do very well and 10-15 the boat comes alive. It is only in "ghosting" conditions that more sail area would be nice. Under those conditions you could do what Capt Nemo did and fly a small jib or drifter set flying. Actually in your area the fact that you won't have to reef until the wind exceeds 15 kts is a big plus. As to "hidden" complaints, nope, what you see is what you get. Suncats are a great boat!  This from a guy who owned one! The ease of handling of the catboat rig really makes for relaxed sailing. Those old New England fishermen knew what they were doing! Coming about is as simple as pushing the tiller over and coming up on your new heading. The hull design makes for great stability which is a big plus if you have crew who are un-nerved by heeling. As to the Mast Tender system. Even thought you will be leaving the mast up most of the time. the ease of lowering and raising the mast will be much appreciated when you do haul or work on the rig for any reason......like hauling in the event of a storm(like Sandy! ). One last comment. In the event that you ever need support, Compac is the very best! A call to the factory will put you in touch with Gerry or Rich Hutchins and get you any help you might need. They stand behind their boats 110% If you have fallen for the Suncat, knowing their characteristics, go for it! You will not be sorry!

[gato chateau]

Rich,

I'm a Sun Cat owner and would encourage you to sail and compare the Marshall Sanderling before making your final decision.  After sailing both I regret my decision to go with the Com Pac (heresy I know).   The Sanderling is better in light air and has more room than the Sun Cat.  Rigging is nearly as simple.  Downside is cost but you'll have to consider all the tradeoffs.

Sun Cat is a good boat but after adding a larger Cape Dory to my "fleet" a couple years back and then sailing the Sanderling I learned there was a more substantial small Cat boat to be had.

-Brian

[Alex H.]

I just bought my Suncat, new , just a couple of months ago and I love it. Got it without the mastender system which is an option and it still is very easy to put up the mast. Have done it several times while under way after clearing the fixed bridges on the ICW. Piece of cake.  Since I am a pleasure sailor and not a racer, the light air, rather ghosting performance or lack thereof is of no concern to me. I just sit back and have a beer and drift waiting for the wind to pick up.... The Sanderling, while a great boat, is twice as expensive, a tad longer and beamier and displaces significantly more and the keel housing is a huge intrusion into the cabin. A better comp would be the Horizon cat I think in terms of size and displacement. I wanted a boat I could tow behind my compact SUV with ease, and just hop on board with a cooler and take off. The ease of putting up the mast while the boat was in the water or better yet making way under power was a big thing for me since I have the dock to keep the boat in the water but have to clear two fixed bridges before I could put the mast up. I have crawled all over that little boat in the last two months and realized that the quality of the build is great and it really requires very, very  few modifications to fulfill it's promise. The only thing I did was to lead the reefing line aft and I didn't even have to use the block I bought for the purpose. I have taken her out to the ocean in light (8-10kn) and had a great time, pounded out in 13-15kn going against the tide,  knuckles white but boat OK. I really like this little boat!

[RCK]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I just took a look at the Marshalls, and while I fear the Sanderling is a little out of my $ range, and prob a little more boat than I need, the Sandpiper caught my eye. The capacity argument for the Sanderling doesn't worry me too much, as the Sunday Cat has a more open cockpit than the Sun Cat and looks like it could comfortably fit the bodies I need, but I do notice that the Marshall Sandpiper has much more sale area for her size than the Sunday Cat. Perhaps I should think about a Sandpiper now? I must say I really liked the Sunday Cat (of course just from sitting in it and poking around for an hour, not sailing), and I suppose that good arguments can always be made for both. Not to confuse the matter, but what about resale value? Would it be relatively easy to sell a used Sunday Cat if I had to? Thanks again!

-Rich

[Craig]

Suncat/ Sandpiper comparison  sort of apples/oranges. Without a doubt  Marshalls have a better  sa/displacement ratio. They are indeed a little faster. But it still  comes down to what you are looking for. Good comment about intrusion of cb trunk in Sanderling. I chose a Horizon Cat for several reasons, the absence of the cb trunk in the cabin being one. The Sunday Cat is a great boat for daysailing while still having a securable storage area as well as a space for a porta-potti.  Do not underestimate the value of the Mastender system. It is a real plus, believe me! I am a little confused by an earlier poster who said the Mastender system is an"option". Not  so. Some very early non-Compac boats did not have it but all Compac production boats have it standard as far as I know. At any rate "Ya pays yer money, Ya takes yer choice". Go with your gut!

[Alex H.]

When I bought my Suncat the mastender was a $375 option that I opted out of. FYI

[capt_nemo]

Hi Guys and especially RCK,

Do not confuse the wonderful "Mastender" Hinged Mast System with the "Mastender Plus" quick rig sailing system. The former has just the Hinged Mast and the latter has the Hinged Mast along with the additional rig to raise and lower the mast from the cockpit.

The "Mastender Plus" mast raising system is STANDARD on the Sunday Cat and a $324 OPTION on both Sun Cat and Sun Cat Daysailer.

Don't ask me why. Info obtained from local Com Pac Dealer Web Site.

Now, the IMPORTANT point for RCK to consider. IF you ever want to add a small headsail or Drifter to improve light air performance, THE ADDITIONAL RIG JIB BOOM WILL MAKE IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT, IF NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE, TO TACK A HEADSAIL THROUGH THE VERY SMALL FORETRIANGLE AREA! (Use NYLON for any headsails.)

If you can't get a Sunday Cat without one, you will have to remove the EXTRA components up forward and have a NEW QUICK-RELEASE FORESTAY made for the boat. I'm assuming the Mast Hinge will still accommodate a SAFETY PIN HOOK.


capt_nemo

[Craig]

Thanks for clarification Don! I was scratching my head on that one! Alex opted out of the Plus system.  I would do the same Alex. Seems to be a bit of overkill for standard Suncat but I can see how it would be an advantage on the Sunday Cat since the cuddy arrangement  doesn't  give as easy access to the foredeck.  The HCat has a removable gin pole and mast raising system similar to the Mastender Plus system. I have not had the need to use it yet but could come in handy at some point.

[Alex H.]

Got out this Sunday. After a white knuckle experience of getting out of port Everglades on an outgoing tide against an Easterly 10-12 knots and very confused seas, remnants of tropical storm, sailed 12 miles to lighthouse point, doing 5.5 knots on a beam reach with 4-5 foot seas. Never felt in danger, the boat behaved great. Started out with a reef just in case, realized didn't need it and shook it out. Realized leading the reefing line back to the cockpit was a great idea. Loved every minute of it. Fell in love with her all over again.... The sun cat that is 

This is a great boat!

http://youtu.be/kyzIxHKfyT8