LOTO cat question....
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All of my experience has been with V-hulls. The big V-hull that I was looking at, has fallen through. I have accidently found a 31 foot cat with twin 454's and #3s,,. I am looking for a boat that will comfortably handle the LOTO on a busy weekend. Will a 31' cat do that? I know my 31' twin 454 V-hull could not, thats why I am in the process of moving up. I am going to go for a test drive, but I thought I would call upon the experience of the "board" for help.
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From what I saw of the cats down there, they were ridding quite nicely on the heavy chop.
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The boat in question is an Awesome 31. My problem is that I not only want the boat to "handle" the 4 & 5 footers of the Labor Day weekend,,, I want the boat to behave nicely in those conditons. Am I asking too much of a cat of that size?
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My experience has been with 31 and 38 Scarabs and 31' Chris cat on the Ozarks. The cat rode much better than the 31 scarab once you got it on top of the waves. I could run all over the place at 70mph even on holiday weekends with the cat. Just get on the throttles and power over the waves. At 30-40mph the V hulls rode much better (no big surprise).
IMHO a 31' I/O cat is one of the best choices for the ozarks if you dont need a big cabin. Oh yeah, and you can outrun 95% of the boats down there if it breaks 100mph.
Gary
IMHO a 31' I/O cat is one of the best choices for the ozarks if you dont need a big cabin. Oh yeah, and you can outrun 95% of the boats down there if it breaks 100mph.
Gary
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Maybe I am answering my own questions with your (the boards) help. My son will be 3 1/2 by next summer and will be riding along most everywhere by then. Which does play into the decsion making factor. I am not considering the cat because of the speed factor,,, I will never be the King of the Lake, but I have always been interested in the battle of V's vs. cat's.
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I was just curious,,, I didn't know Chris Craft made a "cat" until you posted... Wow,,, how did you like that boat,,, from what I have found it was kinda before its time. My grandfather used to swear by Chris Craft,, back in the 80's.
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I agree with Gary. I have a Chris Cat I run down there is it does very good, but you have to be willing to let the boat run fast enough to get on top of the waves. The Awsome is basically a copy of the ChrisCat/Shawdow cat as is the American Offshore cat.
mike
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To show my lack of experience with cat's what happens to a cat at slower speeds? If a V hull out performs a cat at 30 mph,,, what is the typical behavior of a cat at that speed? I am just asking because I don't know...
Again thanks for the help.
Again thanks for the help.
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At 30 MPH every bit of hull/tunnel is in the water- you will bounce, probably more than a V and when it gets real snotty you may sneeze and get wet.
That said, the awesome is a known hull and likely has more weight and family amenities than many others. You really need to bum a ride in a comparable boat at Loto to answer your question. I'd get it and just get used to a faster cruise.
I get around Ok in my 25' Daytona at Loto but in the real snotty intersections I am boat surfing and the bilge pump is running.
Goodluck!
That said, the awesome is a known hull and likely has more weight and family amenities than many others. You really need to bum a ride in a comparable boat at Loto to answer your question. I'd get it and just get used to a faster cruise.
I get around Ok in my 25' Daytona at Loto but in the real snotty intersections I am boat surfing and the bilge pump is running.
Goodluck!