You may be better off asking your questions on www.catsailor.net you will likely to get a more definitive answer.

hi I grew up sailing beach cat's i'm also a member of catsailor . ive owned a coolcat 11 , mari cat, windrush 14 a taipan4.9 and a nacra f18
from my experiences I would think a 14 footer will be a bit small for your needs
a 14ft cat with one person is great ,1 adult and a lighter person is ok . but with 2 adults they are generally overloaded and will sit low in the water. 2 adults and 2 kids on a 14 footer would be heavily overload you might damage the rig or beams on a windy day.
a 16 footer with 2 adults and 2 kids would be overloaded but possible
I once had 4 light people and myself on the taipan4.9 it was badley overload and crowded but I still went sailing wind was only 10knts that day.

id be looking for a 16-18ft cat for 3-4 people
maybe a old hobie 17 with wings or a calypso 16/ capper cat , a hobie 18 and possibly a hydra or maricat 4.8
f16/f18 cats are very powerful and not good for the kids
taipans are a great all rounder they are my favorite cat by a mile .I owned and sailed it single handed from the age of 10 with a kite but they are not cheap to buy.
they bigger you go generally the more power it will have and it will be harder to handle in a blow , but you will also gain more load carrying ability and stability . you could also ad a reef point to the mainsail to reduce sail area on windy days

both nacra and hobie do make family beach cats but they come at a cost if cash is no object also look at the weta trimarans
most beach cats masts are sealed which slows them from going turtle so flotation bulb is only really for novices/beginners .with 2 adults it would be easy to right anyway

a hobie 18 with a reef point and furling jib would be a good cheap all rounder with excellent load carrying ability and deck space yes they are powerful boat's but less than a f18 and with a reef it could be handled very easy.
we put a reef point in my brothers mari cat 4.3 when he was learning it really helped his confidence.

I think most 14 foot cats just don't have the load carrying your after for 3-4 people . the exception being the capercat.
the hobie getaway is 16ft and it would be the best family boat but It weighs 180kg and cost's lots $$
the maricat 4.8 and 5 are the same boat the larger version of the 4.0 mk1 and 4.3 mk2

h28kurt said..

the hobie getaway is 16ft and it would be the best family boat but It weighs 180kg and cost's lots $$

the maricat 4.8 and 5 are the same boat the larger version of the 4.0 mk1 and 4.3 mk2

I did say the Getaway is heavy and good ones can be had for as little as $5500. (that's what I paid for mine) That included a perfect Dunbier trailer.

The Mari 4.8 is not like any other boat, whereas the Mari 5 is the progenitor of the Taipan so I'm sure you will agree that the 4.8 is nothing like a Mari 5.

link to an old Mari 5 add

tingalpa.australialisted.com/4173/boats-yachts-parts/maricat-50_18392919.html

Link to a Mari 4.8 add

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/belconnen/sail-boats/16-ft-maricat-4-8-catamaran-made-by-seamach-boats/1105752830

that's a lot of boat for $5500 losechange nice buy

the hobie18 can be found around 1-2k part of the reason I mentioned it , assuming lungs is after a cheaper cat with load carrying ability.
you also have the advantage of growing in to something like a hobie 18 or similar with a sportier platform and dagger boards this gives the option of getting involved with some local club racing latter down the track

sorry losechange your right about the maricat , the 5.0 was the one I was thinking of . the 4.8 is weird after researching .
and yes I know u mentioned the getaway was heavy I was just putting a number to it.
the hobie 18 is also 180kg
my taipan was a few kilograms over 100 and happily handled by a one 10 year old

I also can confirm nacra and a.h.p.c( former builders of taipan) have great support and parts available even if boat's it second hand and 20+years old ect

lungs said..
Thanks for the info everyone. I haven't sailed a cat for about 30 years, since I caught the windsurfing bug, but with two young kids I thought it may complement their windsurfing lessons (a leisurely sail in the bay in light to moderate winds - under 15 Knts ). Which brings me to another question, what would be considered strong winds for the above cats. I don't usually windsurf in anything less than 20 Knts preferably 25 plus. Would 15 Knts be too much wind. I sailed a 14' caper cat and 18' sol cat in my mid to late teens, but I'm very foggy on the conditions we sailed in.
thanks

You need 20 knts plus for a sailboard to feel like you're alive and are having fun. On the other hand nearly all cat clubs cancel competition at 22 knts, it starts getting a little bit hairy for small boats to be tossed about like corks in a washing machine.

Several years ago a Paper Tiger Nationals was held in (I think) Hervey Bay and they got flattened and nearly all boats broke their sticks and other damage to hulls and people.

Sailing should be about having fun and enjoying yourself, not how much wind it takes to break stuff.

Jode5 said..


Without a rescue boat at hand, sailing in the bay off Redcliffe with limited experience would say 15kn. Last Wednesday while doing the WAGS race there was a small sailing boat (about 14' home built timber boat with a small outboard motor) that capsized while out for a social sail In about 12kn of breeze. Several of our fleet checked they were OK and reported it to the Coast Guard while a fisherman in a tinny tried to help rite the boat with out success due to the mast being stuck in the mud. The Coast Guard finally arrived but the 2 crew had been in the water for an hour and a half (with no life jackets I believe) If it was not for our fleet and the fisherman they could have been in the water for a long time until someone realised they were missing. Wet phones phones don't work.

I understand fully what you are saying, my sister lives up your part of the world and I must admit that the bay is not an inviting looking place. On a more personal note, several years ago I was out sailing on Jervis Bay on my Mari 4.8 cat. I t was a very pleasant 10 knts till out of nowhere and totally not forecast it came up to 35 knts and I went turtle and had no hope of getting the boat upright. The upshot of all of this is that I spent 5.5 hours in the water slowly drifting to New Zealand till picked up by a whale watching boat.

The most important thing I learnt was to not go sailing on a bay where there were no other people. Having no one else on the water meant that waving flags or life jackets were not seen and I believe flares and other signal devices would have been just as ineffective. All these things are passive, what was needed was something active ie. waterproof radio or PLB.