Catalac catamarans

Last updated

Catalac
Company type Limited Company
Founded1976
FounderTom Lack
Headquarters
Christchurch, Dorset
,
England
Products Catamarans
Website catamaransite.com

Catalac is a defunct English maritime construction company that specialised in building sailing catamarans. The company was founded by Tom Lack (hence "Cata + Lac"), in Christchurch, Dorset. [1] After a successful period of production, the company closed in 1986. In the 1990s, the Catalac 9M was briefly revived and updated in the US as the "Catalac 900".

Contents

Catalac catamarans

A Catalac 9M ashore, showing underwater hull profile with pronounced "rocker". Catalac ashore.jpg
A Catalac 9M ashore, showing underwater hull profile with pronounced "rocker".
A Catalac 9M, showing the solid foredeck, the flared bow, and the hard chine hull section which gives reserve buoyancy. Roumeli ashore 2b.jpg
A Catalac 9M, showing the solid foredeck, the flared bow, and the hard chine hull section which gives reserve buoyancy.

The Catalac company's main model was the 9-metre 9M. All the other models are derived from the 9M and use a similar design concept; the 8M even used the same hulls as the 9M. [2] All Catalacs were very strongly-built with thick grp hulls and glass windows. Some of the superstructure, such as the solid foredeck, was of sandwich grp construction. Compared to modern designs, Catalacs had a narrow beam of less than half the LOA, [3] and vertical transoms (rather than the more modern "sugar scoop" with transom steps). Initially featuring lifting dinghy-type rudders, Catalac moved to fixed rudders protected by a skeg; this allowed the boats to sail a little closer to the wind. Only the 9M has a staggered sheerline (which allows easy aft access from a pontoon); the other models all have an unbroken sheerline.

The sailplan is a masthead Bermuda sloop of modest area. Although modern catamarans tend to have a fractional rig, the Catalac's mainsail has a straight leech, short battens and no roach. Twin backstays run to the transoms, enabling the forestay to be kept taut. The babystay gives a slight mast curvature to enable a fuller-shaped mainsail. There are no known examples of a Catalac ever pitchpoling or being blown over and upturned. [4]

All Catalac catamarans feature: [5]

Reception

Catalacs have been very well received. In Cruising in Catamarans [6] Charles Kanter declared that the Catalac "27 and 30 are among the best cruising catamarans ever produced". Kanter wrote,"when sailing in a 41-foot Catalac 12M alongside a beautiful 55 foot gold-plate ketch, Pacific High, we loped along with a steady upright forward motion and in 3 hours they were hull down over the horizon. In 16 hours we had covered 140-odd miles". In Catamarans for Cruising, [7] Jim Andrews (himself a Catalac owner) praises the 9M's interior layout and its good sea-keeping qualities. A Practical Boat Owner magazine review of a Catalac 9M summarised it as a "competent, versatile and long-lasting cat". [8]

Overall, 255 Catalac 9M boats were made, making it the most successful model in the range. The other production figures are: 8M - 216 built; 10M - 45 built; 11M - (no data); 12M - 27 built.

Catalac models

Catalac 8M (aka 27) [9]

Catalac 9M (aka 30) [10]

Catalac 10M (aka 34) [11]

Catalac 11M (aka 36) [12]

Catalac 12M (aka 41) [13]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Catalac website
  2. ↑ The 8M had the same LWL as the 9M, but was 2' 3" shorter; the LOA difference being that (unlike the 8M) the 9M has a platform aft of the cockpit and transoms.
  3. ↑ The 9M's beam is 0.466 of its LOA.
  4. ↑ The designer Tom Lack even offered a reward if any sailor managed to "fly" the weather hull; Lack kept his money!
  5. ↑ Source Catamaran site [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑
    • Kanter, Charles E. (2002). Cruising in Catamarans. Kanter. ISBN   9-780961-840662.
  7. ↑
    • Andrews, Jim (1974). Cruising in Catamarans. Hollis & Carter. ISBN   0-37010339-4.
  8. ↑ PBO magazine review of 9M
  9. ↑ 8M data
  10. ↑ 9M data
  11. ↑ 10M data [ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ 11M data
  13. ↑ 12M data
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