Not a grady question but you guys know a bunch so

[luckydude]

I'm thinking really hard about a 32 foot World Cat instead of a Marlin. Fear not, I'll keep my 228 and even if down the road I sell it, I'll hang out here, this is the best boating forum I've been on and I'm on Bloody Decks, Hull Truth, and my local Coastside forum. If you guys let me hang, I'll be here, helping where I can.

There is no question that the Marlin is the classier boat, it's a fantastic looking and well built boat.

That said, the *only* reason I want something better than my 228 is for a fast, warm, comfortable ride home after fishing. My ocean is semi nice in the morning but pretty much 99% of the time the wind picks up and there is 1-2 to more foot wind chop on top of the swells and as some of you Marlin owners have said (looking at Magic), 2 foot chop and you are out. But that is my daily reality.

I'm getting on a World Cat 320 EC this weekend to see but I think that might be the big boat for me. Everything I've heard says that boat comes home at 25 knots in the chop and it is fine.

If any of you have experienced the 320 series and have something to say, I'd like to hear it.

 

[magicalbill]

This will be time well spent. I now have a pretty good picture of what your goals & expectations are and a Cat hull is worth a serious look.

There will be a handling “learning curve” that I can’t help you with as I’ve never been aboard one. I can only tell you they lean out on a turn instead of into the curve like a V-bottom. I’m told that properly handled & trimmed the ride is much better, and sometimes they’ll “sneeze” for want of a better term if you catch a wave dead on the nose and it goes under the sponsons.

A boat that meets your goals is what you need, be it a Grady or otherwise.

 

[family affair]

I have not experienced one, but have a couple suggestions of what you must experience on a test ride beyond what MB stated:

• Experience the boat in a typical beam sea at rest or slow troll, especially if you think you will regularly encounter those conditions. Word is cats can and will "snap-roll" in a beam sea under the right conditions. It can be avoided, but you should experience what it might feel like in the event you get caught in one.
• Following sea: word is cats can get squirrelly in a following sea. How avoidable it is, I don't know.

If you buy one make sure you get in writing a commitment from someone that will teach you how to run it in the slop, in every direction.
I think you are on the right track for what you are after. If it works out and you are happy, remember who suggested the WC first!

 

[family affair]

Oh, and FWIW, the biggest charter guy in my neck of the woods runs all cats. Erie is notoriously rough and the big cats are a game changer in the right hands.

 

[wrxhoon]

I don't have any experience with World Cats but I have some experience with Cats. They are very good on head sea and much more stable when stationary. On the minus, they will use more fuel than a mono of similar weight, they need more power than a similar weight mono and they don't like following sea. You will have to drive it on following sea to make she doesn't bite into a wave on one side, if you don't she may flip.
Here in AU some people love them others ( myself included ) hate them .
Before you commit have an extensive water test with you driving it .
In my opinion you are safer with a mono.

 

[magicalbill]

I have not experienced one, but have a couple suggestions of what you must experience on a test ride beyond what MB stated:

• Experience the boat in a typical beam sea at rest or slow troll, especially if you think you will regularly encounter those conditions. Word is cats can and will "snap-roll" in a beam sea under the right conditions. It can be avoided, but you should experience what it might feel like in the event you get caught in one.
• Following sea: word is cats can get squirrelly in a following sea. How avoidable it is, I don't know.

If you buy one make sure you get in writing a commitment from someone that will teach you how to run it in the slop, in every direction.
I think you are on the right track for what you are after. If it works out and you are happy, remember who suggested the WC first!

I credited you with suggesting the World Cat in my last response to the “Express 330 With 300’s “ thread. I have said repeatedly a Grady won’t accomplish what he wants.

Also agree about someone teaching him how to run it. I have heard Cats are a completely different ballgame.

 

[HMBJack]

"In my opinion you are safer with a mono." < < I concur with this statement above.

Remember - there is no one perfect design out there. If there were, everyone would have them.
In certain conditions (generally calm), a Cat will outperform a monohull. And vice versa in other conditions (generally rough for monohulls where they shine).

I keep going back to the weight factor. A 32 foot anything (Cat or monohull) will weigh more than your 22 footer. And you will certainly feel the difference. I still like your earlier thoughts about a Marlin (or 330). It's heavy, safe and warm. And unlike a Cat, it is less likely to flip on you if in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There's an old saying I'm fond of: "Nothing is more stable than an upside down catamaran..."

 

[luckydude]

Seems to lean like you'd want.

 

[Jrspawn]

Who said 2 foot chop and you are out in a Marlin? If you are not considering the marlin based on someone doubting the ride quality in 2ft chop, you are listening to the wrong people. The marlin flat out eats a 2ft chop. Not sure where your located, but id be willing to give you a test ride in mine sometime. Ive been in horrible conditions and the boat itself was the last of my concerns.

 

[luckydude]

Who said 2 foot chop and you are out in a Marlin? If you are not considering the marlin based on someone doubting the ride quality in 2ft chop, you are listening to the wrong people. The marlin flat out eats a 2ft chop. Not sure where your located, but id be willing to give you a test ride in mine sometime. Ive been in horrible conditions and the boat itself was the last of my concerns.

So to be clear, it's not that a Marlin can't handle 2 foot chop, it certainly can. I'm in the Pacific, home harbor is Santa Cruz. Our conditions tend to start out nice in the morning and over the course of the day the winds pick up. It's very common to be out in 5'@8s swell, which is no big deal, but now add a couple of feet of wind chop and it becomes unpleasant. What I want, a lot, is the ability to do my 10-25 mile run home fast, warm, and comfortably. The Marlin pounds in those conditions, how do I know? I have a friend who has a 2021 Marlin.

A new Marlin is north of $350K, which might be no big deal to someone, but it is a huge deal to me. If I bought a Marlin and then came home and complained about the ride, my wife would literally leave me.

Hence looking at a World Cat.

 

[Jrspawn]

I must be lucky with my marlin, it does not pound in a 2 foot chop. Speed, Trim, and trim tabs can work wonders.

 

[luckydude]

I must be lucky with my marlin, it does not pound in a 2 foot chop. Speed, Trim, and trim tabs can work wonders.

I've mentioned this elsewhere but... I have some sort of disease or problem with my feet. They hurt the more I use them, used to be hugely into backpacking/fly fishing but simply can't handle that anymore. I can't handle a half mile walk.

So when I said a fast comfortable ride home, I meant it. I started not liking the Marlin idea when I came home in that sort of chop in my 228 at the same time a buddy was coming back in his Marlin. We both had a rough ride home.

 

[moklodge]

With my limited experience on cats, the one thing I really didn't like was the need to be so attentive at the wheel. They don't track straight and are a real handful in a following sea. Whereas the Marlin only requires a hand draped over the wheel for corrective steering and is a dream trimmed up in a following sea. It's better than even the 330 Express in that respect.

 

[luckydude]

With my limited experience on cats, the one thing I really didn't like was the need to be so attentive at the wheel. They don't track straight and are a real handful in a following sea. Whereas the Marlin only requires a hand draped over the wheel for corrective steering and is a dream trimmed up in a following sea. It's better than even the 330 Express in that respect.

When people make comments about cats, can you please say which make/model cat? I'm looking at a 32 foot World Cat, it's night and day different from the Grady cat made ~25 years ago for example.

 

[Jrspawn]

I've mentioned this elsewhere but... I have some sort of disease or problem with my feet. They hurt the more I use them, used to be hugely into backpacking/fly fishing but simply can't handle that anymore. I can't handle a half mile walk.

So when I said a fast comfortable ride home, I meant it. I started not liking the Marlin idea when I came home in that sort of chop in my 228 at the same time a buddy was coming back in his Marlin. We both had a rough ride home.

I wish you the best in your venture to find a boat, but from viewing your posts on here over the last few months I'm not sure your ever going to find that perfect one. Sea trial the boats in consideration yourself and stop listening to others would honestly be my best suggestion.

Thank you

 

[DennisG01]

Lucky, I'm NOT saying do/do not get the Marlin or do/do not get the World Cat... but I think (as some others have pointed out here and on other threads) that to do the best thing FOR YOU, you really need to ride a Marlin. I know he's your buddy, but you can't listen to someone else's opinion on a "harsh ride". You have to experience it for yourself. Pay the gas for your buddy and treat him to a nice dinner and drinks and have him let you take the wheel in the conditions you anticipate. That's the ONLY way to get an honest review... in other words, the only "honest" review is YOURS! And, truthfully, that's the only review that matters! Then find a way to get out on a cat and do the same thing.

Boaters are a good bunch of guys and are usually happy to show off their pride and joy. Don't be afraid to walk up to a stranger at the dock (who has a cat) and explain the situation and offer the same deal as you did with your buddy. Chances are VERY high that they will be happy to oblige!

 

[magicalbill]

I must be lucky with my marlin, it does not pound in a 2 foot chop. Speed, Trim, and trim tabs can work wonders.

I said it to LuckyDude and I stand by it. I have a Marlin and it indeed a marvelous boat. I have logged hundreds of hours in helm time off SW Fla and seas over and above 2ft driven by 15kt+ winds will make it an uncomfortable ride. It is a tight, steep chop and a Marlin will take spray (occasionally) and knock you around some.

Once you tab it down, and slow down, it certainly smooths it out, but it starts to be a negative experience, for me anyway, tabs or not. It is not unsafe, but uncomfortable, and yes, I understand tabs, trim and the concept behind both.

Two other things come into play here.

1.) Individual comfort level. Mine is probably different than yours. It gets choppy, I’m done. I care nothing about fishing, so I go home.

2.) Perception of wave height from the helm. Many overestimate the height of seas, especially moving thru them, holding onto something. I’m not saying you are guilty of it by any means, but you’d be amazed at pics & videos where the Authors description of the seas are scarcely in accordance with reality.

Back to LuckyDudes topic. I think, and still think a Marlin, or any Grady will not fulfill his needs. I know what he wants to do, and maybe it isn’t a Cat Hull. I have no experience with one, so I defer to those that do, but I’m trying to keep him from spending six figures on something that he’ll be disappointed with.

 

[Jrspawn]

I said it to LuckyDude and I stand by it. I have a Marlin and it indeed a marvelous boat. I have logged hundreds of hours in helm time off SW Fla and seas over and above 2ft driven by 15kt+ winds will make it an uncomfortable ride. It is a tight, steep chop and a Marlin will take spray (occasionally) and knock you around some.

Once you tab it down, and slow down, it certainly smooths it out, but it starts to be a negative experience, for me anyway, tabs or not. It is not unsafe, but uncomfortable, and yes, I understand tabs, trim and the concept behind both.

Two other things come into play here.

1.) Individual comfort level. Mine is probably different than yours. It gets choppy, I’m done. I care nothing about fishing, so I go home.

2.) Perception of wave height from the helm. Many overestimate the height of seas, especially moving thru them, holding onto something. I’m not saying you are guilty of it by any means, but you’d be amazed at pics & videos where the Authors description of the seas are scarcely in accordance with reality.

Back to LuckyDudes topic. I think, and still think a Marlin, or any Grady will not fulfill his needs. I know what he wants to do, and maybe it isn’t a Cat Hull. I have no experience with one, so I defer to those that do, but I’m trying to keep him from spending six figures on something that he’ll be disappointed with.

I will have to disagree with you there for the fact that we must run our boats differently. I stand by my statement. In 2ft chop, running the right speed and trim... you should barely even feel it. I can tell you at a true 2ft chop, I don't even use the tabs and slowing down typically creates a harsher ride. The right outboard trim and speed is all that is needed for us in that chop.

 

[TUNAHUNTER197]

Going fast comfortably in our afternoon chop is pretty much none existent. Spend all the money you want but there is no way to go fast in our chop without your crew hating you and or a few ft shorter because of all the pound you took from the hull. Sure get a 65ft boat, but that is only going to make 25knts WOT. Hell, get a cigarette boat and go 65 knots, the boat will break in half in the Pacific (pretty sure you can find the Youtube video of the cigarette boat off Ocean beach that broke in half trying to run too fast in the slop). Unfortunately there is no magic boat for our waters or for your application.

Good news you'll have some nasty weather to test the 320 tomorrow in Bodega. Don't forget to test out trolling in the slop so you can hear the hull slap of cat's...it maybe a none issue to you but have heard others hate it.

I have two suggestions that I'm hoping you won't look over:

-take a few captain classes and learn how to run your boat correctly, much cheaper/easier then $350k on something that will not fix what your looking for. There's a reason your current boat is one of the most popular boats in CA, it's a little tank.
-purchase a downeast hull with an inboard diesel running at 18 knts...Set your AP, kick your feet up and drink your coffee.

 

[glacierbaze]

Lucky dude said, “When people make comments about cats, can you please say which make/model cat? I'm looking at a 32 foot World Cat, it's night and day different from the Grady cat made ~25 years ago for example.”

You should also want to know how many years they owned a catamaran. There is no class of boat which is subject to more unfounded rumors, by people who have never been on one, much less owned one, than catamarans.
I owned a 22 foot Glacier Bay for more than five years, hence my screen name, but it was a full displacement hull, and no comparison to a 32 foot World Cat.