Can Anyone Identify this boat?

Quarath wrote: http://eastidaho.craigslist.org/boa/2820318137.html

all can say is WTF?Edited by Quarath on Feb 07, 2012 - 10:06 PM.

That looks like one of the prototypes for the Xcat from http://www.fourhulls.com
Although I have no idea what that hamster wheel looking thing is that is poking through the tramp.

Interesting idea, somehow had the idea that that design would resist pitchpoles and be more efficient that traditional designs.

That wheel sure looks like a bicycle rim that "turns" the hulls for steering.

I have no idea what that hamster wheel looking thing is that is poking through the tramp.

That is the "handle" so you can easily grab this thing and throw it in the "should have never tried" pile (JK)

The ad states "front and rear pontoons steer".. and it defiantly looks like a bike rim

Edited by MN3 on Feb 08, 2012 - 06:57 AM.

Looks like the front and rear "hulls" pivot in the middle. I bet that bad boy has a near zero turn radius with all four hulls pivoting. Good for mowing my lawn, lousy on the water.

Hey!
Douse that light!
This is a Z28 CatBarge.
A secret military project for autosailing our nuclear waste to hostile countries.
Hulls are disguised titanium and shaped to deflect sonar for stealth.
That wheel is a nanowave antenna that receives guidance data from a strategic defence satellite.
The frame is full of C4 and tied to a self destruct mechanism- do not use your android phone within 50 metres!
Jeez, don't you guys read the Inquirer?
Not a word of this to anyone!

It all seems like a an idea that ended badly, but I think there well could have been some logic behind it, along with some liquor!
Many people complain about the tacking capabilities of a Cat. They do come around, but not very quickly. My Invitation can be sailed in a circle, within spitting distance of an 8' inflatable raft the kids put out. The thing pivots on that centerboard as fast as you can move to the other side & sheet in.
This project may be an abomination, but I bet it comes around pretty quick. At speed, it would only take a few inches of travel on each hull to skate around a corner. Who knows, that wheel may even be rigged with an Ackerman angle, maybe that's where OUR Akermans first originated, truth is often stranger than fiction.
If were to be dropped off in my driveway, I'd sure as Hell rig a mast & sail, just to see what it would do. Then put progressively larger rigs on til it self destructed.

Edchris177 wrote:
This project may be an abomination, but I bet it comes around pretty quick. At speed, it would only take a few inches of travel on each hull to skate around a corner. Who knows, that wheel may even be rigged with an Ackerman angle, maybe that's where OUR Akermans first originated, truth is often stranger than fiction.

your certainly optomistic.

Edited by bacho on Feb 08, 2012 - 03:55 PM.

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Nuke it from orbit. Its the only way to be sure...

i don't know why he is selling this masterpiece?...looks like a strong olympic contender...

I bet it parallel parks well... 😆

I wonder if you anchored it on each corner and put some rollers and hull cradles on it if you could turn it into a floating dock to put a real cat on.

EdChris177 wrote: Who knows, that wheel may even be rigged with an Ackerman angle, maybe that's where OUR Akermans first originated, truth is often stranger than fiction.

Oh EdChris177, you are a hopeless romantic! 🙂

The Ackerman geometry was patented in 1818 for horse drawn carriages. The horseless carriage industry has used modified versions of it... An eighties model of the Honda Prelude had four wheel steering that used Ackerman geometry in the front end at slow speeds (under 12 mph) and all-wheels-alike steering at speeds above that. Changing lanes at highway speeds was scary fast.

Edited by klozhald on Feb 09, 2012 - 02:04 PM.

We will all let Chris177 take it out with a kick arse sail and sail it till it breaks.. Some where WAYYYY off shore so he is going to have to use the Ackerman to wheel back to shore.. And yes Kolzahald.. he is hopless.. Romantic??? Ask his wife.. Perhaps he should pratice parking with it .. then work on his moves.. After all he is sailing a Minnow.. he he

Upon first glance, this is precisely what it reminded me of...

It looks rediculous. I'd sure the puppy would agree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=--Axuvmclec&NR=1

here is a theory...

coastrat wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=--Axuvmclec&NR=1

here is a theory...

Hey coastrat,
You should start a new thread with this video. It would generate a lot of thought and some BS. Looks cool but I dont know enough about sailboat design to know if its practical.

looks like there would be much torqe where the hulls connect to the tramp..makes you appreciate the simple rudder pin and the job it does. hulls are dagger boards, no rudders, uni rig, berry interwesting...i love youtube and the wacky stuff people invent, it's a great source for inspiration/innovation!

DamonLinkous wrote:

Interesting idea, somehow had the idea that that design would resist pitchpoles and be more efficient that traditional designs.

Damon emailed me and asked me to give a little history of the X-Cat.

This was a design I came up with as an entry to the International concept boat design contest in 2002, it was a finalist and was shown at the London boat show. On the back of that competition we gained development grant from the UK government to make a first prototype. Which is what you see in Damon's picture.

My "day job" is as a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry and as part of that job I came across a product called Twintex which is a thermoformed glass fiber reinforced polypropylene. It is a very tough light weight material, with incredible impact resistance. At the time it was used by the British Royal Navy for RIB hulls.

We decided to make the first hulls from this prototype material. I was generally very impressed with it. I often demonstrate its properties by lifting an early prototype of the hull above my head and dropping it onto a concrete floor, the only danger in this is that it bounces so well that it can hit you in the face on the way back up!

The boat itself sailed well and was very stable however the hull drag was considerable in marginal conditions. This meant that it was never going to be a winner in normal conditions around the buoys on an Olympic style course.

However the low center of effort of the sails combined with the high stability of the hulls meant that with enough wind it was really quick. Although I was never able to quantify that by sailing it against competitive boats.

To be completely honest if I had put as much effort into the development and testing of this boat as I had into the design and build then I might have seen its full potential.

Since then my family has grown (5 kids!) and my time has diminished, other projects came up that I was paid to work on and the poor boat has languished in my garden for the past few years waiting for enough free time to permit me to resurrect the project.

Damon's email has prompted me to think again about the X-Cat and I believe that the time has come to try and sell it, ideally to someone who will have the time to perhaps get it working far better than I ever could. I still have the molds so I could produce more if I wanted.

With that in mind I am going to put it on e-bay in April/May and see if I get any interest in it.

Another good thing that came out of it was that it allowed me to develop another less radical variant for a third party which I believe is on sale in the US. see http://marcopoloboats.com/Hullz.html

All the best

Gareth

Gareth,

Thanks very much for making a "guest appearance" and giving the history of your interesting project.

I guess the only question I have is about the original boat in this thread. Do you recognize it? Do you think maybe it was an independent copy of your design or something else?

No I don't recognise it at all, so I don't know anything of its history.

I did have steering in my original patent which has now expired although I never implemented it.

Gareth

Edited by grob on Feb 19, 2012 - 12:44 AM.