what's the wind speed limit for cat sailing?

between 20 and 30 knots, depending on crew weight.

I think the limit is when you say"Hey it blowing too hard to go out today"

I flew my H18 jibless in 25 knots this spring

Depends on how big your cojones are on any particular day but 25 knots is most peoples hard limit. Above that you start breaking stuff (and people). And I start getting twitchy at about 18 knots.

Edited by Wolfman on Jul 17, 2011 - 07:43 PM.

Thanks guys, it blew 15 to 25 knots today so I opted to windsurf instead. Actually, a storm blew in this evening with a 50+ knot sideshore blast that almost wrecked our P16. We keep it tied down on a cantilever lift next to the dock and a couple times the cat was tipping over with the lift up on two legs! Only thing that saved it from going over was the dock butted up right next to it. Going to tie some concrete blocks to the lift frame this week...

at 15knots the challenge is there to be enjoyed

at 20knots it's there to be survived

with tall rigs

hard to right platforms

and no reefing

beachcats should stay on the beach after 20

It actually depends on what boat you are sailing. There are cats made for high wind sailing. like the Dart 18. witch isn't much fun under 12-15 knots and manageable in winds up to 25-30. But stuff like the hobie 16 witch is overriged actually it gets to much fast.

20 knots is about my limit also. Much over that and things go wrong to fast for me, and boats and people can start breaking. Couple guys near me won't sail their H18M until it is over 20. Beyond wind it also matters what the water conditions are. Water temp, wave size, etc. I am more willing to go out if the water is in the 70's then when it is in the 50's/60's.

I soloed through a squal south of deer island, Ocean Springs, MS, on a N5.0 it was most awesome, could hardly see due to the spray and swells. I am guessing the wind speeds were 25-35 knots. If I tried to launch or beach in that...it would be trouble.

--
Mike, 1984 H18, Lexington, SC
--

Depends upon the boat, skill & experience , crew weight, water conditions, location: lake, intercoastal, open ocean, and condition of the boat & equipment.
I sailed in 40 MPH winds, on my Dart 20, with a crew of 2~520 pounds or so total for the 3 of us. We sailed in the intercoastal off the Dunedin Causeway to one of the spoil islands and back. It took 5 of us to lower the mast, 3 holding a line on the forestay & 2 on the boat lowering. We were under control sailing, still I broke 3 battons and batton pockets--it was to much. We were all glad to have the boat on the trailer.
I agree with the previous range: 5-10 beats working-the wife is happy, 10-15 is great, testosterone is appeased, 15-20 is exciting, wife is not happy, testosterone is satisfied, big smiles & I want crew, above 20 and I would rather crew on someone elses boat. The repairs are cheaper:)

I sailed in 40 MPH winds, on my Dart 20, with a crew of 2~520 pounds or so total for the 3 of us

one of the fastest and wettest sails of my life!

Edited by MN3 on Jul 19, 2011 - 09:37 AM.

Only thing that saved it from going over was the dock butted up right next to it. Going to tie some concrete blocks to the lift frame this week.

I'm in the same situation. Can you contact me via PM, & send a couple of photos of how you did your lift? You might have some better ideas than what I'm using.
I store my 5.7 on a modified seadoo lift, set beside the dock. I keep some large fenders against the dock, just in case the wind were to slide the Cat (even tied down) or tip the lift. I have six 30 lb weights hung on the frame. I tie them together with a short line, then hang them over the frame. It is way easier than moving the boat onshore, but it aint ideal. I might sell my power boat, & get a seadoo. Then
I could move the Cat onto the much larger vertical lift, where it would take a hurricane to tip it.
I've been out a couple times in just over 30 mph, as measured by the buoy about 1 mile away. There is so much spray that it gets hard to see. At my place if the wind is an offshore breeze, and you stay within 1/2 mile of shore, the seas are relatively flat. When we get a south wind of that magnitude, conditions turn to short steep wave sets that just pound the crap out of things. The fun factor goes way down, as I'm just trying to stay upright.

edchris, I use a full-size cantilever lift that came with the cat. It has a couple side rails to keep it from sliding off, and i was thinking of making some anchors by filling 5 gallon pails with concrete and an eye bolt. I'll try to get some photos to you. Where do you live anyways? sounds like you have similar conditions as us. We're on Lake St Francis, a wide part of the St Lawrence river in Ontario, Canada.

I keep mine on Lake Simcoe, water is 26C today!
The problem with the seadoo lift is it is narrow. I used the beams from the trailer, with an 8' deck board bolted to them to protect the hulls. The bows also hang way over the front, creating a large lever. I can't walk out on the bows to tension my portuguese turnbuckle, or the entire assembly will tip, even with almost 200lb on the rear beam.

Wow, Ed, sounds like an invitation for a disaster! I don't know how windy it gets on Simcoe, but if you get a blast like we did the other day your cat's gone for sure. If i were you i'd look around for a bigger lift - I occasionally see used ones going for around $500-$700 around here. New is over $2000. Not cheap but neither is a new cat!

I have too many large lifts as it is! The seadoo lift isn't as bad as it sounds, sideloads are pretty stable, as the cat only site appx 2' either side of the base. It is mostly the long bows hanging out front that create a long lever if you were to walk on them.
It isn't as good as a full size powerboat lift, & I have to be careful to position it just right. We get some pretty good wind, however the bay I'm on is sheltered from the big blows. A direct hit from a big CB would be a different matter, I using the Florida theory that hurricanes can only devastate a certain number of boats per year, & the next 2 are not mine:-P