By George Purchon – passionate CAT sailor and RS Sales Guru
The RS CAT range is a perfect option not only for training and recreational sailing but also as a true performance pathway class.
The features on the RS CAT14 & RS CAT16 are innovative and clever to make catamaran sailing fun and easy.
The high buoyancy hulls give reserve stability and forgiving handling. While the concave deck creates a secure sitting area which is very comfortable. Once you are ready to get sailing the Lift & lock rudder system is simple to use and makes it easy to launch single-handed. Once you are out on the water having the option for One, two or three sails can suit your experience level and the gennaker chute system is efficient and simple when hoisting & dropping the kite. If you would like to land on a beach then the practical moulded-in handholds make moving the boat easy onshore. The hull construction is made in such a way that no fittings go into the inside of the hull making it extremely strong watertight and quick to assemble. Beam and shroud bolts secure into stainless-steel bars in channels on either side of the hulls making for a strong, simple and fast assembly – just 15 minutes using only one spanner.
The RS build process leads the way & enables additional thickness in high load areas, this makes the RS CAT range virtually maintenance-free while also keeping the overall weight down for better sailing. One thing that catamarans can fall into a trap of is flexing of the hulls. Once one hull is flying there can be some play in the beams. The RS CAT range has addressed this with an extremely solid front tack bar where the increased stiffness of the overall boat is very noticeable.
The safety features on the boats are also ingenious. toe straps above and below tramps to assist capsize righting, capsize righting line in under-tramp stowage bag and masthead float standard on all models are just a few of the features. However, something as simple as a recess in the aft deck to reduce the volume and make it easier to “sink” a stern and right the boat from inversion is a simple and effective way to get you sailing more and loving the staggering performance that the RS CAT14 and RS CAT16 gives.
To learn more about the features please get in touch with the team.
Check out the RS CAT16’s racing with the fastest sailing race in the world at SailGP!
