[SSST]

Like I said...impressive.

Maybe it's just me....but jumping from wave to wave at 60 mph kinda sounds like the theory that going over a speed bump at 60 mph makes it smoother.

No worries on my part...my boat is a 50mph boat.

Personally...if I'm with a guide driving like that...I'll find myself telling him to slow the **** down.

He asked us when we headed out if we could handle a rough ride, and we had everything very secure. We got a little sidespray on us, so it wasn't a true dry ride. It was 3 youngsters and myself, I got to sit by the Captain, so I was good, lol. Baffin at 20 is no Aransas at 20.

 

[bigfishtx]

Cats can take rough water if your back can handle it. Not many of them can handle running straight into a big bay chop though.

 

[twelfth man]

Dargel Kat 250 doin' work......

A few pics for perspective of the Dargel Kat.

 

[bjmillet]

Now that's a cat that can take rough seas

 

[bigfishtx]

A few pics for perspective of the Dargel Kat.

King of the rough water Cats.

 

[Anderson Guide Service]

My cat takes the waves pretty good but there is no way I want to run dead into a 25-30mph wind in Aransas. I wouldn't want to do it in a 31 Bertram either though.

 

[duckmania]

I ran around a little in my Mowdy on Saturday, it was rough, borderline unsafe.

 

[blackjack runner]

Aransas Bay can get nasty. Going from a Blackjack to a Cat I can honestly say pucker factor increases dramatically. I will look for alternative fishing areas if I fish at all in higher wind conditions. Can the cats run in 2 - 3' chop. Yes. Can you go into the gulf with them. Yes. You can also run a jon boat in the same conditions. Doesn't make it right or smart. Never had a wave come over the front on a deep v, but have had this happen numerous times with the cat. Just aint fun.

 

[Ckill]

I'm in the market for a new boat currently run a Nautic Star 214 shallow bay. I fish Aransas from Goose Island. I cant go longer then 22'. I feel like that puts me out of the cat market for the rough waters around there. I am up for any suggestions from people who know the area! Thanks!
Needs:
High sides
Aft Seating
draft at rest ~12

 

[D HOGG]

25+ winds makes for a very big Aransas bay no matter what you are in.
Cats do marginally better than a flat bottom....24+ft boat makes the biggest difference. Smaller and you just have to slow down and manage the throttle so you don't spear a wave.

My kidneys and back beg to differ sgrem. Cats perform way beyond marginally than flat bottoms. Unless your talking about the Flats Cat.

 

[Anderson Guide Service]

A CAT can handle that area no problem. People from goose island in scooters all the time. In my opinion low sided "shallow water" boats are safer than traditional "high sided" bay boats. Take a wave over the front of a bay boat and you have a problem. In a shoalwater cat no big deal. Just hope nothing is washed over. I have been in a pathfinder that took a wave over the bow. It was a BIG deal. Those high side hold a lot of water.

 

[pipeliner24]

A CAT can handle that area no problem. People from goose island in scooters all the time. In my opinion low sided "shallow water" boats are safer than traditional "high sided" bay boats. Take a wave over the front of a bay boat and you have a problem. In a shoalwater cat no big deal. Just hope nothing is washed over. I have been in a pathfinder that took a wave over the bow. It was a BIG deal. Those high side hold a lot of water.

If that was the case wouldn't offshore boats be switching over to low sides?If you're taking waves over the bow of any boat your in a bad situation and it is a big deal.Ive never seen a self bailing hull that can drain water fast enough.Cat boats serve a purpose as far as riding better than a flat bottom and shallower than a deep vee,but I'll take an old 24' Kenner over any 24' low side cat hull when it comes to crossing a bay in 20mph winds and waves big enough to come over the bow.It takes a lot bigger wave to come over a high sided boat than a low one.

 

[caddis]

My observations:
1. It does matter how high the sides are; a low sided boat will only hold so much water as a maximum as it drains off. An amount that doesn't negatively affect flotation.
2. Wind speed....who cares? It's the wave height and spacing that matter.
3. Yes, it's easy to say you won't go out in 25mph, it's another thing to have it come up fast when you're on the other side of Aransas, Baffin, etc.
4. 60mph or anywhere near that in big waves is nuts! Although that post mentions wind speed not wave size.

 

[Anderson Guide Service]

If that was the case wouldn't offshore boats be switching over to low sides?If you're taking waves over the bow of any boat your in a bad situation and it is a big deal.Ive never seen a self bailing hull that can drain water fast enough.Cat boats serve a purpose as far as riding better than a flat bottom and shallower than a deep vee,but I'll take an old 24' Kenner over any 24' low side cat hull when it comes to crossing a bay in 20mph winds and waves big enough to come over the bow.It takes a lot bigger wave to come over a high sided boat than a low one.

If you take a wave over the bow of a shallowsport with no sides you are not going to sink. May not be much fun and you might loose some stuff but you will keep going. If you take a way over the bow of a boat with 3" sides it may suck but you will only have 3" of water in the boat. That is all I am trying to say.

 

[JRI]

The ESCB R24 aka Recon is built to handle swells. I've taken one into Corpus Chisti Bay during rock the dock and that thing was solid as a rock and it was almost fun running those swells in the April wind. The Stingray is made for chop and handles that awesome but the Recon R24 handles big water great. Due to the air pressure built up in the tunnel it lands a lot softer than a v hull falling of the back of the wave. Call Eric and ask for a test drive in the bay on a windy day and I think you'll be very impressed and then he'll take you into green lake marsh and run in inches. Bring your check book too. lol

 

[lurker]

Recon is built to handle swells. I've taken one into Corpus Chisti Bay during rock the dock

almost fun running those swells in the April wind.

Due to the air pressure built up in the tunnel it lands a lot softer than a v hull falling of the back of the wave.

You waited 6 years for this? Lol, indeed.

 

[blitz_81]

I've crossed Aransas in high winds in my 23 sw. It sucked lol. Wind picked up and just about realigned my spine. Was never worried I wouldn't make it but it was not a fun ride. Much easier to just run shorelines all the way around if you can.

 

[sailorguy96]

Took the new Dargel Kat out last week in Ingleside. Winds were SE blowing 20+kts across corpus bay and I had to take her out in the rough stuff to see how she would do. Blew my expectations. Took a little bit to figure out the right trim and speed but once dialed in and a little throttle action she ran 30kts fairly comfortably. Chop was easily 2-3 feet.


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[Trouthunter]

Cats perform way beyond marginally than flat bottoms.

Indeed. I don't know why people say things like that when they really have no clue.

TH

 

[bigfishtx]

Took the new Dargel Kat out last week in Ingleside. Winds were SE blowing 20+kts across corpus bay and I had to take her out in the rough stuff to see how she would do. Blew my expectations. Took a little bit to figure out the right trim and speed but once dialed in and a little throttle action she ran 30kts fairly comfortably. Chop was easily 2-3 feet.

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People that lump the Dargel with the others have not been on one.