_ jtZilX. 



At the start of a heat in the One-of-a-Kind race, a Tiger Cat 



can be seen in center background. It finished first on corrected 



time, ahead of Cougar Cat in overall standing 



tunnel between the two hulls can be clearly seen. The majority of the 

 present designs tend toward the use of modified V forms for the two 

 hulls though some designers stick to the older plan which looks like two 

 pontoons with a tunnel between. There are several variations from these 

 two basic designs— all, however, use the principle of the air passage be- 

 tween two basic hulls. The purpose of the tunnel is to generate lift and 

 produce a smooth, faster ride. The hulls are constructed from fiberglass, 

 wood and plywood— sheet and molded plywood. 



The big question: Are two hulls better than one? The sailing cata- 

 marans, like the other hull designs discussed in Chapter 2, have assets 

 and drawbacks, but the assets are rather impressive. When they first made 

 their appearance in numbers, sailing cats were treated as a novelty craft; 

 that was, until they consistently out-raced monohull sailboats. For in- 

 stance, in Yachting Magazine's One-of-a-Kind Regatta, the twin-hulls 

 did very well. While the boat for boat winner was a 38-foot Class A 

 scow, on corrected time which made allowance for the comparative size 

 of boats, catamarans cleaned up with a Tiger Cat placing first, a Cougar 

 Cat second, and a Shearwater III fourth. 



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