Been surfing the internet for SA cats, and would l

[fedu]

Been surfing the internet for SA cats, and would like to know what you guys think about 2oceans cats.

They do some cats called the "Magnum 32".

What is the general opinion about them ?

http://www.2oceans.co.za

 

[Pargo Man]

Ahoi Fernando,

thanks for your ear... that minute. We did the feat on a 25 Magnum Cabin this September off Luanda. Colin "Flying Marlin" Scotsman raised and tagged his Blue duely 35 miles out... that's just short of 65 km...

The "2 Oceans" Magnum 25 did a super job going, but I was a bit sidewise when coming back, wave following... and famous Capt. Gabri giving it the spores...

I would prefer a WA or CC 25 at any times. The 28 CC or 32 WA would be my coice of boat any day off Luanda or going deep N or S; twin 300s/4strokes, extra tanks. I am not a commercial and I dont need the 2 tons tuna load bearing caps...

Yet, the COBRA cat and the KINGs of 7m to 9m also can makes one smile in our waters...

Navigating the 585 COBRA for the bertter half of 2009, I am crazy enough to buy her off it's present owner... but... better talk to my wife first...

 

[fedu]

Jan,

My father in law has a Cobra Cat 525 (or 585 ?) from Mallards Marine, it came by road from SA to Angola (towed).

I navigated it from Tombwa to Lucira (where it stays now), a 150 miles trip with good weather most of the time (around 8 to 9 hours with a small stop at Namibe and a little trolling at Chapeu Armado).

I didn't like that front drive position, it's not very nice for the skipper, all the wave "bouncing" and "cuting" you feel on your legs!!!!

I would prefer a more "central" driving post, like a CenterConsole or WA, but for that size is a great boat.

After 6 hours non stop driving at 18/22 MPH my legs were complaining, I loved the avaliable space though.


After yesterday 40 miles ride on mine mono CC in very bad weather at 35MPH I wished I had a cabin (the boat truly performed), I like the WalkAround concept you can fight the fish all around the boat and I think it's ideal for popping.

This is the 2oceans Magnum 28 WA

 

[Pargo Man]

Ahoi Fernando,

I wasnt fortunate enough to be on a 28WA yet, but sure she has all the attributes of a top game boat.

I fully agree, that 28 WA is the boat for our waters. Fantastic flybridge and plenty of space in the cabin. Seats 4 plus the helmsman. Below has a fine head (for the ladies changing their swimwear) and even a bunk to rest the kids.

It was built for the big game, be it Marlin off Richards Bay or specifically the Yellowfins deep South off CT in really foul conditions. Doing standup with multiple yellowfins hooked up, the walk around really shows it's colours. Foredeck and aftdeck seem to have ample space also for popping and jigging. When fighting the Angolan Marlin or Sails, she is just "short" enough to maneouvre well agile with the fish. I wouldnt go for any longer cat.

The boat needs more shade, when it come to Angola, but other than that, it's a craft that is finest competition to the 35ft yachts with their inboard diesels...

Talk to you later.

Jan

 

[Patrick]

I think both Miles and Hammertime have experience on the Magnums fishing the deep, and if i remember correctly she's not the greatest boat in a big sea. I'm sure they'll post something soon.

 

[Hammertime]

Beautiful boats.
Awesome finish and great design.

However, they have a great degree of lateral movement and cat walk.
I have not been at the helm and so I am hesitant to comment as I do find so many skippers lack the ability to find a boats sweat spot using trims.

It seems they trim up or down and that is it. Trimming one motor into or out of a swell to stabalise this lateral movement seems to be unheard of amongst so many boaters and it's for this reason that I think boats get unfairly labeled as a banger or walker.

My old 18'6 Kozi could bang like a barn door if she was not trimmed properly. Trim her right and we were lured into the feeling that she was much bigger than she really was.

Two Oceans run a factory that could hold it's own anywhere around the world. Top notch design equipment with an understanding of all the latest materials.

The lads will personalise the boats to your needs and are great with after sales service.

Not sure what your waters are like but if they lack the huge winter heaving swells we have here I would imagine they would be even better up there.

I've fished off the 23, old 25 and the 28. Not the big 32.
I have also spoken to a provincial skipper who skippered the 28 in what has to be the biggest swell I have seen in 30 years. He said the boat was unbelievable.

That's all I can say about that...

 

[miles]

Hiya

As Hammertime has said, they are magnificently finished. The Two Oceans and Cobra Cat range of boats must be THE best finished boats on the SA market.

I've fished quite a bit off the 32' Walk Around Magnum. Its a BIG boat, with LOADS of space. VERY well laid out and fishes very comfortably.

In a big sea, she does bang quite a bit and when you are steering the boat manually (NOT using the autopilot), the one pontoon of the will tends to dig into the swell, causing the boat to pull to that side. After straightening her out, she'll then dig into the OTHER side. You end up fighting with the wheel!!

The 28' runs MAGNIFICENTLY into the sea!! VERY, VERY soft ride when running INTO the sea. WIth a beam sea or following sea, she performs TERRIBLE, with the hulls digging in and pulling the boat from one side to the other. Worse than the 32'. Another issue is fuel consumption. The figures floating around the Two Oceans Boat owners is that the 28' is actually HEAVIER on fuel than the 32'.

If the boats going to be moored, and thats the class of boat you're looking at, rather opt for the 32'. It offers more space, better ride, due to its increase in length and better fuel economy. Like HT said, if you don't get very big sea's, she'll be a magnificent vessel for your conditions.

 

[fedu]

HT and Miles,

Thanks for the replies.

In your opinion what is the best 25/28 feet Walk Around or Center Console South African Cat ?

 

[Pargo Man]

Gd Morning again Fernando,

have a quick word with Brett King in the NAUTICO. He is the designer behind a very interesting line of Z-Craft and KingCat. He is resident in Luanda. Sure, you know him.

Google up the UMKHULO or see this 26ft WA KingCat for reference.

Brett briefed me last season on the navigation of the 585 Mallard Cobra Cat, trim etc, the ropes. He knows best what the RSA market offers todate and even arranges for your testride of any of the craft, even preowned.

http://www.z-craft.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=34

Admins: I hope it's ok if I give such direct reference?

Cordially, "Pargo" Jan

 

[shagnrelease]

Hammertime wrote:

Beautiful boats.
Awesome finish and great design.

 

I do agree they do seem to be very popular boats, and the 32 I fished on seemed stable enough but it was not a particularly bumpy day, but I must question Miles and hammertime on what they refer to as a great finish?

The craft which I saw at the JHB boatshow which I would have thought to have been there show piece had a hull which looked like the cellulite covered thighs of an aging brunette, there where more lumps and bumps running down the side of the hull than on a Titleist 2 golf ball???

now this would be because the mould has not been smoothed properly which brings the question what else has lacked the attention to detail???

not trying to start a bun fight, just sharing an opinion.......

 

[Hendre]

Hi Fedu

I'm out of my depth here, but think you might find the Twister 730 interesting as well. Have a look here:

http://www.africanangler.com/sb_boat_tests_view.asp?id=123

 

 

[fedu]

shagnrelease wrote:

Hammertime wrote:

Beautiful boats.
Awesome finish and great design.

 

I do agree they do seem to be very popular boats, and the 32 I fished on seemed stable enough but it was not a particularly bumpy day, but I must question Miles and hammertime on what they refer to as a great finish?

The craft which I saw at the JHB boatshow which I would have thought to have been there show piece had a hull which looked like the cellulite covered thighs of an aging brunette, there where more lumps and bumps running down the side of the hull than on a Titleist 2 golf ball???

now this would be because the mould has not been smoothed properly which brings the question what else has lacked the attention to detail???

not trying to start a bun fight, just sharing an opinion.......

Strange, I've been inside this boat from 2oceans (not the same line I know) but the finishing and detail seemed great......

 

[miles]

Fedu, thats a VERY difficult question to answer. We all have our preferences, and what suits our fishing style might not be applicable to your style of fishing.

In my opinion:

Best riding hull:

Photo below is of the older sportsfisher model. Can't seem to find any photo's of the newer walk-around model:

28' Buttcat Walk-around. This boat can be powered by 2x90hp 4 strokes or 2x85hp 2 strokes as a minimum. The vast majority how-ever fit 2x140hp 4 stroke's. With 2x90hp 4 strokes, whe gives you 28knts top speed!! Its a very light boat, that is VERY, VERY economical on fuel and handles very well. It DOES NOT broach or snake or do anything funny. Rides VERY soft. The downside, they're rather poorly finished when comparing them to the Two Oceans Magnums or Mallards Cobra Cats. There are how-ever 40-50% cheaper than their equivalent Two Oceans 28' Magnum.

Buttcat has recently released their new 28'er, which is a bit wider than the older 28'er. I haven't been to sea on one yet, but it looks STUNNING!!

The beauty of the buttcats is that they are truely unsinkable. The ENTIRE hull is foam filled. There is no drain bungs at the back. No need for bilge pumps. Think of it as a surfboard. Its unsinkable. VERY, VERY, VERY safe boats.

 

Best looking/finished boat:

The Two Oceans 28' Magnum is SUPERBLY finished. Very well laid out boat. Does not ride as well as the Buttcat, but still runs well in calm to moderate conditions. http://www.2oceans.co.za/

 

Some others worth looking at:

 

26' Leecat Walk-Around. Another VERY well finished boat, with lots of thought being put into its design and construction. The full cabin version looks alot prettier, whilst the walk-around versions cabin is a bit outdated. Unfortunately, she does BANG quite a bit when riding in a choppy sea. http://www.leecat.co.za/8m_Walk-Around.asp

 

28' Gecat Walk-around. Pretty much a buttcat hull, just built alot stronger and finished off better. Still not in the Two Oceans class when it comes to finishing though. Unfortunately, being built stronger, also means its ALOT heavier than the buttcats, which in turns means you need bigger motors, which results in VERY high fuel bills. http://www.boat-builders.co.za/Gecat-28.htm

 

26' - 800 Cobra Cat. I've only ever been on the 900 full cabin version. The finish on this boat was magnificent, even though it was a old boat. Really top class workmanship. The downside, they're VERY heavy boats and require BIG motors to push them. This in turns results in VERY large fuel bills!! She also BANGS considerabily in a lumpy or choppy sea. http://www.mallardsmarine.co.za/newproductrange_DeepSeaCatRange.html

 

Photos courtesy of their respective websites.

 

[fedu]

Miles,

It's a pleasure to read your posts.

I think this is the 28 Buttcat WA

 

[fedu]

Viem from the other side

 

[Fin-S]

Hi fedu,
another option....
http://www.boatingonline.co.za/boats.php?dealerno=&boatno=4575&filename=pri_worldcatjune09_1.jpg

It is difficult to answer your question regarding the best.
Best riding in a big Cape sea, best surf launch, best finish, best internal design for billfishing, best for jigging, fastest into a head sea, best economy...etc.
For what you want, it may be best to customise from a basic variant.

 

[miles]

Fedu, now to throw you a curveball!!

 

Have a look at the 29' Sliver built by Supercat. Its a high speed displacement hull, which is powered by motors as small as 2x25hp!! Yes, thats 2x25hp engines!! They offer ridiculously light fuel consumption!!

Check: http://www.supercat.co.za/SLIVER%2029.htm

 

Check this out, also courtesy of the above-mentioned website:

 

 

[fedu]

Certanly two beautifull boats the World Cat and this Sliver 29.

Very daring design that Sliver, 250 to 750 Nautical Miles Range ???!!!!!

How's the manoeuvrability of this boat?

This is being a very informative thread!!

 

[Catch 22]

Bliksem!

 

[Fin-S]

I'm not sure a semi displacement cat would satisfy your speed requirements. The vessel is limited to a max speed irrespective of engines due to the inherent hull design. IIRC it is about 28 knots for this boat. Manouvrability should be good with the engines so far apart - and that speed can be had with a pair of 60's!